Meet the North Bend City Council primary candidates

Published 5:53 pm Tuesday, July 28, 2015

North Bend is governed by a seven-member council, which has four positions to be filled in the November general election. Only two seats are on the primary ballot, since more than two candidates have filed for each seat.

North Bend City Council candidates were asked for their answers to a few questions in advance of the primary:

•What made you decide to run for city council?

•What is the most important thing for a councilmember to “get right” in regard to the city’s growth?

•Another North Bend buzzword is “downtown redevelopment.” What does this phrase mean to you?

City Council, Position 3

Three contenders are running for Position 3 on the North Bend City Council. They are incumbent Dee Williamson, Trevor Kostanich and Rich Wiltshire. Another candidate, Piper Muoio had filed for the seat, but recently reported that she would be withdrawing from the race.

Dee Williamson

Dee Wayne Williamson, 66, is an operations training and standard consultant. He’s lived in North Bend for 15 years.

Why run for another term?

I believe the citizens deserve representation at the city level, and I believe I have done a good job of that. I don’t have any outside interests and try to represent the citizens who elected me. We have some major projects that will impact taxpayers, and their interests should be protected. During my terms, we have not raised the property tax and I am proud of that record. I am concerned that we give citizens the opportunity to vote on any increase in burdens to them, such as the fire station and additional police protection. I am grateful our citizens have approved these items, and I believe they still want this voice in their government.

Getting growth right?

Growth is inevitable but we must manage it. As soon as we were able, we increased the size of the minimum lots for new housing to maintain our rural feel. We have insisted on changes in the present developments to accomodate the concerns of our citizens. You can’t outlaw growth, as builders have rights also, but it is important to reduce the impact of that growth as much as possible.

Downtown redevelopment?

Our downtown needs to be “fixed up” so that new businesses might grow and come to town. There are vacant derelict buildings that need to be used, as well as making downtown attractive to existing businesses. This has always been a priority with me. Again, though, my concern is burdening citizens with the cost of doing this without input.

For example, our city hall is outdated, too small, and not built to code. We need a new city hall; it would improve the image and help rejuvenate downtown, however if it can’t be accomplished without increasing our tax burden, I’d want to give the citizens the opportunity to vote on it.

Trevor Kostanich

Trevor Kostanich, 40, is a planning and development consultant. He’s lived in North Bend five years.

Why run?

I love our town and believe the way we manage growth in the near future is critical to our identity. While serving on the economic development commission the last three and a half years, I’ve learned more about our city’s government and want to serve on city council to have a greater impact.

Getting growth right?

A council member needs to help the city accommodate growth while maintaining our community feel with high levels of expected public services. We can utilize growth to enhance such services as life safety, water, sewer, parks, and mobility. The service that we must “get right” is mobility (aka traffic). Through traffic studies, developer impact fees, and longer term transportation planning, our city can improve mobility. In addition, I believe we should be improving our non-motorized mobility by enhancing trail connectivity from neighborhoods to parks and downtown.

Downtown redevelopment?

We need to drive energy to our authentic downtown. Success of our downtown businesses grows our city tax revenue while also providing community hubs for us to connect with each other. This helps differentiate us from the next strip mall suburbia. While our downtown is unique, it warrants further support to attract more patrons. Support can be provided through plazas, wider sidewalks, music, flower pots, etc. and we must provide for long term parking/mobility needs. While street parking is limited, we can connect nearby parking lots with safe and appealing walkways and trails.

Rich Wiltshire

Rich Wiltshire, 50, works in IT project management. He’s lived in North Bend three years since 2011, continuously since May 2014.

Why run?

The biggest reason is the people. The people are what make North Bend an amazing place to live. I’m also running because as a homeowner and citizen of North Bend, I am frustrated with the direction North Bend is going and with the seeming lack of transparency from the city council.

Getting growth right?

North Bend’s infrastructure needs to be upgraded and stable before growth can continue. There are only two roads in and out of North Bend, one run by the state and one run by the city, so traffic control is an absolute need.

The sewer and water systems have to be redone, and we need to work on parking downtown.

Downtown redevelopment?

Downtown redevelopment means the city should be working with and encouraging all local businesses in making downtown North Bend a place to stop; not restricting them. We have a beautiful little city and I hate to see local businesses struggling.

