Although I am not a resident of the city of Enumclaw, I live in the county and call Enumclaw home. I have, however, worked in visible jobs for the past three years in the city and have had many dealings with the city administration as well as council.
I disagree with the campaign tactics being used in the race for Position 2. This campaign resembles the tactics used in the last Senate race in which one candidate was accused of many violations in ethics, but to the best of my knowledge, those went away after the campaign with little to no public response. It appeared to me a load of allegations were tossed out to confuse the voters.
If I could vote in Enumclaw I would vote for Darrel Dickson and this is why:
1 – Darrel played a key role in the development and execution of the bid to turn the failing Expo Center over to the nonprofit I’m currently general manager of. This was not for personal gain but to stop the bleeding on revenue in the city.
2 – Darrel played a part in the securing of funds from the state to start making improvements at the Expo Center.
3 – Darrel took charge and saved the fireworks show for the fourth of July.
4 – Darrel continually challenges financial moves within the city, not for gain but to ensure all the options have been looked at and see that it’s the best deal for the city.
5 – Darrel researches all funding sources to try and get a hotel built here in Enumclaw. There are many events that pass up this area because we have limited places to house tourists. One of our biggest events, the Olympic Kennel Club dog show, has to put their judges up in Federal Way due to the lack of rooms here in Enumclaw. That’s revenue which could help our town.
6 – Darrel has been criticized for looking at a funding program called EB-5. This gives citizenship to Chinese investors. In the Oct. 4 edition of a Seattle paper on the front page of the business section, with a large picture, it shows a proposed building in Tacoma funded by EB-5. Apparently other cities aren’t afraid of this form of funding.
7 – Darrel is an active member of Rotary, liaison to the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce for the city council, and active in most fund raising activity in the city.
The city of Enumclaw is coming out of some tough times. This council along with a strong city administration is making inroads to improve our quality of life. With the county owning most of the development rights outside the city borders the chance of us becoming a Federal Way are slim. It takes creativity and drive to develop within these restrictions and I feel Darrel possesses that drive and understanding. Putting someone new in this council position will be a setback. Electing someone without the business knowledge and council experience would be a huge detriment to the progress we are experiencing.
Scott Gray
