Tell us about yourself.
Age: 66. Single, born in San Diego, Calif., I was one of five children raised on public assistance by widowed mother in a very small Southern California town. I moved to San Diego and married Gary Haugen while he was in the Navy. We moved to Auburn in 1964. We have three daughters who all live in Auburn and two grandchildren, fourth generation born and raised in Auburn.
I began doing odd jobs for neighbors when I was 13 and moved to San Diego right after graduating from high school. I developed communication and problem-solving skills working for very demanding doctors at a large medical clinic. I was supporting myself by the time I was 18 and learned to budget money and re-cycle out of necessity. I took an interest in things mechanical at an early age and learned to repair bicycles in my 20s. I always enjoyed children as well as working with the Auburn High School band program.
My greatest accomplishment was founding The Neely Mansion Association in 1983. That led to my appreciation for preservation of historical buildings. It gave me opportunities to work with the public and private sectors to obtain and use grants and donations effectively.
What are some your strengths and weaknesses?
My strength is my ability to recognize a ‘con job’ early on and not give in to pressure when I know what I’m doing is in the best interest of a larger percentage of people. Another strength is my willingness to communicate with the ‘man-on-the-street to gather a variety of opinions and avoiding un-necessary meetings and special interest groups that waste my time and the time of others.
My weakness is not being able to ignore slights by my peers and allowing pressure from constituents to use too much of my time. I would like to improve my relationship with certain members of the City Council. I care about the direction City government is taking and want Auburn to remain a stable community. I want the “dignitary” and perks taken out of public service and replaced with SERVICE.
Name at least three things you would like to accomplish for Auburn:
1. I will work with the City Council to take control of spending, including travel expenses, dues and membership fees, conferences and seminars. That should include time wasted in meetings that get us nowhere and excessive computer time for employees and electeds.
2. Get personal agendas out of city government.
3. Move toward zoning laws and a comprehensive plan that make sense. I have a clear sense of what makes Auburn work — a good mix of small and large business and co-operation between the City, schools and non-profits. I understand the importance of sound spending habits and services that are important to residents and people who come here for work and pleasure. People will vote for me because they trust me not to walk them in circles at general meetings and on issues of real importance to us all, and to be fair.
Tell us about some of your past governmental, business and community work:
I held council position #5 from Dec. 1993 to Dec. 1995. I was involved in approval of planning for Emerald Downs, Super Mall Phase II, a new police station, the Chuck Booth Bridge, preservation of the Mary Olsen Farm and the partnership with the King County Library System. I moved our public works director toward a capital projects schedule that was simple and easy to use. More recently, I discovered a conflict of interest between the City and an asphalt company and later initiated the correction of errors made by the current mayor and committee chairs with regard to the Open Meetings Act. I have opposed laws that would treat businesses, residents and property owners unfairly and been truthful in my explanations of projects and programs involving residents and the city.
From September of 1978 until August of 1988 I was a partner in Southeast Heating and Air in Auburn with Gary Haugen. I did all financial transactions and record keeping, payroll, all written communications and telephone reception. We maintained a home office and a shop-warehouse. In 1983 I founded Neely Mansion Association. I secured a community benefit loan to finance our first fund-raiser and got a respected local attorney to represent us pro-bono and likewise a secretarial service. We got a large grant from King County for our mechanical work and helped bring our project in under budget with volunteer and professional crews. I attracted youth groups schools and local craftsmen to do work for which we could not have afforded to pay going rates. Our funds were kept in interest-bearing money markets, and within two years we had paid off a $6,000 loan left outstanding by the Auburn Arts Council. While vice president of a local PTA, I planned a free event for our kids and their families that allowed the organization to break even.
Name at least three of the principal issues confronting Auburn and how you plan to deal with them:
Safe roads and budget issues are a priority. Some department directors are being overpaid. Compensation should be geared to productivity and as mayor my salary will be cut by at least 50 percent. Downtown is a mess, and our zoning laws are unjust. Our Environmental Park Zone should be reconfigured to exclude certain properties that can be better used. The present administration has missed the boat on “downtown redevelopment.” Governments should stay out of the development process except to provide permits and code enforcement. Developer incentives often prove disastrous. An example is Orange County California’s indebtedness. Auburn could have built a community center years ago with good planning. We have no money to build one now and should have left ACAP alone. We tore down a good building that could have been re-cycled as was the Massey building. Auburn will face a homelessness crisis in the next few years, and our overgrown state, county and city governments are to blame. Too many elected officials spend too much money on themselves, and time is wasted on projects and programs of small benefit to the masses. Enough said.
