Our Des Moines City Council Online Candidate Forum Position #7: Dave Kaplan vs Susan White

This is the third in our online Des Moines City Council Candidates Forum series, today featuring the two candidates vying for Position #7: challenger incumbent (in Pos. #5) Dave Kaplan vs incumbent Susan White.

As before, we have made no alterations to their text, so the words used are purely theirs, including any typos or other errors.

Each candidate is identified by their names and headshots, then initials:

1. What is the primary objective you hope to accomplish for Des Moines if you are elected to the council? What qualifies you to lead this effort?

DAVE KAPLAN: The primary objective I hope to accomplish for Des Moines when I’m reelected is to continue the steps we’ve been taking to make our budgets sustainable into the future, to focus on bringing in new revenues to the city by expanding our business base through necessary revisions in our City Code and making infrastructure improvements, and for maintaining those services that make Des Moines a great place to live.

I’m qualified to lead this effort because I’ve already been helping to take the lead on these issues as an incumbent Des Moines City Councilmember.  We have made a lot of progress, and I don’t want to see that progress halted because of those who oppose change.

SUSAN WHITE: Positive economic development for downtown, finish the historical rehabilitation of our historical Beach Park District, continue to make Des Moines a business friendly environment to attract new business, jobs and affordable housing.

I have eight years of experience on the Des Moines City Council and have produced positive results for the city in spite of difficult economic times.  I brought $220,000 through my efforts in Washington DC with our representatives to commence our Historic District in Beach Park.  Then was able to raise $2M more as well.  The auditorium will be open next year.

2. Des Moines tax revenue is down sharply, as reflected in the budget-cutting process for 2010. What will you do to increase revenue for the city without negatively impacting city residents and businesses?

DK: My intent is to first prioritize how and where we spend on City services.  Rather than adjusting the same budget from year to year to year, we need to actually start from scratch, determine what is important, and then whether or not we have the revenues to provide all of the services we do (or if there are better ways to provide them).  Then and only then would I consider tax increases.  The cuts and revenue increases necessary to submit a balanced budget for 2010 will negatively impact city residents and businesses.  There is no way around it.  We must close a gap of $2 million between revenues and projected spending levels, out of an approximately $18 million budget.  That is the short term.  The long-term solution is to grow our business revenues by providing incentives for businesses to locate in Des Moines rather than elsewhere.  Only long-term solutions will fix our long-term problems, and our gap between on-going revenues and on-going expenses requires an on-going solution.

SW: Unfortunately (and Des Moines is not alone in this budget crisis) we have had to cut some positions, furlough days and ultimately I think we will be looking at combining services perhaps with other cities.

3. Business activity downtown remains sluggish. What will you do to position the city to encourage increased business activity and development downtown?

DK: To better position ourselves we need to do a number of things.  We need to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support business and make it thrive — water, electricity, sidewalks, traffic flow, parking, and connectivity with the marina.  We need to streamline our permitting system by investing in the correct technologies that are user-friendly and self-driven.  We need to review our zoning code to determine whether small adjustments in signage, building heights, or other areas may make our downtown more attractive as a place to locate and invest.  And we must partner with other resources (Highline Community College, as an example) to help find ways to promote and support businesses that choose to locate in Des Moines.  Without a local chamber of commerce or effective advocate for our businesses, downtown will not succeed.

SW: I currently chair South King County Economic Development Initiative (SKCEDI) which is a partnership with our neighboring cities working on a Business Attraction Program and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).  We must continue to position ourselves to encourage new business for downtown, Pacific Ridge and keep working on the Des Moines Creek Business Park.

4. Should Des Moines promote itself as a tourist destination? If yes, what should the city do (e.g., encourage development of bed-and-breakfasts, Puget Sound tour boat cruises from the Marina, summer salmon bakes)? If no, why not?

DK: Yes!  Des Moines has a beautiful public presence on Puget Sound.  Our marina, downtown and Des Moines Beach Park and perfectly located to bring people to town.  We should encourage development of small hotels and beds & breakfasts.  We should encourage restaurants, antique shops, bakeries, and artistic shops to locate here.  Summertime boat service from Seattle to Des Moines makes sense, but has to be thought out carefully (the passenger-only ferries were proposed to be used for commuters only and would not be used for tourism purposes — that is one of the reasons I opposed them).  If our residents won’t spend their money in Des Moines, we need to find a way to bring that revenue to Des Moines.  Tourism is one of those ways.

SW: Of course!  We have a Marina, roughly six miles of shoreline and a wonderful city.  I support Water Transportation, specifically passenger only ferries and certainly support the idea of a nice hotel downtown . . . more restaurants, more shops . . . Once the Beach Park is finished we will hopefully contract with a professional management company to bring people into Des Moines via water transportation.

5. Do you support development of Waterview Crossing and Des Moines Creek Business Park? If yes, what will you do to position the city to help these projects move forward? If no, why not?

DK: Yes, I’ve supported Waterview Crossing (I voted for the development agreement in November 2007), and I’m a strong supporter of the Des Moines Creek Business Park. I think we need to take advantage of what limited commercially zoned land we have in Des Moines (downtown, the business park, and Pacific Highway) and encourage businesses to invest in Des Moines.  I’ve supported a number of changes to make redevelopment of Pacific Ridge more likely, including adoption of a Multi-Family Tax Exemption, waiver of some traffic impact fees, and the underlying zoning which provides for taller buildings on a stretch of land badly in need of redevelopment.  The Des Moines Creek Business Park has a great deal of potential, as do some surrounding properties, and we need to make certain that impacts from that development is well-managed.  Part of that is continuing to make progress on our Gateway transportation project for S. 216th Street and 24th Avenue S.  As chair of the Public Safety & Transportation Committee, I’ve worked and will continue to work to keep the project moving forward.

SW: Yes, I support both.  The economy will need to move forward but I believe the City is well positioned now after all the work that has been done on these projects to move forward.

Coming up next, the candidate for Position #5: Melissa Musser.