Looking for local answers to business problems, the Greater Issaquah Chamber of Commerce held an Oct. 13 candidates forum for three contested council races this fall for the city council and school district.
Sponsored by the Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter, chamber members gave a few minutes for Issaquah School District Position 2 candidates Wright Noel and Marnie Maraldo to introduce themselves before turning their attention to the council hopefuls and their questions.
The school board election will be held to replace boardmember Connie Fletcher, who decided to step down after serving 16 years on the school board.
Moderated by Enterprise Washington President Erin McCallum, the business advocacy group head pressed the challengers and incumbent councilmember Maureen McCarry how they would aid business interests in the recessionary economy.
On the subject of regulating and supporting businesses in Issaquah, candidate Tola Marts said the city would benefit from a closer look at how the city stacks up compared with other towns and cities across the region. His City Council Pos.7 opponent, Nathan Perea, said the city should simply listen to it’s constituents, build better relationships with the business community and take more steps to make sure the city has a welcoming environment.
In the Pos. 5 race, former Issaquah Chamber President Joan Probala was critical of lacking city efforts to reach out to residents, never mind businesses. She cited past examples of such efforts, such as town hall meetings held to inform the public about changes annexation could bring.
“The city should go out and meet the people on their own terms,” she said. “I would bring people together, respect their opinions and show them the options of what can be done.”
City Councilmember McCarry tried to defend the city’s record of working with local business through investment in transportation infrastructure, such as the long-awaited I-90 underpass and signal technology improvements.
“We’re all working together to make it better,” she said.
The candidates are scheduled to appear again at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15 for another question-and-answer session at Grimaldi’s Coffee House at 317 N.W. Gilman Blvd. #47. For more information, call Grimaldi’s at 425-427-8161.
