As the primary election draws near, City Council candidates have drawn their lines in the sand.

Of the seven council hopefuls vying for the at-large and central seats, three won’t make it past the Aug. 16 vote.

While seated at the City Hall dais on Tuesday, candidates answered audience questions regarding Winslow Way reconstruction, the fate of the city’s water utility, the performance of the Bainbridge Island Police Department and many others.

As candidates made their cases, the distinction between them grew: leadership style and the future of the Winslow water utility chief among them.

The two at-large and central ward candidates that emerge from the primary vote will join the two candidates from the north and south in the November general election. The two-hour debate was sponsored by Kitsap County’s League of Women’s Voters.

At-large

Former political science professor Kim Hendricksen faces incumbent Barry Peters and Steve Bonkowski, who has a business background in the aerospace industry.

Both Hendricksen and Bonkowski have stated that they want the city out of the water utility business and service transferred to the Kitsap Public Utility District. Peters, however, thinks the city can achieve a dramatic reduction in rates while maintaining local control and enabling the city to keep its “cross-trained” water/sewer/storm utility workforce.

Bonkowski and Hendrickson took a decidedly pro-business approach when asked to generate ideas for alternative city revenue streams.

“There is space at Day Road and Copper Top (on Sportsman Club Road) where business could survive and thrive,” said Hendrickson. “Let’s talk about things the council can do proactively to ensure the long-term success of clean, green and innovative business on the island.”

Bonkowksi suggested creating a more business friendly environment through incentives in the city, saying more local employees working on-island would also prove an opportunity for the resale of existing homes.

Peters said he opts for a $20 car tab, an action he has sought for at least two years but has received little support from other council members.

“For a mere $20 a year we could double the amount of money the city has to maintain and improve roads,” said Peters.

He argued that it could double the street fund from the current 2011 budget of $400,000 to $800,000.

Hendrickson pointed to the police department as her top priority. Her experience as the Civil Service Commision chief examiner has illuminated the department’s employee morale problems, she said. She wants to improve rocky relations between police leaders and union representatives, and trust issues between the police and the community.

Bonkowski wants to improve community trust in city business.

“When you interface with city staff you don’t get the sense that they are listening,” said Bonkowksi. “Part of the problem is when you ask a question the first answer is typically no, you need to do this, instead of yes, and this is what I can do to help you.”

Bonkowski would like to see city hall services and functions laid out and compared with state and federal requirements. Discretionary services should be prioritized against the budget in open forum, he said, to ensure that residents can understand and influence what City Hall offers.

Peters wants to continue financial discipline at the city while focusing on strategic choices to handle major projects such as failing roads and aging infrastructure.

“Most important is coming together as a community and trusting the value government can provide,” said Peters.

Central Ward

John Green, a former Design Review Board member and real estate developer, has plotted the boldest cost-cutting plan for the city. Green wants to contract out the police department, turning the Winslow station into a sub-station, and hand over the public works operations to Kitsap County.

“We have to work within our means,” said Green. “I have seen the city manager and staff push council around all the time to get their own agenda. I am tough.”

Green wants to see either a 25 percent reduction in staff or salaries in the next two years.

David Ward also said he would like to reduce city overhead, especially in the road fund where he estimates only 23 percent of the $2.8 million the city collects annually goes into actual road maintenance.

As the chair of the Utility Advisory Committee (UAC), Ward said he is steeped in the details of city utilities and will work to transfer water service to KPUD. He is also advocating for greater separation between council and city staff, and as the chair of the Cave Neighborhood Community Council, he said the city’s Planning Department needs attention because it breeds conflict. He said a planning staff of more than 20 employees during a time of low development is counterintuitive.

“I’ve heard the complaint from too many people that city government and staff have become one,” said Ward. “I want customer service at City Hall to be more like an experience at REI.”

Joe Levan said a transfer of the water utility to KPUD should occur only as a last resort – if lower rates can’t be achieved. He argued that maintaining local control is critical. Levan, a former city attorney and interim city manager now working as a legal consultant for a municipal research and services nonprofit, said he is confident the current city manager and her “highly qualified staff” are getting the job done at City Hall.

“It’s important council sets a clear policy that staff is there to interpret and implement policies, and not to have a subjective idea about what they think policy should be,” said Levan. “It should be more about customer service.”

Adjusting to the new economy, with lower tax revenue, is the city’s biggest challenge, Levan said.

Chris Van Dyk was unable to attend the forum, but provided a two-minute statement to be read by the organizers. Van Dyk is a political consultant with experience as an investment adviser. He said his goals are to return transparency and “listening” to City Hall. He also wants more support for schools, island-based jobs and business.