At-Large City Council Candidate Q&A

Candidates vying for the at-large city council seat – Larry Johnson, Arnie Kubiak and Nezam Tooloee – offer their thoughts on the island’s growth and economy. Candidates and their responses appear here in alphabetical order.

Larry Johnson

Candidate Profile:

Age: 31

Family: Wife Cindy Johnson; two sons, David, age 3, and Lucas, 1

Education: Phoenix College, Associate of Arts, 1995; Arizona State University, BA in Communications,1996

Relevant professional experience: Customer Service, Bank One, 1991-1996; Customer Service Representative, Bowne of Century City, 1996-2000; Customer Service Manager, Bowne of San Diego, 2000-2002; Customer Service Shift Manager, Bowne of Seattle, 2002-present

Community involvement: Active with Winslow’s Cove Homeowners Association; wife is involved with BPA and Island Co-op

Q&A:

1. Are you satisfied with the distribution of island growth between Winslow and the outlying areas? If not, what policies would you favor to alter current growth patterns?

At this point, I am not satisfied with the way growth is handled. Too many times we address issues, whether it be sewers, roads, population or commercialism, by taking a less-than-thorough plan of action or policy for immediate returns.

Some of these issues require an approach that considers all repercussions, especially the negative community and financial impacts of a “quick solution.”

As far as policies are concerned, some of the current projects have good “intentions,” but there are alternate actions that could be accomplished with better cultural and financial effects.

2. What measures, if any, should the city take to support the local economy? Do you favor a publicly financed parking structure or parking lot in downtown Winslow? What else?

I feel that our policies should help small businesses thrive and I feel that many times we tie our own hands (as a city) to support them. I believe in tourism as a good source of income to infuse into our local economy. I think we should model ourselves after positive examples like Port Townsend and its downtown-parking situation (which utilizes park-and-rides with shuttles to downtown and metered parking), thus promoting tourism, public transportation, and income while preserving our small-town appeal.

3. Projections are that the city will begin facing budgetary constraints as soon as next year, primarily because of citizen initiatives limiting property-tax revenues. Assuming efficiencies have been achieved, what areas of spending would you cut, or what revenue-raising measures would you favor?

As a city, we need to know how to say no. We have plenty of commitments to honor right now and what we need is to set reasonable expectations and goals, truly partnering with the community for understanding so we can achieve our goals and promote cost containment.

I have a high commitment to quality and innovation; therefore, working closely with the City Planning Department and Public Works Department, along with the Finance Department (as content experts), we can create a set of cost-containment initiatives designed to achieve our goals, embrace innovation and exceed residents’ expectations.

Arnie Kubiak

Candidate Profile:

Age: 48

Family: Wife and two daughters, ages 14 and 18

Education: Lamar University, AA Engineering; Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Relevant professional experience: Project Manager, Fire Protection Company; previously Corporate IT Manager, Northwest Region

Community involvement: President, Association of Bainbridge Communities, past three years; Vice President Manzanita Neighborhood Association, Bainbridge Island; member of the Watershed Council

Q&A:

1. Are you satisfied with the distribution of island growth between Winslow and the outlying areas? If not, what policies would you favor to alter current growth patterns?

Higher density does need to take place in Winslow and the neighborhood service centers.

The cottage-style housing in Winslow appears to be attracting people into Winslow. We seem to be moving slowly in the right direction.

2. What measures, if any, should the city take to support the local economy? Do you favor a publicly financed parking structure or parking lot in downtown Winslow? What else?

The city should always look for ways to support the local economy. The parking structure is a fine example of how the city can support our local economy.

We will have to become creative using city funds for seed money for nonprofit or for-profit groups to leverage for additional grants or loans to fund their projects, like the partnership between the city and Housing Resources Board.

Nezam Tooloee

Candidate Profile:

Age: 44

Family: Wife Berit Madsen; Eli Tooloee, age 8, third-grader at Wilkes; Armen Tooloee, 5, kindergartener at Wilkes

Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 1980; M.S. in Management Science, Stanford University, 1982

Relevant professional experience: Principal, Strategic Decisions Group, Menlo Park, Calif., 1982-1990; V.P., International Wireless Communications, San Mateo, Calif.;1990-1994; V.P., U.S. AirWaves, Bellevue, WA, 1994-1996; Principal, Wireless Alliances, Bainbridge Island, 1996-present

Community involvement: Volunteer coach for park

district youth soccer; family serves as conscientious stewards – using own time and money – of a local public road-end

Q&A:

1. Are you satisfied with the distribution of island growth between Winslow and the outlying areas? If not, what policies would you favor to alter current growth patterns?

