Shoreline 2019 Primary Guide: City Council Position 4 Race

SHORELINE, WA — The 2019 August primary is coming up on Aug. 6, and one Shoreline City Council race will be on the ballot. We sent each candidate in the race a questionnaire to help local voters pick the right candidate.

In the Position 4 race, Shoreline residents will choose between incumbent Councilwoman Doris McConnell, CRISTA Ministries chief legal officer David Chen, and Shoreline Lake Forest Park Senior Center board member Ginny Scantlebury.

We asked each candidate the same set of four questions, probing everything from development around light rail stations to their favorite city park. We did not edit the answers for either content or length.

Here's what they told us:

David Chen

Why did you decide to run for this seat? If you're the incumbent, why do you want to keep your seat on Council?

As a lifelong area resident, Shorecrest graduate, and father of three raising a young family in the Echo Lake Neighborhood, I have seen a lot of change come to Shoreline. I believe that change and growth should benefit current and future generations of Shoreline residents, and I want to bring the community together to address the challenges we face. The arrival of the light rail is a huge asset which needs to be harnessed. To build strong neighborhoods and support small business growth, we need to overhaul Shoreline's land use, zoning, and design codes to create a welcoming urban environment, more community gathering space, and walkable commercial districts.

What's your vision for growth around the future light rail stations?

I hope the light rail stations will be more than just transportation hubs, but a place that the community can gather to work, live, and play. The city should invest now in ensuring open space in the subarea stations and help small businesses establish areas that invite the community to enjoy the opportunities within their neighborhoods. Design can be used to create a healthier balance between nature and city and build more inclusive and equitable communities.

What's your favorite city park and why?

Growing up in my family's Chinese restaurant on 97th and Aurora, my favorite park is "Park at Town Center" on 175th and Midvale because of the opportunity I see to bring more activation, public space, and enjoyment to the more dense and diverse areas of Shoreline around the Aurora corridor. We need to be more balanced in investing in areas that have traditionally been under-represented and under-invested in. I have a vision of a future that establishes the Town Center of Shoreline as an area that brings diverse communities together with more public art, restaurants and public space for the community to share. We can build a space that welcomes the entire community, from families, to seniors, to office workers, and individuals of all ages and abilities to enjoy community events, farmers' markets, green space, and a safe and walkable business district.

When was the last time you rode either a bus or bike in Shoreline and what was your experience?

Last week. Biking with young children in Shoreline is challenging. Bike lanes on arterial streets are difficult for many cyclists, including families and seniors. We need more safe dedicated trails, buffered lanes, sidewalks and areas for non-motorized vehicles to travel between parks, neighborhoods and business districts.

Doris McConnell

Why did you decide to run for this seat? If you're the incumbent, why do you want to keep your seat on Council?

I love representing this community and I have tried to use my time on the council to give a voice to the concerns of our city’s residents. I strive to reach out to community leaders and citizens prior to a council discussion. Seeking their thoughts gives me much needed information and helps me to see an issue from many perspectives outside of what we get in staff reports. My years of experience on the council have given me a sincere desire to be accessible and I respect and appreciate the feedback I get from my community. I believe my vote on issues should be a reflection of the vision of Shoreline’s residents and they often are.

Since I have been on council, one of my goals was to move forward with what is now named
Shoreline Place. There are areas in Shoreline like this that are stagnant and take much heavy lifting to create a more vibrant area. I have focused my energy to help move the needle so to speak and we are now preparing to vote on this. The council is also at the cusp of another important project I have been a part of, which is to replace the community swimming pool, which is in severe deferred maintenance. The incorporation of the senior program, a commercial kitchen, and additional community spaces in this design are important additions that I supported and now they are incorporated into the plan.

What's your vision for growth around the future light rail stations?

The future growth and development around our two future light rail stations has been planned and vetted by the city staff and council, with the help of community input. I have been there from the beginning as one on the council who started this process to its final rezone votes. In this process, I supported some of the rezone votes but not the ones that appeared to extend too far from the stations. I also voted to preserve single-family zoning around Paramount Park and Open Space to ensure that expanding the park with city funds would be affordable. This vote did not pass. I believe the council will have to continue to monitor for adequate parking in the new developments so that these additional cars do not encroach into the neighborhoods. I am a strong voice for assuring adequate parking is supplied by developments.

What's your favorite city park and why?

Richmond Beach Saltwater Park is my favorite park because of its size and views of the water/mountains. I love how much the park has to offer with the additional bonus of the spectacular views. The entire park has water or mountain views so that people can spread out and still feel like they are enjoying a moment of solitude with nature. The sunsets are gorgeous and people come around that time of day to enjoy it as well as take pictures. Many stairs for exercise, picnic tables, BBQ pits, play areas, benches, sandy beaches and an abundance of parking at all levels are the many things that draws residents and nonresidents to this park.

When was the last time you rode either a bus or bike in Shoreline and what was your experience?

I‘ve ridden a bus to many events in Seattle and bike on the Interurban Trail for exercise. It is an
excellent trail for me for my STP training rides. As our population increases, residents will add more cars to our already clogged streets, particularly during rush hour. Increasing bike lanes in Shoreline and Seattle has gotten a lot of people out of their cars, which is great for the community.

Ginny Scantlebury

Why did you decide to run for this seat? If you're the incumbent, why do you want to keep your seat on Council?

I have been a part of large groups in the past 6 years where we have collected signatures, gone to city council and special meetings, etc. etc.. In all cases, the city council and staff had already decided what their decision was before we even had a chance to provide input. I feel that this is wrong! Our city council is supposed to represent us. That is what I want to do and I have been doorbelling all over the city for 3 months to talk to Shoreline residents and find out what their needs and desires are.

What's your vision for growth around the future light rail stations?

I feel that Sound Transit’s vision for this growth was perfect – high density housing ½ mail radius around each of our 2 light rail stations – 145th and 185th. Unfortunately, our staff and city council chose a different method of zoning and the area is spread out with very little growth close to the light rail stations at this time. I believe the reason Sound Transit made this suggestion is that along with the high density housing, there can also be a commercial area nearby too so that residents can walk to almost all their needs. This would be the efficient way to have the growth.

What's your favorite city park and why?

My favorite city park is Hamlin Park. It has something for everyone. We have personally enjoyed the trails all over the park (especially during the fall when we can see the variety of mushrooms); softball games when our daughters were growing up; taking our grand dogs for walks; observing the beautiful old evergreen trees and watching kids play on the equipment.

When was the last time you rode either a bus or bike in Shoreline and what was your experience?

I rode a bike in Shoreline on the Interurban Trail about 2 years ago. Unfortunately, there are many residents in Shoreline who don’t seem to care about keeping our city clean and this was very obvious on the Interurban Trail. If we could take care of this situation, it would be a lot nicer and safer for all of us.