Big focus on Issaquah's growth

As Issaquah copes with growth, development and the pain of too many cars clogging the roadways, it's no surprise that this year's City Council candidates are focusing on transportation, economic vitality and maintaining Issaquah's quality of life.

The memory of last year's brutal winter storm is also bringing emergency preparedness into the forefront.

This former mining town has more than doubled in population since 2000, due in part to a recent annexation that added 3,000 more residents. In the past year, the city's population jumped by 26 percent, making it the fastest-growing city on the Eastside, according to June figures from the state Office of Financial Management.

Six candidates are vying for three contested seats.

Positions 4 and 7, both open seats, are being vacated by Russell Joe, who decided not to seek a third term, and Joe Forkner, who was appointed last year to replace Nancy Davidson after her resignation and has chosen not to seek the position.

John Traeger is the lone candidate for Position 6, now held by Council President David Kappler, who vacated his seat to run against Bill Werner for Position 7.

Here's a look at the races voters will decide Nov. 6.

Position 2

Fred Butler, 67, is seeking his third term on the council. As a member of the Sound Transit board, one of his priorities is bringing more public transportation to residents, he said.

Butler said he's working to get North Bend and Snoqualmie Ridge included in the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority boundary. "A lot of our problems are regional problems," he said. "And they require regional solutions."

Butler also wants to up the ante on emergency preparedness.

"We learned some lessons from last year," he said, referring to the Dec. 14 storm that knocked down trees, cut off electricity and pummeled the region with rain. "We had some shortcomings."

He wants to install a low-power emergency-broadcast system to keep residents informed during a crisis and ensure that shelters are stocked with enough food, water and other provisions.

Bryan Weinstein, 45, is taking his second shot at running for a City Council seat. After losing to Russell Joe in 2003, Weinstein said he thought he was done with politics. But he was inspired to run again this year because "there is a disconnect between what residents of Issaquah expect and what our government delivers," he said.

Weinstein, whose campaign focus is "we can do better," said he believes the city is not following its comprehensive plan, a blueprint for future growth.

"We have absorbed 20 years of growth in seven," he said.

He's critical of the city for not seeking more regional partnerships.

"We are relieving the bottleneck in Issaquah, but King County needs to do something about the unincorporated areas near Issaquah-Hobart Road."

If elected, the first thing he would do is conduct a performance audit "to find out why we've made these ridiculous decisions," he said.

He'd also like to open the city's public-access government channel to more dialogue from residents, such as taking questions submitted by YouTube video.

Position 4

Vince Ippolito, 52, initially wanted to withdraw from the August primary but missed the June deadline. He even threw his support behind challenger Joshua Schaer.

But last month, after a surprise second-place win in the primary, he announced he would actively campaign for the seat. Ippolito said he's focused on public safety and emergency preparedness, which he worked on as a member of the Highlands Community Development Committee.

"Our city can do more to make sure our emergency personnel, our citizens and our own families can better respond to emergencies," he said.

He said he wants to provide tax relief to senior citizens and improve education by strengthening the relationship between Issaquah City Hall and the Issaquah School District.

Schaer, 29, said he's been out talking to residents to get a sense of what their concerns are.

"Something I really found enlightening was that besides big-picture issues, like transportation and the environment, most people were concerned with day-to-day types of things, such as adequate street lighting and putting in more sidewalks," Schaer said.

He said he supports road repairs and traffic solutions that preserve "Issaquah's natural beauty" but is against building the Southeast Bypass, a controversial 1.2-mile arterial from the East Sunset Interchange to Issaquah-Hobart Road.

Position 7

David Kappler, 59, is a veteran council member who is seeking his fifth term to "continue to make Issaquah even better."

That includes preserving more open space, "especially in the downtown corridor," he said, and creating more trails connecting various parts of town.

As a land-use committee member, he's involved in reshaping the commercial area near Gilman Boulevard.

"There's a tremendous amount of redevelopment that could occur in the areas where there are old, inefficient buildings," he said. Higher buildings with residential units in a transit-oriented setting are part of the vision, he said.

Bill Werner, 51, is a first-time candidate who cites emergency preparedness as a top priority.

"We must make certain the city has necessary services and programs in place to protect and to help the elderly, physically disabled and citizens with special needs," he said.

Werner said he wants to build a stronger partnership with the Issaquah School District to "cut down on the need for remedial education" and "foster a pro-business approach," such as preparing students with real-world skills. An example, he said, is to promote teaching students Mandarin.

"Strong schools mean vibrant communities, quality citizens, high property values and economic vitality," he said.

Werner says he is a proponent of higher-density growth with mixed-use retail.

He said he's taking a "wait-and-see" approach to the Southeast Bypass and wants to study the final environmental-impact statement, which is expected to be issued in the coming weeks.

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com