Candidates discuss budgeting, affordable housing

Posted

Affordable housing, budgeting, and septic permitting were among the many hot topics discussed at the second county commissioner candidates forum June 23.

The three candidates running for the District 2 seat — Heidi Eisenhour, Amanda Funaro, and Lorna Smith — participated and were given two minutes to answer each question.

Moderator Renee Klien said the questions were chosen from a pool of those submitted by Jefferson County residents and were based on their direct relevance to the responsibilities of a county commissioner, as well as their potential in helping the candidates express their leadership philosophies and decision-making processes.

Candidates are battling first in a Primary Election Aug. 4 for the chance to make it onto the ballot for the Nov. 4 General Election. Only voters who live in District 2 will be able to cast ballots in the race in the August primary. 

Candidates were first given two minutes to introduce themselves before being asked a series of questions.

Eisenhour said she first became inspired to run for county commissioner 20 years ago when she served on the Jefferson County Planning Commission. The experience opened her eyes to what a committed group of community members could accomplish, and it better helped her understand the role of county commissioners.

Since then, Eisenhour said her history of leadership positions around the county in business, as well in consulting on private and public projects, and her longstanding residency of District 2, is what makes her the ideal candidate for the position.

Funaro also leaned on her history in the county as a basis for her candidacy. She said since living here for most of her life, she understands first hand the hardships that working-class families face to make ends meet in a county that has a large retired population and a small inventory of affordable housing units.

Funaro emphasized her ability to bring groups of people together, which she said would be key to navigating the uncertain future that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought. Ensuring infrastructure and economic growth will be the key to a sustainable future in Jefferson County, she said.   

Smith turned to her experience in county government in Snohomish County as proof of her ability to get things done. Snohomish County similarly faced a shortage of affordable housing units while she lived there, Smith said, and she helped to remove roadblocks to development. She plans to employ the same tactics here.

Her experience in “getting it done” doesn’t end in Snohomish County, however, Smith said. She also has worked since moving to Jefferson County to pave the way for environmental protections and on the Planning Commission to ban outdoor gun ranges in the county.

The first question at the forum centered on what each candidate would prioritize in the county budget, keeping in mind that sharp revenue decreases may require significant cuts in the coming years.

Eisenhour said she sees the budget as the number one tool available to commissioners to set public policy and priorities. She said she would prioritize public health, and the services that take care of people in the county, as well as solid waste. She said she believes that solid waste is one core function of the county that all residents depend on and she would choose to prioritize things that impact every person.

Funaro said she, as well, would prioritize public health and human services. Her other main priority for budgeting would be the Hadlock Sewer Project. She said she believes moving the dial forward on affordable housing has to be a number one priority.

“And the only way that is going to happen is if we can make progress on the Hadlock Sewer Project,” Funaro said.

Smith recalled her work on county budgets during her time in Snohomish County, and said that from following closely the current state of the county budget, she does not believe revenue losses and impacts on the budget will be as bad as was first predicted.

Smith also said she would place a priority on health and human services, which she said may be in danger of cuts because they rely on state and federal funding. She said she would work closely with state and federal representatives to make that funding a priority.

When asked about affordable housing, all three candidates agree that the permitting and review and septic inspection processes at the county need to be streamlined in order to encourage more affordable housing development.

Eisenhour said she did not believe that there was one specific solution to solving the housing crisis, like funding the Hadlock Sewer or for more people to build accessory dwelling units. She said she sees the solution as an amalgamation of all these approaches combined with reforming the permitting process.

Funaro said she has for a long time been closely involved with these issues in her work at Good Man Sanitation, as well as her work as the vice president of Jefferson County Homebuilders Association and as a member of the Joint Oversight Board on Affordable Housing and Homeless Housing. She said she believes in many ways the county has more stringent regulations than many other jurisdictions, which hinders development.

Smith said she has often been approached by people who have issues with permitting and feel that the rules around them are unpredictable and not applied uniformly. She said she sees a solution to that problem as working with the Department of Community Development to create a transparent system that works for the applicants.

The event was hosted by the League of Women Voters of Jefferson County and the American Association of University Women. It is available online by visiting the lwvwa.org/jefferson.