As a student and young professional in the twin cities of Minnesota, Tola Marts saw the devastating and permanent effect that the economic cycle can have on small cities and towns.
Abandoned houses, run-down commercial areas, under-funded schools – the hallmarks of areas that have not been able to manage their economies in a sustainable way.
From his home on Squak Mountain, where he has lived for the past three years, Marts is seeing that the city of Issaquah may soon be vulnerable to the same erratic pattern that destroyed cities in his home state.
And he wants to do something about it.
Marts last week announced his candidacy for the Issaquah City Council, and will contest the elections in November.
“Issaquah is reaching a crest,” he told The Reporter this week. “I see it in things like the school district numbers, starting to plateau. The pattern that I saw so often back in Minnesota was that first, the parents start to leave, then the schools become under-funded. But soon it starts to affect even the elderly and retired populations, as house prices start to fall. When this happens, it is very hard for a city to regain momentum. It’s not impossible, but it’s very difficult.”
Marts said that while it was easy to govern in a time of growth, it is much harder to do so when resources are limited, a situation faced at present by cities all over America.
“I just love living here so much, that I just really want to be a part of the decision making for the future of the city,” he said. “Are we going to be on an escalator, with sustained business growth going gradually upward, or are we going to be on a roller coaster, with boom and bust cycles?”
Sustainable business will no doubt be a key theme of Marts’ campaign, as it is at the core of what he believes will keep the city strong and socially viable.
“Issaquah is at a pivotal point,” he said. “We are transitioning from rapid growth into more sustainable expansion, where the long term success of the city will be determined not by increasing numbers but by the services and quality of life offered to our citizens. In this environment, we need to attract strong, stable companies which offer good local jobs and a healthy commercial tax base.”
Marts has a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, and was involved in several successful startup software companies focused on engineering solutions.
He moved to Washington to join a startup aerospace company based in Kent, Blue Origins, and is currently a design lead for this company.
His two children attend Issaquah Valley Elementary (IVE), where he was elected to the PTA Board, the IVE Site Council, and most recently served on Issaquah School District’s Levy Development Committee.
As a father holding down a full-time job, Marts is conscious of the time commitment required of a councilor.
“I have spoken with a majority of the councillors, to make sure that this was something a citizen could do,” he said. “I did look at it closely, and I believe that it is not an unrealistic expectation. I am a father, and am happily married, and I wouldn’t be taking this on if I felt the time commitment was going to harm my family life.”
Marts has decided to seek City Council position number 7 in the fall election, and so will be running against incumbent David Kappler.
He will be going door-to-door throughout the summer to meet the people of Issaquah and hear their concerns.
In the meantime, he is encouraging residents to contact him with their thoughts on the future of Issaquah at tola_marts@yahoo.com.
