Editor's note: Kent Reporter sponsors mayor, City Council debates

If you have been riding the fence as far as local politics, then I want you to mark a date on your calendar: Oct. 19.

That’s the night the Kent Reporter will sponsor the season's first debate for candidates of the Kent City Council and the Kent mayor.

It begins shortly after 7 p.m. at the Kent Senior Activity Center.

It promises to be a night of real insight, as the contenders in our most hotly contested races explain their platforms, and give you, the voter, a chance to evaluate their ideas and concerns.

The event will be moderated by a community volunteer - so it will be all Kent on stage that night.

We also plan to open the floor for public questions to put past our candidates, although these also will go through our moderator, and we’ll be asking them from our audience in writing.

I’d like to thank our candidates ahead of time for having graciously agreed to give up an evening to do this.

In our mayor race, we have incumbent Suzette Cooke, and local businessman and Kent School Board President Jim Berrios.

In Council Position 4 we have two newcomers: Dennis Higgins and Dana Ralph.

And in Council Position 6, we have incumbent Elizabeth Albertson and Geoff Koepp.

In addition, we have Jamie Danielson running unopposed for Council Position 2. She also will have the opportunity to speak.

It takes a lot of chutzpah to run for public office, and the thing we all should bear in mind is that our candidates deserve nothing but our respect.

In other business, am I the only one scratching her head? The Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to donate $3.4 million worth of sandbags to our South County cities and the state. Kent will see about $1.03 million of those dollars, which it will put to good use purchasing giant sandbags for its levees, and other flood-related items.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful here, but is that all we get? I am not a hydrology expert, but is that enough to cover Kent’s needs?

I realize we need every penny we can get, but I hope we see more federal assistance as the clock ticks down to a nerve-wracking winter.

And what if we don’t get any flooding? What do homeowners do with all that sand, and all those bags they’ve purchased and filled?

Fill their garage up until the next season? Chip in to help the city create the world’s largest sandbox?

We’ll be getting the answers for you in coming issues of the Kent Reporter.

In the meantime, pull out your umbrella. The rainy season is upon us.

Contact Kent Reporter Contributor Laura Pierce at lpierce@kentreporter.com or 253-872-6600 ext. 5050.

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