Meet Randy Boss, Candidate for PenMet Parks Commissioner

This is part of a series of candidate profiles Patch will be bringing you for the 2011 elections. Randy Boss is running for the Commissioner Position 5 of . He will face Andrew Morrison, Ashlee Lehnert and incumbent Curtis Hancock.

CANDIDATE PROFILE INFORMATION:

What is your full, legal name?

Randy Boss

Where do you work and what is your job title?

Commercial Real Estate Broker, Seattle Pacific Realty, Inc. 

Owner/CEO, BossCo, Inc.

Where were you born? Seattle.

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there?

Gig Harbor, since 1980 (Artondale area)

Spouse or domestic partner if any:

Flora Boss

Children:

Alicia, Maxwell and Emily

Education (include graduation date(s), if any):

University of Washington

Military Service (include year(s) of discharge, if any):

U.S. Army, 1966 through 1969, Disabled Vietnam Combat Veteran, Bronze Star & Air Medal

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

Sierra Club, Washington Recreation and Park Association and National Recreation and Park Association

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy? No

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation? No

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

Website: n/a

Email address: randyboss@comcast.net

Phone number: 253-279-8877

Campaign manager: n/a

Campaign manager contact information: n/a

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Elected: Peninsula Metropolitan Park District - Position 5 - 2004 - 2005

Other campaigns for public office: State Commissioner of Public Lands, Pierce County Council, State Legislature, State Senate

THIS CAMPAIGN:

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

After working with the Legislature to change the law that allowed for the establishment of the Peninsula Metropolitan Park District (PMPD), I was elected to the original Board of Directors and helped to establish the original goals and focus for PMPD.

Those goals (and mine) have always been to create more PARKS and RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES for this community. My efforts as the Chairman of the original Peninsula Park District created the Cushman Trail and later garnered voter approval for the bond package that eventually built and I want to re-focus PMPD's efforts toward the creation of those types of major parks and recreational opportunities for our community.

We have very limited funding capacity and we don't have the money to keep buying "dirt". We have enough "dirt". I want to make sure we get the biggest bang for our tax bucks and PMPD is, after all, the PARK AND RECREATION provider for this community - not the community lands conservation district.

We need and deserve more park and recreation facilities and my returning to the Board will insure we create those opportunities for our community.     

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?

I created the opportunity to build the first leg of the and I want to continue that success by pushing that corridor all the way to the Cushman Dam in Mason County. It will take hard work and some imagination but we can get that done if we focus on that as one of our top long term priorities.

We have scattered ball fields and soccer fields throughout the community - mostly using school district facilities. We can create an economic engine for this community and additional capacity for our kids by building groups of fields to allow for regional and national tournaments that will bring teams (and dollars) to our community while, at the same time, saving wear and tear on the local school fields.

I want to increase water access for our community. We are surrounded on three sides by water but it's hard to find a place to even launch a boat let alone take the family to a waterfront park. We already own waterfront park PROPERTY and I want to make sure we actually have the opportunity to enjoy that property by actually creating waterfront PARKS.  

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders?

I have the history of success and accomplishments regarding the creation of park and recreation opportunities for this community. From The Parks Council to the Peninsula Park District to creating the Peninsula Metropolitan Park District I have the creativity, tenacity and skills to get the job done.

I'm not asking the voters to elect me and see what I can do. I'm asking the voter to elect me because of what I HAVE DONE as proof of what you can expect in the future - A future our kids will rely on!   

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election?

Whatever it takes to have an opportunity to re-focus PMPD back to the priority of developing and creating park and recreation opportunities for our kids.

Official endorsements:

Will add later.