Our choices for Bainbridge Island City Council | In Our Opinion

Published 11:30 am Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Bainbridge Review’s endorsements for the city council:

Bainbridge Island City Council, District 3 – South Ward

Two newcomers are running for the seat now held by Councilman Roger Townsend, who decided against running for a second term.

Matthew Tirman is our choice for the position. He has pledged to work diligently on the affordable housing crunch on Bainbridge, and we welcome his idea to establish inclusionary zoning — which requires developers to include homes affordable to lower income residents in their building projects — in Winslow.

Tirman has also promised to pursue other ways of expanding the supply of affordable housing on Bainbridge, including allowing more Accessory Dwelling Units, as well as “micro-homes” and “tiny houses.”

We’re also encouraged by his promise to increase transparency by giving robust explanations of his council votes on the city’s website, and he said he’ll establish office hours to meet regularly with islanders.

Bainbridge Island City Council, District 5 – Central Ward

Councilman Wayne Roth is seeking a second term amid a challenge for the position from Rasham Nassar.

Roth deserves our respect for his lifetime of public service. Nassar, however, is the better fit for the council in this election.

Nassar has rightly focused on city hall’s financial accountability to taxpayers; a crucial issue given the ever-expanding budget for the city’s new police station, the prospect of potential bond packages for other infrastructure projects on the island, and the continuously increasing demand for more property taxes. Rasham has pledged to cut down the size of the police station project from the current $28.4 million (which does not include land acquisition costs) and is also opposed to the $3 million “Bridge to Nowhere” pedestrian bridge over Highway 305. She’s also questioned her opponent’s support for higher car tab fees.

Nassar has also vowed, if elected, to not revisit the PSE takeover effort. Good; it was a waste of time and money the first go-round.

Nassar — and Tirman — will bring the fresh perspectives of relatively newer island residents to the council. That type of diversity, as well as their youth, should be a welcome addition to a city government on an island that prides itself on its inclusiveness.

Bainbridge Island City Council, District 7 – North Ward

Incumbent Councilman Val Tollefson is not seeking re-election, and the best choice for representing the North Ward for the next four years is Joe Deets.

Deets is no stranger to community service, and has stepped forward in the past to help the city, most recently as chairman of the city’s Ethics Board. His commitment to the environment is strong and sound; evidenced in part by his history as one of Bainbridge’s pioneers in clean energy with his successful shepherding of solar projects at Bainbridge Island City Hall and Sonoji Sakai Intermediate School.

In addition to his commitments to environmental protections and affordable housing, Deets has also promised to work to restore trust in government — no small task as a recent survey found that confidence in Bainbridge city government remains stuck at a 35 percent approval mark.