The Kenmore Reporter newspaper conducted a Q&A with all the city council candidates for a story that ran in the newspaper published July 5. Here is the Q&A with Charles Crouch in its entirety:

What do you see as the top three issues facing the city of Kenmore?

1. Maintaining a family-friendly community; a place where people can gather.

Our wonderful city has a great deal of potential in so many ways. Kenmore is a place where all families thrive. It is important to maintain this family-friendly vision in the midst of trying to grow our tax revenues from businesses. I would focus on helping to form marketplaces that bring people together, creating recreation areas that bring people together and reasonable sidewalk expansion citywide.

If one day the Lake Pointe project opens up for us to develop, it is important we don’t miss a great opportunity to make it fit the people of our city so we don’t just see it developed in any original fashion. See my website for more information on this but this will then attract more business because businesses begin where people gather.

2. Continue to establish our business-friendly environment.

As we drive down State Route 522, we all recognize the large amount of storefront vacancies. Does anyone know why?

Is there not money to be made in Kenmore? How do we attract the right businesses? With 50,000 cars driving through Kenmore each day, how do we get some of them to pull over here? First, make Kenmore economically viable for business by showing businesses people can and actually do want to gather here. Second, ensure rules and regulations are more conducive for businesses.

3. Solidifying our city identity.

Identity is a big deal because it means an integration of businesses and people in our city. Companies spend big bucks to make and produce logos and brand their names and purpose, we should too. When we know who we are, people want to pull over and stop in Kenmore, not just drive through. What is our identity in Kenmore?

I would suggest it is a place where families, people and businesses thrive. It is a place where people come to, not drive through. I believe we can make this a place that people brag about!

How do you feel the city handled the acquisition and sale of the Kenmore Village property and what would you have done differently?

We could start by asking how much government involvement should be in private business. It is a good question to ask and I’m sure we could debate it for quite a while. I would suggest that the relationship between businesses and people is different in Kenmore than in other city’s economies because of how residential it is.

In the same way, the relationship between businesses and government in Kenmore is also different. Kenmore is not as commercial or as industrial as other cities.

Let’s start with the city’s desire to spur business growth. This is a good concern because businesses increase revenue to the city and create jobs for local people. These are both good but we should never forget that the priority is the local community and not the tax revenues.  If we went around to Kenmore businesses and asked them how much help they received from the local government, I wonder what they would say; I know my business was birthed in Kenmore with no help at all. What is the reasoning behind the thought that government needs to be the one that spurs business here and not people who want to start them?

It may not be completely appropriate to list all the flaws about government involvement on business and the Kenmore Village acquisition years back because hindsight is always 20/20. And frankly it’s not important anymore, except to learn from it and not repeat the same mistakes. When Lake Pointe happens, we should have a guiding hand in the process and not an intervening hand. I wish to one day see a marketplace community similar to Bothell Country Village on the waterfront with recreational activities, and places to gather, such as around fire pits, in an amphitheater and on a boardwalk. If we can provide a place where people gather, family-friendly businesses will follow, I promise, yet not by a controlling hand of the city. The city should concentrate on providing areas for people to gather.

What is the best way to spur growth in the city and build a sense of community between businesses and the local government?

The best way to spur growth in the city and to build a sense of community between businesses and local government is to guide the city in a way that encourages people to gather. The key to business growth in this city is synonymous with solidifying our identity and encouraging people to gather.

When businesses see that people are gathering in Kenmore, it will attract them. When it comes to business, no one knows what those businesses need more than the business owners. It is the business owners and customers who make it happen, not the city. So, as an elected city official, one has to represent families and businesses.

As a voter, you have to decide who you want to represent the city and the hundreds of votes that will take place over the next four years. As one of the only Kenmore business owners campaigning for city council, I get these concepts and actually live by them. This is why I ask for your vote.

If you have an issue that is important to you please tell our readers about it and what you would like to do about it as a council member?

As our young city develops into a community that thrives, it is important to have a variety of voices to the council to make sure we go in the right direction. When a coach puts together a team, he doesn’t look for people with the same talents; he looks for the best person to play each position. When a manager puts together a business group, he looks for people with a variety of skills in order to combine a spectrum of abilities.

Also when I was in the Navy SEALs, our platoon was comprised of men and women with different specialties to accomplish each mission. In the same way, the city council should be comprised of many different perspectives and abilities. That’s why it is important to add different voices to the council.

I am a 30-year-old husband and father, I live in Kenmore, own a business in Kenmore and we are raising our children in Kenmore. I have brought the Kenmore community together with my business and with the “Kenmore Neighbors” Facebook page. I would bring to the city council the perspective of a young family, a perspective of a business owner, and the perspective of a community builder. I bring that voice responsibly too.

My household carries no personal debt, except a mortgage, and my business has never had debt. My reasons for making decisions are my 2- and 3-year-old children, with more on the way. My vote will be one that spearheads our identity, and makes sure fiscal responsibility is never sacrificed.

What is your campaign website address for residents to learn more about you?

Visit www.charlescrouchforseat4.com/index.html