Prosperity for Federal Way:
Prosperity for Federal Way (PFFW) has announced its candidate endorsements for the upcoming election. PFFW is Federal Way’s pro-business political action committee. PFFW’s board of directors met recently and voted to endorse the following candidates:
Dini Duclos, Federal Way City Council position 7
Jack Dovey, Federal Way City Council position 5
Dave Larson, Federal Way School Board position 5
Charles Gibson, Lakehaven Utility District commissioner position 3
Bill Gates, South King Fire and Rescue commissioner position 1
“We believe these candidates understand the importance of a healthy and vibrant local business community,” said Merle Pfeifer, PFFW board member. The PAC chose to endorse candidates in certain contested races only.
Prosperity For Federal Way is not affiliated with the Federal Way Chamber of Commerce. It is comprised of several prominent business leaders in the City of Federal Way.
———-
Opposed to Proposition 1:
Every voter should read Joseph Turner’s article on Proposition 1 in the Oct. 21 Tacoma News Tribune.
The statistics are sobering. Even though Bellevue will be using its new 520 bridge as soon as 2018, Federal Way will have to wait 20 years, until 2027, to be connected to light rail.
According to 2000 census data, 8,960 of Federal Way’s 83,259 residents will be 80 years old or older when the first light rail train pulls into our transit center. Assuming 80 years to be an approximate life span, that means that 11 percent of Federal Way residents will likely be paying taxes for the rest of their lives for a transit improvement that they will never ride or even see in operation.
This is not to say benefits need to always have to balance cost for individual taxpayers. We vote for school levies whether or not we have children in school because it’s a good investment and our society is better for it. But Prop. 1 seems different. It pushes the sales tax to astronomical levels, within reach of 10 percent. And to what end? To support the unsustainable goal of perpetual economic growth and to feed the beast of urban sprawl.
Prop. 1 needs to be sent back for revision of scope, funding and schedule.
Bob Roper, Federal Way
——–
Walker will bring change
If we want our schools to rise above the average and catch a vision of excellence, we need someone in the school board who is not afraid to dream big dreams.
I submit to you that Ron Walker is that person. I had the privilege of working with Ron Walker in the Federal Way Diversity Commission and the MLK Day celebration committee. I have seen his courage to dream the impossible. I witnessed how he orchestrated resources to make dreams a reality.
Dave Larson is a good board member. My fellow citizens, good is not good enough any more. We should demand greatness. We should be satisfied with nothing but the best! We need someone on our school board with an agenda — a single agenda of making our schools the best. Ron Walker has a proven track record of getting extraordinary results in ordinary assignments. He is not running for this position because he had a bad experience with a teacher. He has a vision for our schools, a vision he shares with most of us.
If we demand excellence in our schools, we need to start with our school board. We need to change it for the better. Change is not comfortable, it is courageous. Let’s change!
Prakash Meloot, Federal Way
———–
Ron Walker works hard:
It is with pleasure that I endorse Ron Walker for Federal Way School Board.
As a previous school board member, I can see the qualities that Ron Walker will bring as a director. He is compassionate, humble and open minded. He does not care for the limelight, preferring that others get the glory as long as the task is completed.
He has served our community for many years in a variety of ways, always approachable and wanting to hear all points of view. He cares deeply about our children, concerned with their graduation rates and the lack of improvement in that particular area. He believes that sports and the arts are still crucial components in the education of our students.
His values are like our values: Hard work, diligence and playing by the rules still count for something. I have known Ron for 12 years and he has never failed in any ethical situation. He has integrity, leadership abilities and a caring attitude for our community. Please join me in supporting his candidacy. It will be a vote well spent.
Don Putman, Federal Way
———
Smith for school board
I am writing in support of Suzanne Smith for Federal Way School Board.
I have known Suzanne for several years, working with her in PTA and the Federal Way school bond measure. Suzanne is extremely knowledgeable, gets people motivated and follows through on what she says she’ll do. I have come to appreciate her dry sense of humor, excellent listening skills and passion for doing what’s right for our kids.
