Ken's Vision
I love Whatcom County, and I care about what happens here. I envision a County that we can be proud to hand to our children and grandchildren - where they can hunt, fish, camp, and bike, where they can earn a living, where they know their neighbors, and where they have a say in their communities.
In this challenging economic climate we must protect our local job base. We have to promote the development of all or our local businesses. From heavy industry to agriculture to maritime trades to educational institutions, I will make sure we support every opportunity for success. We need to pay special attention to our locally-owned businesses. Local business owners coach our soccer teams, pay a living wage, employ the majority of our citizens, and reinvest the profits from their work in our community. A diverse, locally-owned business network will allow Whatcom County residents to withstand the unpredictable influence of the global markets and the migration of jobs overseas. This effort, combined with our existing natural resource base, heavy industry, construction, and commercial sectors will provide economic opportunity for everyone.
As we look towards the future, I want to focus on growth and development issues. We face difficult challenges as development pressures are changing the nature of our communities. I will hold the line against sprawl! We cannot stand by and watch traffic, flooding, environmental degradation, and overburdened schools diminish our quality of life. Right now, our tax dollars are subsidizing these changes to our County. I support impact reimbursements so that developers and new arrivals pay for their new infrastructure. I would prefer that my hard-earned tax dollars pay for an extra Sheriff's deputy or a park or an after school program.
Furthermore, we must protect working farms, preserve rural lifestyles, and respect existing neighborhoods. We can accommodate growth, protect property rights, and still preserve the beauty and uniqueness of Whatcom County. We need to implement innovative and flexible regulations to allow infill and redevelopment to occur without ruining the character of our communities. We need leadership and hard work, and I will make growth management a priority during my term in office.
Finally, we need efficient government that listens and responds to the needs of our citizens. I will be an accessible member of the Council and I will demand performance from all government employees. I will work to ensure that when a citizen calls a government office with a question, they get an accurate and consistent answers. There is nothing more frustrating than being transferred through three departments and getting four different answers! In addition, the government must give people the opportunity to succeed without unnecessary interference. When the paperwork is more burdensome than the protective measures, everybody loses. It becomes tempting to throw up your hands and ignore the permitting process. But it makes violators out of honest farmers and builders and citizens, and we lose the advantages to our community of coordinated planning and protection. The role of government is not hasty approvals or negligent enforcement. The goal is to have predictable, consistent and fair application of the rules.
We deserve a representative who will listen and a leader with initiative who will work for a future that benefits all of us. For the five and a half years, I have served on the Whatcom County Planning Commission as member and Chairman. In this time, I have been energetic, open-minded, and balanced. These are difficult issues. It is important that we have experienced leaders who are willing to make informed decisions based on the facts. We need people who are committed to the community and willing to listen with an open mind. I will bring these qualities to the job and with dedication and hard work, together, we can keep WC the place we all love to call home.
Whatcom County is changing--the world has discovered us. We have to respond proactively and constructively to the issues of the day. It does not matter if you are a Republican or Democrat, Progressive, Conservative, or Liberal - the most important thing is to get our policy right. I view this campaign as an investment in all of our values. When elected, I will work to find innovative solutions to the challenging problems we face,.
Thank you for your support, and I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail!
Ken Mann