Local candidates for five open City Council seats and three open School Board seats have taken several opportunities to lay out their visions for how Mercer Island government should operate.
Forums have been hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, Beach Club, Rotary, VFW and on Oct. 14, the Reporter and the League of Women Voters. Different community groups, including Save our Suburbs (SOS) and Concerned Citizens for Mercer Island Parks, have published voters’ guides and endorsements. Island residents, and elected officials from around the region, have weighed in.
The general election is coming up in two weeks, on Nov. 3.
With roughly 200 people in attendance, the local candidates weighed in on a variety of topics and fielded panel questions both from moderator Bill Radke of KUOW and audience members. The candidates for City Council have different views on growth, regional collaboration and advisory votes.
The incumbents, Jane Meyer Brahm (Position No. 1), Bruce Bassett (Position No. 5) and Debbie Bertlin (Position No. 7), as well as Wendy Weiker (Position No. 3), advocate for working with regional partners on win-win solutions, for abiding by growth targets allocated by state law and for maintaining a representative democracy while respecting the public’s right to petition their government.
The challengers, Dave Wisenteiner (Position No. 1), Tom Acker (Position No. 5) and Traci Granbois (Position No. 7), as well as Salim Nice (Position No. 3), argue that Mercer Island is a unique community that must find creative solutions to ensure that it grows responsibly, though Granbois’ campaign lately has focused more on improving transparency at City Hall.
At the Oct. 14 forum, the four, along with unopposed candidate Jeff Sanderson, said they would support an advisory vote on citing the Mercer Island Center for the Arts (MICA) in public land in Mercerdale Park. Acker said that the former Hines location would be a better spot for MICA.
All candidates have said that they oppose the idea of a bus intercept on Mercer Island, that they want a beautiful and functional Town Center and that they will work to maintain the quality of life, parks and open spaces and sense of safety and community that Islanders enjoy.
School Board candidates Ralph Jorgenson, David D’Souza, Tracy Drinkwater and Bill Hochberg discussed the McCleary decision, bell times and standardized testing.
All candidates expressed support for an elementary world language program and for addressing the opt-out rate for tests like the SBAC.
When asked about the threat that the McCleary decision posed to MISD, Drinkwater and Hochberg talked about the idea of a “levy swap,” and said they would fight to make sure the district is able to receive resources from the community.
