Sollitto to step down from council

Published 11:00 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND – North Bend City Councilman Mark Sollitto announced his resignation at the city’s May 17 council meeting, leaving a wide open race for his position this fall.

The resignation will go into effect on June 30.

In a statement read to the City Council, Sollitto explained that he was leaving after serving more than six years on the council to spend more time on the Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery Forum that he has chaired for the past three years. The Snoqualmie River is part of the Snohomish Basin, and the forum, made up of various government groups, nonprofit organizations and businesses, has worked on a recovery plan for endangered salmon in the basin.

Sollitto said a recent unanimous vote by the Metropolitan King County Council of the forum’s plan for salmon recovery is an indicator of the support the forum has.

“The recent 12-0 vote by the Metropolitan King County Council in support of the Snohomish Basin Plan is a milestone documenting again that Northwest residents really do seek a balance that preserves economic growth, creates jobs and puts wild salmon back into our estuaries, river main stems and the Puget Sound nearshore,” Sollitto said in a statement released to the Valley Record that he read from at the meeting.

Sollitto, who works for King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks, said his experience has equipped him to be a resource for the forum.

“Given my personal passion for this work plus 28 years in public finance, budgeting, acquisition and land use issues, I will be directing future personal and professional efforts to implement this award-winning plan and other emerging “Landscape Blueprints” around Puget Sound,” he said in the same statement.

Sollitto later explained that he was proud of the work he was able to do at the local level for preservation, economic growth, public safety and transportation. He specifically stated that the 372-acre Tollgate Farm purchase in 2001 that prevented a business park from being built between Snoqualmie and North Bend, and the 80/20 allocation of the city’s business and operation (B&O) tax that gives 80 percent of those moneys to transportation issues and the remaining 20 to public safety, were highlights of his tenure. He was also on the council when the city fought the placement of a state halfway house for sexual offenders, and when a park district was formed to reopen the Si View Community Center after the county shut it down.

In the future, Sollitto said the city’s challenges will revolve around water. The city is presently in a water moratorium that prohibits construction within city limits, as well as those areas outside the city served by the city’s water system (and, therefore, any development money from going to the city).

“Ironically, my biggest fears for North Bend are not getting water, and getting water, he said.

Believing the city will get water rights soon, Sollitto said there will be an opportunity for growth in the future. When that growth comes, however, Sollitto said it must be watched carefully to prevent North Bend from succumbing to the sprawl that has reached other areas.

“No one wants Puget Sound to become L.A. Likewise, North Bend must grow gracefully and resist the sad fate of other cities that are being overwhelmed with long-term public costs driven by rapid residential growth without the transportation infrastructure to support it,” he said.

Sollitto thanked the City Council and staff for working with him. He specifically cited the city’s “Three Musketeers” – finance director Elena Montgomery, management analyst Tonie Cook and special projects coordinator Sara Sayles – as being particular assets to the community.

“It has been a pleasure to serve, sweat, swear and laugh with you [City Council and staff] in our effort to make North Bend achieve its recreational character and economic future,” he said in the statement. “North Bend staff’s consistent attention to detail, their ability to work with the public and patiently educate part-time elected like me is an outstanding service to North Bend and the entire Snoqualmie Valley.”

Sollitto later remarked on the sacrifices made by his wife Becky and their children, Callie and Tess.

“They are the sole reason why I have been able to serve the families of North Bend for six and a half years,” he said.

There is no plan yet for how the city will replace Sollitto. North Bend City Administrator George Martinez said he and mayor Ken Hearing will meet with city attorney Mike Kenyon this week to figure out what options the city has.

Sollitto’s position is up for re-election this fall, but the city may investigate waiting for the election to fill the spot, Martinez said. Two other positions that are presently filled by Chris Garcia and Bill Wittress will also be up for re-election. Wittress said he is unsure of whether or not he will run and Garcia has not yet made a formal announcement.