Moving Renton forward
Renton shows few signs of slumping after more than a decade of impressive growth. Mayor Kathy Keolker was able to continue what she, other elected officials and the business community helped build during her first term. Keolker should be re-elected and given the chance to build on that momentum.
The mayor has been a steady leader in a city that is moving at light speed. Keolker is well positioned to work for Renton and with the region because of her prior 20 years on the City Council and her firm leadership. She rightly wants to turn some attention toward the neighborhoods and work on affordable housing - an important goal for a city with rapidly rising housing costs. Keolker also wants to work on innovative green initiatives, which is in line with neighboring cities and King County.
First-term Councilman Denis Law is a solid challenger. Unfortunately for Law, his opponent does not have many policy blunders he can highlight. Instead, he says voters should toss out Keolker because his style of leading is better.
The campaign has been unusually nasty, with each candidate’s camp going for the throat. Renton needs to get past this election and be ready to continue moving forward with energy.
Renton’s success depends not only on a strong mayor, but a strong City Council. There are three excellent candidates who will serve the city well.
• Marcie Palmer should be elected to a second term for the City Council’s Position 3. Palmer has been a quick study and a constructive voice on the City Council. Her expertise about the Renton Municipal Airport is important. Palmer outshines her opponent, Shirley Gaunt-Smith, a retired Boeing engineer, who seems unprepared during the campaign.
• In Position 4, Greg Taylor gets the endorsement. Taylor is well-versed in how Renton works. He is a small-business owner who is chairman of the board for the Renton Chamber of Commerce and has served on Renton’s Planning Commission. Terry Persson is a good challenger, but is too focused on neighborhoods. A City Council member needs to understand the neighborhoods and downtown. Taylor does.
• King Parker thinks he should return to the council, a position he held before running and losing to Keolker for mayor in 2003. We agree. Parker is the clear choice for Position 5. His sharp mind and incredible institutional knowledge are invaluable to Renton. His opponent, Cheryl Haskins, is eager but will benefit from more seasoning on a city commission or the School Board.