The top candidates for the vacant Olympia City Council seat agreed that addressing homelessness and the lack of affordable housing should be the city's priority over the next term.
Today, the Olympia City Council is slated to continue the process of appointing a new council member to fill the vacant position in Position 6.
Strategic Communications Director Kellie Braseth said that 16 community members applied when Position 6 became vacant on December 31 last year, when former Councilmember Dontae Payne moved into the mayoralty position following his successful election in November.
The council members then reviewed and individually ranked the applications. Based on the combined rankings, the top six applicants are:
Courtney Cecale, who has a doctorate in Environmental Anthropology, said her professional experiences and personal values equipped her to tackle issues like climate change adaptation and mitigation, equitable development, and affordable housing. In the housing crisis, Cecale proposed a wide, sweeping set of policy decisions, including updated zoning policies towards multifamily housing, incentivizing the development of new affordable units, and renter protections.
Kelsey Hulse served in the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound, and the Nisqually Land Trust. Hulse believed the city should prioritize budget sustainability. Without addressing this first, meeting the city's ambitious goals and community service expectations will become more difficult.
Shairus Palotil has over 23 years of project management experience in the private and public sectors, specializing in systems integration, IT governance, strategic planning, and executing technology initiatives. If appointed to the council, Palotil aims to foster a more engaged and inclusive community by promoting public engagement to ensure diverse voices are heard and considered in decision-making processes.
Palotil would also advocate for sustainable and responsible urban planning practices. The candidate stated he wanted to strengthen public safety by collaborating with law enforcement and community organizations, focusing on community policing, crime prevention, and building trust between residents and law enforcement.
Amna Qazi is a medical practitioner with a Master's Certificate in Health Care Leadership at Cornell University, New York, in May 2013. Combating homelessness and bringing affordable housing would be Qaza's highest priority if appointed to the council. Her other priority will be to focus on job creation and economic diversification in the city.
Carole Richmond is a retired policy and research analyst for the Washington state government. Currently serving as commissioner at the Olympia Planning Commission, Richmond acquired familiarity with various local issues, particularly housing. She shared that the city should prioritize housing affordability for renters and buyers and diverse housing options.
Richmond believes that the city should explore the feasibility of adding affordable housing to low-rise strip malls, and that the city should also encourage townhouse developments in place of detached single-family homes. Richmond also believes that middle housing Neighborhood Centers and urban settings would particularly meet the needs of "middle-income" singles and couples.
Robert Morgan Vanderpool is a seasoned professional with experience in politics, governmental affairs, and legislative advocacy, with a master's degree in public administration. He believes the city should have a meaningful public engagement involving people from different backgrounds and communities in tackling ongoing challenges like the housing shortage, lack of sidewalk infrastructure, and the need for well-designed neighborhood centers.
"Practical dialogues between experts and the public are essential for effective solutions,” Vanderpool commented.
The council agreed to split these six candidates into two panels of three for interviews scheduled tonight.
The January 8 appointment process is expected to conclude with the council's selection of a new member, who will fill the seat until the November 2025 general election.
The successful candidate will be sworn in at the next council meeting tomorrow.
Editors' Note: Courtney Cecale and Shairus Palotil withdrew from the race.
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JW
STOP. Just STOP. Stop prioritizing criminals over the taxpayers. Stop sending endless amounts of money into the Homeless Industrial Complex.
Focus on market rate housing and commercial development. You know, the things that actually contribute to the tax base of the city.
Transients and affordable housing do the opposite: they prioritize those that consume services and tax dollars and further turn Olympia into the dump city of the county. Enough is enough.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
jimlazar
Great new: The Council tonight (Monday) voted unanimously to appoint Robert Vanderpool to the vacancy on the City Council.
Robert is the current Chairman of the City's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. He will be an excellent addition to the City Council.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
hptrillium
We should definitely prioritize housing for all. Everyone deserves a home. The houseless are our sisters and brothers. If Jesus were here he would be advocating for them. Any of us could be houseless.
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
OlyGuy
Hooray. More of the same. I have no problem paying taxes, but prioritizing homelessness over improving the lives and community of the tax payers is absolutely ridiculous. I have empathy for their situation, but it can't come with our accountability. Free hand outs for *** offenders hiding in the "jungle" is insane. This city is backwards. Full of virtue signaling do nothing people
Tuesday, January 9 Report this
Local360
Been a local for 41 years. Worked DT Oly for 15 of those years. City councils can't do anything to change costs of housing. Did y'all forget we live in a Capitalist country. The markets control housing cost, not City Councils. Stop wasting tax dollars on "solutions" that haven't worked decade after decade.
Tiny homes, affordable housing blah blah...
No, not everyone deserves a home. No one deserves anything; did we forget that we are animals with golden rules? Someone commented about Jesus below, well where is your religion? Put these people in your home!?! Funny how you quote Jesus and yet do nothing.
Clear them out. They are not welcome.
Friday, January 12 Report this