The November 2015 Bothell City Council Candidates have filed with the state and are getting ready for the coming elections.

In order to start the conversation concerning the upcoming elections, The Bothell Reporter has requested the same questions from each candidate. This is only the first of the coverage The Bothell Reporter will be giving during the City Council elections.

Today, we have a question and answer session with Andy Rheaume, incumbent, who is rerunning for the same council spot, position 2, in the 2015 Bothell City Council Elections.

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[Deanna Isaacs] What is your background experience?

[Andy Rheaume] My community service experience includes: Bothell City Council Member, Bothell Planning Commissioner, Edmonds Volunteer Firefighter, Maywood Hills Elementary science docent, and little league coach. My professional experience includes 15 years of experience working for the cities of Redmond and Seattle as a stormwater manager, urban watershed restoration ecologist, and water quality scientist.

[DI] What skills or experiences do you believe will help you on the council?

[AR] As a council member for the past four years I have developed skills and understanding of how Bothell functions. For the past six years I have developed an in-depth understanding of the City’s budget, Bothell’s Municipal Code, and multiple planning documents. Regional collaboration with other cities, counties, and state agencies has been a significant part of my elected official and professional life for the past five years.

[DI] What motivated you to run for city council?

[AR] The City Council needs to change so that it’s making decisions in the best interest of this community. If I get reelected it is likely that existing residents and businesses will be better represented.

[DI] Why run now, rather than in previous years? (OR if you’ve previously run) What made you decide to run this year versus other years?

[AR] My term has expired so I need to run for reelection this year.

[DI] What issues are you concerned with the most?

[AR] Our existing road system is deteriorating at an alarming rate. If we do not increase our funding of existing road maintenance we will have $54,000,000 of backlogged work by 2020, just to fix our existing road system.

[DI] What issues do you believe are of importance to Bothell?

[AR] We need to complete the revitalization of downtown, address the lack of parks, complete sidewalk connections, and reduce traffic congestion.

[DI] Why did you pick this position over other positions, open or otherwise?

[AR] Postion 2 is my current position.

[DI] Do you believe the people of Bothell will support you and why?

[AR] The people of Bothell will support me because I have a proven track record of making decisions in the best interest of the community.

[DI] What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the Bothell City Council?

[AR] The biggest challenge is funding. The City has very serious budget issues that will not be addressed without asking the public for more funding. Due to recent events and media coverage, it is unlikely the public will trust the City enough to approve a levy. The City has very limited ability to increase funding without a voter approved levy.

[DI] What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming election?

[AR] I’m looking forward to getting out there and connecting with the community. It was a huge experience last time, and I suspect the experience this time will be more engaging and interesting.