I became the mayor of Black Diamond in December of 2014 after two years on the city council. As a local resident for 42 years, I have worked hard to protect the quality of our Black Diamond community. My vision is slow-growing development that takes into consideration our roads, transportation, schools and protection of the environment, and to preserve our small town atmosphere.

During my tenure I have increased our reserve fund balance and presented a sustainable budget every year I have been in office. To encourage government transparency and better communication we started work on a new website in 2020 that should be launched in the next few months. This new website will be more user friendly and use different forms of social media to keep citizens informed.

As the Master Planned Development has moved forward they have replaced some critical infrastructure and water lines on Roberts Drive that increased fire flow to the residents who live in the area. I have worked closely with the King County Flood Control District and the city has been awarded $2.2 million grant to replace the three culverts in Covington Creek with a bridge with guardrails.

With the help of a Transportation Benefit District grant, we were able to complete the pedestrian walkway over Rock Creek, which connected the Historic District of Black Diamond with the library and restaurants to Ten Trails with all their public parks and trails.

We have approved a site plan for a new fire station located on Lawson Hills. We have ordered a new fire truck that could be delivered as early as next month.

The year 2020 was very difficult because of the pandemic, but the city has been able to maintain their budget and has been able to put policies and procedures in place to protect our employees to work safe at home or in the office. With the help of Sound Cities Association (SCA) and other cities we were able to coordinate consistent policy with other cities in our region. I am looking forward to more employees coming back to work and opening the doors to the public again, later this year.

I have worked very hard for the citizens of Black Diamond to improve their quality of life and am seeking re-election.

Mayor Carol Benson

Black Diamond