UPDATE: Peters isn’t sure yet whether he’s running for his At-Large position or the Central Ward position held by Councilman Bill Knobloch. See my story (with Knobloch’s take) here.
Councilman Barry Peters announced today he will seek a second term on the Bainbridge City Council.
Peters, who was elected unopposed to the council’s island-wide, at-large position in 2008, is one of four council members up for re-election this year. Council members Bill Knobloch, Kim Brackett and Hilary Franz are still mulling over whether to run.
Property developer John Green is the only other declared council candidate. Green said in January that he would challenge Peters if Peters decided to run again. Green also said he may seek Knobloch’s Central Ward seat if Knobloch decides not to run. Knobloch has indicated he is strongly leaning toward running again.
Head down below to read Peters’ re-election announcement. He
mentions roads maintenance, local agriculture, government
transparency, environmental preservation and public safety as some
of his top priorities.
Today, I’m happy to announce that I’m willing to serve for another term on City Council, and I therefore plan to be a candidate in this year’s local election.
My decision is based on a desire to continue the progress we’ve been making as a Council cooperating with the City Administration in improving the City’s financial condition and prioritizing our work for the community. We’re on an encouraging multi-year path to implementing the Council-Manager form of government that was overwhelmingly approved by voters the year before last.
As a candidate, I want to help achieve a positive and meaningful campaign in four ways.
– Limits on Money: Our political system in this country is overrun by big money. So, as a matter of principle, as in 2007, I will accept no more than $100 in campaign donations from any supporter.
– A Zero-Eyesore Campaign: Excessive political campaign signs can become an eyesore on our island and add waste to our landfills. I’m planning not to use any road-side campaign signs, and I’ll be urging fellow candidates to join me in keeping our island beautiful during this election year.
– Dollars for Dialog: I plan to contribute at least 5% of my campaign donations to the local League of Women Voters or similar nonprofits for the purpose of funding a series of “meet the candidate” nights for Bainbridge voters. That way, we can put dollars into real dialog on issues rather than roadsigns that dumb down a campaign. I encourage other candidates to do the same.
– Neighbor-to-Neighbor Meetings: To hear what voters care about these days, I’ll be open to meeting face-to-face in small groups of 5 to 20 people in homes and neighborhood centers around the island. I want to get back to the old-fashioned idea of neighbor-to-neighbor dialog about community issues.
Maintaining Our Community: If re-elected, my goal would be to focus on manageable and affordable ways for our City to maintain our community.
That goal includes, for example:
– Maintaining safe roads, walkways and bikeways
– Maintaining timely response to emergencies, safety concerns and basic needs — whether it’s our police having the resources to respond urgently to an accident or an intruder, or whether it’s supporting our human service organizations to provide timely direct help to our neediest community members
– Maintaining our precious natural resources — such as through incentives to avoid wasting water or wasting energy, or incentives to use building practices that have a low impact on our land and woodland
– Maintaining our unique assets — such as working with citizen volunteers to make our waters and harbors and open spaces more accessible to us and more inviting to visitors
– Maintaining policies that encourage local farming and gardening and access to locally grown food
– Maintaining and growing the community’s trust in local government, through priority-setting and cost-effective management of projects, and through good customer service (whether it’s a Council member responding to an email question or a City staffer responding to questions at the permit counter)
– Maintaining a timely and informative flow of information between the City and community, to help ensure transparency and community understanding of city issues coming up for decision.
I look forward to a positive campaign with open dialog that helps to flesh out what it means for the City to do its part — in concert with other organizations — in maintaining our community.
-Barry
I don’t think Barry goes far enough with his comments about the abundance of roadside signage that litters the Island during election times. Some communities have restricted the use of non-community oriented signage (political and opinion signs) to just a few very specific places beyond privately owned and occupied properties and our community would do well to enact something similar. Not only are the signs “eyesores”, but it is well documented (through hundreds of police reports) that they cause some number of otherwise law-abiding citizens into lives of uncontrollable (and apparantly unstoppable) seasonal bouts of criminal activity which in turn raises crime statistics which, while amusing to some, actually harms us all.
Our worst nightmare! This is one of the four horseman who came close to bankrupting the City thru expenditures of monies they were told would not come into the City coffers due to the oncoming recession. Not only did he spend these non-existent funds but they were spent on low priorities as defined by the taxpayers while the high priority items were overlooked. Then to make matters worse, this horseman tried to make up the funds he mis-spent by suggesting a car excise tax for automobile owners on the Island with zero regards for the many out of work, the underemployed, and those suffering from the recession who could not even afford medical care. The best place for this soon to be ex-councilman is out to pasture with the ex-mayor!