6 vie for Moses Lake City Council, Position No. 7

Moses Lake City Council candidates

Julia Hodgson

Age: 60

Occupation: I am working at a cemetery assisting clients and visitors.

Why are you running?

I want to provide a choice not connected to outside interests. The critical special interest being that of our community members' individual rights.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

Formerly employed as a community service agent, also worked inside fire and police. I have worked extensively in marketing and customer service.

What are your goals for the position?

People need to know what the big picture is when their cities make regulations affecting their lifestyle. I am concerned that joining sustainable city movement may have consequences that will affect our quality of life in a negative way. A city should have a welcome feel to it. A place where folks are part of a friendly atmosphere that provides for the community's safety and balance of lifestyle needs.

I am also interested in reconsidering the tourist revenue ideas that could be part of a theme design to help our city become a model for enjoyment of family activities.

Tom Hayes

Age: 51

Occupation: I work part-time for the Columbia Basin Dispute Resolution Center as their office manager.

Why are you running?

I chose to run because I care about the growth and future for our community. As a 26-year resident who has been a business owner and worked in a municipality as well as a non-profit, I believe I have what it takes to bring a fresh perspective and the common sense to make the most of opportunities that come to our city.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

Of my married life I have been self-employed for approximately 20 years. This included keeping financial records, day-to-day operations, employee management, budgeting and planning. Working with the public brings great satisfaction. I have also worked as facilities manager for the Port of Moses Lake where I was involved in upkeep, tenant relationships, building and construction projects and the budget process for a municipality. I have also received training in parliamentary procedures and the continually changing open meetings requirements as well as proper procedures and practices involved to keep in line with the state Revised Code of Washington.

What are your goals for the position?

I want to be a good listener to the needs of our citizens. I want to have good relationships with the city employees and bring my communication training as a mediator to bring peaceful resolutions to disagreements within the city staff as well as with the residents. I am very pro-business and desire to have interested companies feeling more wanted and needed to make our city more prosperous and vital. I am hoping to have more of the dollars we earn here in Moses Lake staying local, as well as attract the business of other local community's residents. I will try everything I can think of to have city revenue increases come from appropriate spending of the budget and an increase in sales tax that is being collected while keeping away from tax increases when at all possible. I truly hope to be a common sense voice on the council for the residents of Moses Lake.

Greg Becken

Age: 35

Occupation: Manager of security, information technology, and special projects at the Port of Moses Lake.

Why are you running?

I am a husband and a father to three children, I am a proud Moses Lake resident but I am not a politician. I am running for City Council to insure that my family and yours have a say in the future of our city. I will serve as a transparent and professional council member and focus on the issues that matter to us.

I am focused on youth and community programs, providing a place to raise a family and to create a community we can all be proud to live in. I feel that a healthy community requires a good mix of growth, sustainability, community involvement and support. I am an Eagle Scout, president of the Friends of the Moses Lake Dog Park and now a candidate for Moses Lake City Council.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

Six years working for the port and seven years employed with the Department of Homeland Security.

What are your goals for the position?

If elected I will improve youth programs and find ways to provide them long term sustainable solutions. I will continue to support current and future local business in Moses Lake. Lastly I will represent the community professionally and with transparency to insure everyone has an opportunity to know what's happening.

Greg "Speedy" Nevarez

Age: 44

Occupation: Moses Lake School District security

Why are you running?

I have always held a position to serve our community in some way or another. Utilizing the experience I have, I would like to continue serving. I believe that I have gained the necessary knowledge to help lead in repairing and regaining the confidence and trust of our community.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

City of Moses Lake Code Enforcement officer, MLPD provisional police officer, MLSD security officer, GCSD reserve deputy, Grant County juvenile treatment monitor, and Sunrise Group home security/intermittent.

What are your goals for the position?

I strongly believe the relationship between the city council, city staff, and the community needs to be repaired. We have lost a bit of confidence and trust in our leadership that we need to get back.

I consider myself very knowledgeable regarding the gang culture and understanding why they behave the way they do. We need to get back to the days of DARE where they taught the youngsters how to respect each other and resist drugs and violence.

The recreation center is vital part of our community in giving a place for kids to go, it is also my mission to find a way to open it back up.

Continuing to encourage economic growth within our city.

Elisia M. Dalluge-Eklund

Age: 39

Occupation: Licensed massage practitioner.

Why are you running?

I am running for office because I saw a need for help and in October 2014 started getting way more involved. After numerous people approaching me and asking me to run, and much prayer, it became more clear that is the right thing to do. I already do a lot of volunteer work for the community of Moses Lake and I love public service work. I want to serve you. I just need your vote.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

I have over 35 years of experience in politics and law and justice including special training, higher education, mediation training, other non partisan work and numerous volunteer work. I started volunteering at a young age by fundraising and being politically involved.

I have helped manage a couple multi-million dollar budgets for public sectors. I am a long-standing public servant.

What are your goals for the position?

Some of my goals include: to continue to work with other elected officials, to get our budget back on track, to get our child-related activities re-opened as soon as possible, and I would like to have city employee evaluations implemented.

Mike Norman

Age: 67

Occupation: Builder, consultant, lawyer.

Why are you running?

I believe in teams and team building. I would like to help the council be an effective team that serves the community.

Please list any previous government or management experience.

My government experience consists of 3-1/2 years with the US Public Health Service building rural water systems on the Navajo Nation. In that job, I managed construction crews of about 15 persons.

In the private world, I have managed numerous construction projects a few of them valued in excess of $100 million. Some of those projects had office staffs of 15 or so, and 20 or more subcontractors on the site.

What are your goals for the position?

I believe in Moses Lake. It is a great place to live, and I want to help make it even better. We need a shared vision of what we want our town to be, and move forward to make it a reality.

A vision? How about: Prosperity, safety and ownership?

• Prosperity: First, attract more good paying jobs to Moses Lake. Our per capita income is 82 percent of the national average, but our cost of living is 92 percent of the national average. We need to correct the imbalance. Second, attract more tourist dollars here. Third, work with Grant County to assure Moses Lake receives its fair share of tax dollars.
• Safety: We should work to reduce our crime rates. Our fire protection rating could be revised downward raising insurance rates for all of us. We deserve to be safe; and companies considering locating here want their employees and their property to be safe too.
• Ownership: Call it "civic pride" if you will. But I want us to feel that we have a stake in our community. By working together to improve our quality of life, with our vision always in mind, all of us can be "Owners of Moses Lake."