In general, I concur with the principle defined in the Comprehensive Plan to split the growth 50-50 between Winslow and the outlying areas, in a 20-year time frame. While this is not necessarily easy to achieve in any given year, I understand that we have come fairly close to it in the last few years.

So, on the whole, I think we need to stay the course and continue to move in this direction by tweaking rather than making wholesale changes. I like the idea, for instance, of creating incentives or making it easier for more homes to be built in Winslow. That will help us achieve our goal over time.

I think it is appropriate for us to concentrate half of the growth, and most of the facilities that we as a community share, in Winslow. In a very real sense, Winslow is the heart of our island and we need to make sure that it remains healthy and strong over time. A vibrant Winslow is good for all of us.

2. What measures, if any, should the city take to support the local economy? Do you favor a publicly financed parking structure or parking lot in downtown Winslow? What else?

In talking with people from our business community, I have found that they see three main concerns in the near term: more space for businesses to grow in Winslow; more parking in Winslow; and the re-building of Winslow Way.

They say space in Winslow is so limited that existing businesses cannot grow and new businesses cannot come in. They say parking is getting very scarce for shoppers and workers. They say re-building Winslow Way, without a lot more thought, may be devastating to local businesses.

They offer a wide range of ideas that have merit. One such idea is a parking structure, which may in fact be the right answer, but it is also expensive and triggers aesthetic concerns. If one is built, I don’t believe the city should do it alone; it should be done in a public-private alliance with business and others.

Also, this idea should be part of an overall solution to parking. I have heard another interesting idea from some people. They wonder if there is a way to create public transportation alternatives for the nearly 500 or so people who work in town. This could potentially free lots of parking spaces and expand the available stock, possibly eliminating the need for a parking structure.

These – more space, more parking, and Winslow Way – are clearly areas in which the city can play an instrumental role and I think it is essential for the city to work very closely with the business community to forge consensus solutions. As I understand, the city has taken a step by allocating matching funds for the urban design project organized by Winslow Way property and business owners. This should be followed with ongoing participation.

I see two other areas as fertile soil. One is improving the Winslow Gateway with the goal of bringing more visitors to the island, which will be a boost to the health of our local businesses.

Another is attracting knowledge workers and high-tech companies to the island. These types of businesses will have a substantial positive impact on our economic base – and on other institutions such as schools or parks on the island.

I believe – and I think most Bainbridge Island residents believe – that we can grow our economic base and preserve the special character and the unique look and feel of our community. The city should lead in that direction.

There is no doubt that the coming years are likely to be lean times and very different from more flush times of the recent past. This means that there is a need for a greater emphasis on defining priorities and making hard decisions about where to spend more or less. This is something that I have learned to do in my business career and I can help the city council do it more effectively in the coming years.

In my career, I have learned to figure out how dollars flow into or out of any organization. After a preliminary review of the city budget, I felt there is too much operating expense – and too little capital expenditure. I have discussed this with people who have been closer to the subject and concluded that there are opportunities for realigning dollars from the operating to the capital side.

I am also inclined to think there are still opportunities for gaining efficiency in city operations. The people who know how to do this best are staff and they should be signed up as allies in finding and exploiting these opportunities. They will contribute if they understand that their own jobs are not on the line.

In my judgment, we are also likely to find opportunities for gaining efficiency by improving coordination with the schools, parks, and fire district.

I would explore these areas – redefining priorities, realigning dollars, gaining efficiency, and improving coordination – before going after new revenues. I think we need to remember that our overall tax burden is up over 25 percent over the last four years. This overall burden cuts across and hits those with fixed income or lower incomes the hardest – and helps drive people off the island.

Therefore, even after exhausting these areas, I would look into other revenue sources – including, but not limited to, user fees, parking taxes, utility charges, sales taxes from growth of local businesses, and dollars from tourism – before proposing more bonds or levies.

At the end of the day, we may need to have more bonds or levies that raise the overall tax burden, but they should be last, not first, on the list.