Incumbent Guier poised to remain Pacific mayor

The celebration started as soon as King County Elections released its initial results Tuesday night.

Surrounded by friends in a crowded banquet room at the Northwest Brewery Company, Leanne Guier learned that she had retained her role as mayor over challenger Gary Nitschke.

Pacific voters on the King County side of the city cast 363 of 452 counted ballots (80.31 percent) in Guier’s favor. Nitschke held a 5-4 advantage in Pierce County.

Guier, a pipe-fitter, has served as Pacific’s mayor since July 2013, when the council unanimously voted to have her serve the remainder of Cy Sun’s term. That came after residents of the city recalled the controversial Sun.

“The citizens of this city … really approve of the direction we’re going,” Guier said. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and am looking forward to the next four years.”

She said she had worked the last two years to navigate through the City’s issues that stemmed from losing “key figureheads” during Sun’s tenure – and the challenge to replace them – and with insurance companies to limit Pacific’s “risk” during that era.

Now, Guier is hopeful that she can move past that and focus on completing projects, which includes equipping City Hall, along with the community center, gymnasium and shelters with an emergency backup generator.

“In the event of flooding, ice storms or anything we’ve had in the past, now we’ll have power,” Guier said. “People will know it’s a safe place to go.”

Guier also is focused on several other projects, including the completion of the Interurban Trail through Pacific. Guier said the funding now is in place to finish it.

She will navigate through her other objectives with a council that will return five of seven members. The terms for Kerry Garberding (Position 2), Vic Kave (Position 4), Stacey Oliveira (Position 5) and Tren Walker (Position 7) do not expire until 2017.

In addition, Katie Garberding (Position 1) ran unopposed. Katie Garberding said she will continue to solicit feedback from residents in person or through other channels – her personal cellphone number is provided on the City’s website – as she works to develop priorities for the City.

“I just want people to feel comfortable to come down, be able to voice their concerns and know they will be taken care of,” she said. “I just look forward to serving the people, and I appreciate the fact that they have the confidence in me to allow me to see it through for another four years. I know I’m running unopposed, but it says a lot to me that people have the trust in me.”

Clint Steiger also will retain his Position 5 seat with a 243-202 vote count between King and Pierce counties against challenger Brice Erickson. Steiger could not be reached for comment by press time, but said during an Oct. 15 community forum at the Pacific Community Center Gym that he worked to secure funding for construction on Stewart Road and also collaborated with Sumner officials to “save” the Valentine Avenue Southeast/136th Avenue East project. While the budget is limited, Steiger said, he would work toward improvements on a section of Milwaukee Boulevard if reelected during that meeting.

Only Position 6, where Joshua Putnam did not run for reelection, will feature a change. David Storaasli had a 246-196 advantage between both counties against Don Thomson.

Storaasli was raised in a small city, Fircrest, during the 1970s. One of his fonder memories during that era was mingling with children his age and senior citizens at the city’s recreation center. Storaasli said he is not certain how to obtain funding to create a similar venue in Pacific, but it is a priority for him.

“The seniors and the kids mixed together,” Storaasli said of the Fircrest facility. “The families wanted to be there. It wasn’t just a place for a kid to go hide until mom and dad got home from work. I would love – even if we don’t rebuild the whole thing – to make an active city center.