I sat with her through a school board meeting in May; her knowledge base of the issues discussed that evening was amazing — she was as up to date on the issues as most, if not all of the current board members.
We must elect someone with passion, wisdom and the enthusiasm to help our children. Suzanne is the candidate we need. That’s why I’m voting for Suzanne Smith for Federal Way School Board.
Sam Rengstorff, Auburn
——–
Supporting Ron Walker
I am writing to express my support of Ron Walker’s candidacy for the Federal Way School Board. I have worked with Ron on many projects over the past three years and he is one of the most committed hard workers I have had the pleasure of working with. Ron is a dynamic leader whose passion shines through when it comes to issues that affect our youth. He already works tirelessly helping our children build their self-esteem and succeed academically, and I think his type of loyalty and dedication is exactly what is needed on the school board. Not a member who is simply a legislator, but a member who is working hard, in the trenches with the rest of us who volunteer our time. His love for our youth and their success comes from his heart and not from any political motivation. This is proven by the work he has been doing for years, long before he thought he would be seeking more authority to affect greater change. I am asking your readers for their vote for Ron Walker as one of our next Federal Way School Board members because he has done great things as a concerned citizen and will do even greater things as our school board representative.
DeBorah A. Little, Federal Way (president, Touchdown Presentations)
——
Elect Suzanne Smith
Suzanne Smith is our daughter-in-law and the mother of two of our most delightful grandchildren. If I could think of anyone more suited and more dedicated to the welfare of the school children, I wouldn’t be writing this. She is also highly organized, a good manager, and works well with others.
Varrel Smith, Federal Way
——-
Voting for Smith, Castellar and Larson for school board:
After attending four out of the five school board candidate forums, I have made a decision about who I am going to vote for.
The race between Len Englund and Suzanne Smith was the hardest choice for me. I know both candidates personally and respect them both immensely.
But, Englund lost my vote with his answer to questions on intelligent design and global warming. He said he had no problem with intelligent design being included in our curriculum. In my opinion, religious instruction belongs in the home and the church, not in my child’s school. The other statement I found a little disconcerting from Englund was his statement on the “Inconvenient Truth” question at a forum. He seemed to think that a ban on the movie was appropriate because of the controversial nature of “global warming.”
My choice for position 3 was a bit easier to decide. I will vote for Evelyn Castellar. I have several reasons for this. The first and probably most important, I do not think that Amye Bronson-Doherty will be able to stand up to the stronger personalities on the board. She is to soft-spoken and slow to speak. The quicker thinkers and more forceful personalities will overpower her every time.
Second, she also only has experience in her schools. She has not visited or been in schools other than the ones her students attend. The north end schools where I come from are totally different than schools in the Twin Lakes area because of the over 50 percent free and reduced lunches, single parents and the sheer numbers of ESL students. Does she understand what it is like to teach a class of kindergarteners where 20 of the 25 kids speak no English at all? Castellar does because she is so involved with the needs of our ESL students and the Hispanic culture.
Third, Castellar has been on the right side of the issues that have plagued our district in the past few years. She voted for letting students wear flip-flops and for their right to use cell phones and listen to their iPods during lunch.
Fourth, when other members of the board criticize our students, teachers and administration, she calls them on it. She deserves to be re-elected.
Position 5 was easy for me to decide. I chose Dave Larson for two reasons. First, Dave is a doer. Instead of complaining about unfair funding, he led the district in filing a fair funding lawsuit. Instead of criticizing parents for their lack of involvement, he urged the school district to write a policy to encourage schools to be more welcoming of parents. He has led the fight to improve the homework policy in this district so that it is helpful for students instead of just a way to fill their evenings. The second reason I chose Dave Larson over Ron Walker is that I found Walker’s response to questions on intelligent design and uniforms frightening. He does not believe in evolution. He said it didn’t make sense. As far as uniforms go, he is all for uniforms in all of our schools. Therefore, I will be voting for Dave Larson.
Shari Cotes, Federal Way
———
