Dana Ralph, Suzanne Smith and Michael S. Sealfon are vying in the primary to replace Ron Harmon for Position No. 7 on the Kent City Council.
Harmon currently holds the position but decided not to run for a third term. His term expires Dec. 31.
Ballots were mailed this week by King County Elections. The two candidates with the most votes in the race advance to the Nov. 8 general election. Ballots must be returned by Aug. 16.
Here is a look at the three candidates for Position No. 7.
Ralph, 40, has run a medical billing service in Kent for 16 years. She also has served eight years on the city’s Land Use and Planning Board and seven years on the Kent Arts Commission. She is currently chairwoman of the land use board and the arts commission.
“I believe I have a proven track record of commitment to the city,” said Ralph, who lives with her husband and two boys on the East Hill. “I’ve got more experience and background (than her opponents).”
Ralph, a lifelong Kent resident, said her three main issues are to help make sure neighborhoods are safe, increase economic development and to do a better job of maintaining the streets, parks and utilities.
“We need to bring more business to Kent so people are able to work and live in the same place,” Ralph said.
Ralph lost a city council race to Dennis Higgins two years ago in her first bid for elected office.
Smith, 53, is serving her fourth and final year on the Federal Way School Board. She has lived 18 years on the West Hill of Kent, in a section of the city that is in the Federal Way School District rather than the Kent School District. This marks her first run for the city council.
“My top priority is the tax burden,” said Smith, who is married and the mother of two children, one just out of college and one in high school. “We need to look at how we spend money and how we balance that with the money we get. We as a council need to get economic development going and bring in businesses to increase our tax base and not have taxes burden our citizens.”
A full-time mother, Smith said her experience on the school board working with state legislators will enable her as a councilwoman to work with the state on city issues.
“I feel I can do a good job and commit totally to serve the community,” she said.
Smith also plans to emphasize public safety.
“There are areas that need more attention if people do not feel safe,” said Smith, who would be the only council member from the West Hill if she is elected.
Michael Sealfon
Sealfon, 67, retired two years ago as the medical laboratory technician director at Renton Technical College, where he worked for four years after working at a private company. He is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a Vietnam veteran.
“It’s time to see what I can do to help the government,” said Sealfon, a member of the Kent Regional Fire Authority citizens advisory board and the Kent Communications Support Team, a group of amateur radio operators lined up to help the city in emergencies.
“Kent needs to be prepared for all emergencies, not just floods,” Sealfon said. “We need to be prepared for earthquakes, Mount Rainier erupting or a train crash. I’m going to make sure we are.”
Sealfon, who has lived 18 years on Scenic Hill in Kent and is married with two grown children, wants to examine how many people work for the city as a potential area to save money.
“I’d like to look at the employee base for the city and whether we have too many people or people who have been doing their jobs too long,” he said.
Council members are elected for four-year terms. They are paid $13,752 per year for their part-time positions and are elected by a citywide vote.
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