If the business owner is not the property owner, we should also encourage the property owners.

City Council, Position 7

Three contenders are running for the Position 7 seat on the North Bend City Council. They are Ryan Kolodejchuk, incumbent, Judy Bilanko and Martin Volken.

Ryan Kolodejchuk

Ryan Kolodejchuk, 56, owns and operates Landwork Enterprises, Inc., a landscaping company. He has lived in the Valley for 26 years.

Why run for another term?

I’m genuinely concerned with our city’s rapid growth and want to ensure our resources are managed in a thoughtful and transparent manner. Working with Snoqualmie Valley Governor’s Association, Eastside Transportation Partnership, King County Metropolitan Parks District and Snoqualmie Valley Watershed Forum has afforded me vital hands-on experience to make an impact on key issues such as transportation, utilities and public safety. As a successful local business owner I am familiar with the tax ramifications to you, our residents, related to ongoing development, both commercial and residential. I am committed to the responsibility of this position and ask for your vote.

Getting growth right?

New transportation costs must be the responsibility of developers, not existing taxpayers. Zoning and concurrency must be properly addressed and mitigated. I understand the complexity of construction and related costs, further strengthening my ability to make a difference. Utility impacts must be addressed to ensure the capacity of our sewer wastewater plant can service the expanded need. I’m committed to continue to support public safety issues. Before being elected, I served with Friends of the Fire District 38 for the new fire station project. I voted for adding police officers to ensure the safety of our community.

Downtown redevelopment?

Redevelopment of the downtown area needs to be privately developed; it is crucial that private enterprise foster businesses in North Bend. I want commercial zoning to be correct and to attract new private development. We must take advantage of our surrounding wealth of recreational resources and provide lodging for recreational users and enhance tourism. In the midst of this growth, it is imperative to provide easy access to businesses, while providing fluid, safe, traffic flow for local residents. I’m running for re-election to work for the best interests of our citizens and taxpayers and keep taxes to a minimum.

Judy Bilanko

Judy Bilanko, retired, worked 15 years in mortgage lending. She grew up in the Valley and has lived in North Bend since 1998.

Why run?

My decision to run for city council was easy. I have the time and skills and I care about our city. With the water moratorium lifted, it’s now our turn to deal with the issues which arise with normal urban growth. I want to be a part of the key decisions that will affect the look and feel of the city for many years to come. I would expect those decisions to be based upon thorough study and research, open-minded deliberation and always centered upon the input and best interests of citizens in the community at large.

Getting growth right?

I believe the most important thing for a councilmember to “get right” is to continue to make sure our citizens feel safe, to continue to upgrade infrastructure, to be mindful of our budget, and to listen to our citizens to ensure we do our best to “get it right.”

Downtown redevelopment?

Downtown redevelopment, to me, means downtown revitalization, and “downtown” should include the entire business community as a whole, not just one block. Revitalization should include a plan for cohesive and eye-appealing improvements for streets, sidewalks, street lighting, landscaping and public parking throughout our city center district. Such a plan would also include attractive linkages to parks and tourist attractions such as the Railroad Depot and the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.

Martin Volken

Martin Volken, 49, is a mountain guide and retail store owner in downtown North Bend. He has lived in North Bend since 1994.

Why run?

I want to help the city of North Bend realize its potential as a highly livable outdoor town that retains its rural character.

Getting growth right?

We need a comprehensive transportation improvement plan and infrastructure improvement plan now. This might mean that we have to staff up in the planning department to regain a proactive position on dealing with growth. We might have to make hard choices in terms of growth initiatives. We have to make a clear decision on what this town is going to look like in 10 years. We have to make sure that water and sewer needs are taken care of for all citizens in the city limits. Several older neighborhoods are less than a mile from downtown, but are still not hooked up to the sewer system. It is not just about new developments. We need to update existing ones as well.

Downtown redevelopment?

I am a candidate who actually deals with this “downtown situation” firsthand on a personal level and what is going on is not acceptable. We can and need to do better.

If I were to get elected, this will be one of my focus points. This is our town, our community and there is no reason why a city like North Bend should not have an attractive and vibrant downtown.