Candidate Profile: Marvin Rosete, Renton City Council, Pos. 2

RENTON, WA — Voting is underway and the 2021 primary election is heating up in King County ahead of Election Day, Aug. 3. Nearly 650 candidates are seeking various offices in 2021, beating the previous record set in 2017. Out of that total, more than 200 candidates appear in the primary, which features all the races with three or more people seeking the same office.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles leading up to Election Day.

Candidate

Marvin Rosete

Age (as of Election Day)

51

Position Sought

Renton City Council Position 2

Party Affiliation

n/a

Family

n/a

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

n/a

Education

B.A. University of WA, MPA Seattle University, Ed.D Candidate, Univ of Southern CA.

Occupation

Educational Administrator

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

n/a

Campaign website

www.marvinrosete.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

Given the growth and current issues with th eCity of Renton, I believed my skills and education were uniquely suited to helping solve needs of the city while shaping the future. In consultation with other Renton leaders, it was my privilege begin my campaign for the people of our city.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Human Services. With the lack of investment in Human Services for over eight years, the city has no flexibility to respond to emergent needs such as homelessness services during the COVID-19 pandemic. I seek to increase this budget, as well as bring in non-profit organizations that can serve the specific areas of need in the City of Renton.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My experience with over 15 years in human services and charitable organizations, as well as experience in government service at the King County Executive's office and the King County Council have prepared me to govern at the municipal level. I also have 12 years private sector experience where I can uniquely understand the needs of the small business community that defines the City of Renton.

When Mitzi Johanknecht leaves office, what should the county look for in appointing a new sheriff?

The new sheriff should work on rebuilding the morale of the department while assuring a partnership with cities, like Renton, where there citizens on outlying borders rely on needs of small cities to augment King County Sheriff's law enforcement services.

What are some of your priorities for a post-pandemic recovery?

As a priority, the city of Renton must assure that public works, parks and roads are prepared for the surge in capacity as the economy returns to full capacity on or before 2022. A second post-pandemic priority is assuring that the Renton's economic development team is ready to expand Renton's capacity to attract the return of big business to region, and make Renton the city of choice of new office space for technology and service based businesses.

What would you do in office to strengthen preparedness and response efforts for extreme heat and wildfire smoke events?

The city of Renton does need to expand the capacity of it's senior centers for cooling centers, as well as it's emergency transportation plan to bring vulnerable populations to indoor facilities, such as parks or high capacity hotels.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Where there is an appointed incumbent currently in the position, I believe that I am more uniquely qualified, with a vision and perspective due to my by government and non-profit experience. I believe that I have broader and more in-depth experience about creating government policy with long term outcomes. Also, I would have few conflicts of interests, as the incumbent is with King County, and had would need to make policies that are in conflict with the needs of the people of Renton.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The city has responded as well as can be expected. The only item that I would change would be the human service and medical response, where more funding would have been needed for possible housing evictions, and aid to residents with the loss of employment.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I support the need for expanding public arts funding to help define the character of the city and how residents feel about the neighborhoods in which they live. I also support enhancement of public safety and the need for future expansion of law enforcement for the expected population growth of Renton within the next five years, due to economic growth in Washington, and the migration from Seattle to more available housing opportunities in Renton.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My accomplishments would be founding the Renton based charity Angels in Sports, assisting young, local athletes achieve their personal goals. I would also cite my experiences with the King County government where I helped in redistricting efforts for the King County Council. Finally, my experiences in historic preservation as chair of the Chinatown/International District's Design and Review Board approving projects impacting the historic character of the district and the city, to include the Seattle Street Car, and the Uwajimaya Square.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

"Look both ways before crossing the street." My dad. Still useful in lots of situations.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Government is there to provide services that benefit everyone, where industry would not, or could not due to lack of interest or cost. As a councilmember, my duty is to provide services that only government can do in order to improve the community. It's my privilege to work on providing those services that make our city better.