Seven people are seeking appointment to the Issaquah City Council to fill the seat vacated by Fred Butler when he became mayor. The term expires in December 2015.
Registered engineer Terry Davis has served on numerous boards and commissions in the past, but now that he is retired he said he has more time to commit to the community. A 30-year resident of Squak Mountain, he would like to see downtown Issaquah gain more business and attention. He also thinks the city needs to better prepare for a disaster, and he would like to see the trail system completed.
Bill Ramos serves as the Human Services Commissioner and vice-chair of the Issaquah Economic Vitality Commission. His expertise is in environmental analysis he said. He noted his experience with the Federal Transit Administration will help the city work toward building a better transit future.
Traffic in Issaquah was a concern of all the candidates.
Joan Probala is past-president of the King County Board of Realtors and a 30-year Issaquah resident. She has been involved with shoreline issues, wetlands and growth management in the course of her career. She believes old town Issaquah is the heart and soul of the community and is interested in starting a process to showcase Issaquah’s history with a new and improved museum.
Originally from Southern California, Bryan Weinstein, a CPA, moved to Portland for a job opportunity in 1992, but by 1999 he was in high-tech. In 2000 he was hired by Microsoft and moved to old town Issaquah buying a home in 2001. Weinstein said his earliest interest in Issaquah city government happened during discussions some years ago of a Southeast Bypass on Tiger Mountain. He has run for City Council twice – in 2003 and 2007. With his financial background, he would like to change the calculus of how the city’s fiscal policy is made.
Nina Milligan is the communications manager for the Issaquah Highlands Council and serves on the Urban Village Development Commission. Milligan was also involved in the process of developing the Central Issaquah Plan. Having been very involved in the Issaquah Highlands, she now wants to move on to serve the greater community. She said the city needs to find a better balance, calling Issaquah not only a crossroads of highways but also a crossroads of nature. She said storm water management needs to be addressed.
Originally from Maryland, Tim Flood lives in South Cove and has been a volunteer for the Washington Conservation Voters and is a graduate of Issaquah CERT (community emergency response team). Like Davis, he is also concerned about disaster preparedness. With two business degrees and an MBA he feels he can help improve the live/work aspect of Issaquah. He, too, believes Issaquah’s biggest problem is traffic. He is looking to improve the interests of young families.
Finally, Cyrus Krohn is not afraid of getting his hands dirty, he said. Krohn is also a resident of old town Issaquah, for 11 years. He volunteered to clean up around the skate park and adjoining Rainier Trail, volunteers for Salmon Days and helped direct traffic during the 2011 incident involving a gunman near Issaquah High School. Krohn is in the media business.
Ramos and Flood applied last year for the seat vacated by Mark Mullet, which went to Joe Forkner.
The council expects to fill the vacancy during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. The newest council member will then take office during that meeting, and he or she will serve the remainder of the term.
