Issues

Brier residents have made it clear that they value having our own hometown police force, which has been a priority of the existing council. Officers of a local police department come to be a part of the community, and develop relationships with city residents. We depend upon our police to respond to emergencies, to enforce traffic laws, and to work proactively with residents in our community to be a trusted resource in a time of need. 

Safety starts with trust between neighbors, which we can build by continuing to sponsor all kinds of community programs and events. I have worked with our police department to build programs like Dog Walker Watch, Neighborhood Block Watch, and National Night Out. Also, I love working with our Parks Board to organize community favorites such as the SeaScare Parade.

The work we need to do to support Brier’s Police Department is not just within our city boundaries. I have supported the city signing limited agreements with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to ensure law enforcement coverage during periods of time when our staffing is low, and I value the mutual aid agreements we have with other local police departments to provide assistance to law enforcement officers in neighboring communities.

At some times of day it seems that traffic volumes have increased - especially on Brier Road and 228th. Our priority in transportation planning is to ensure the safety of residents walking, riding, and driving on our roads, and to preserve a high quality of life for families who live in the homes along these roads.

I support these commonsense measures that make busy intersections safer, while also meeting the specifications of regional and state transportation code:

• signage, street striping, crosswalks, and pedestrian flags at high-use pedestrian crossings

• portable radar speed signs that are posted where needed, as needed around the city

• the addition of a “right turn only” sign at Brier Terrace Middle School to restrict left turns onto Brier Road 

• modification to traffic flow and crossings as needed to promote safety

Long term, we will need to complete a comprehensive traffic plan and make modifications where possible to control traffic coming through town and make the roadways more welcoming and safer for pedestrians and cyclists. I will continue my work to engage citizens in these and other decisions facing our city.

Brier’s municipal code is written to preserve the semi-rural character of our neighborhood, with larger lots and an emphasis on preservation of open space and natural landscape. While serving on council I will maintain our 12,500sf minimum lot size, deep setbacks from the street, and encourage tree preservation and native plantings. 

State changes to housing laws will take effect in 2025, allowing duplex housing and accessory dwelling units on many parcels in Brier. Although we won’t be reducing our minimum lot size, we must carefully review and update our code so that the city can accommodate more residences while maintaining our peaceful neighborhoods and easy access to natural spaces. Factors to consider will include:

• ensuring adequate infrastructure – stormwater, sewage, water, power

• limiting square footage of accessory units

• maintaining maximum lot coverage

• allowable building locations, heights, and setbacks from property line

• driveways, onsite parking, and parking on public streets

• promotion of renewable energy options for new structures

We can expect the state legislature to make modifications and updates to this year’s housing changes. Brier will want to be part of that conversation, as city planners, contractors, civil engineers, and other professionals work with residents to find a balance that reinforces healthy neighborhoods while implementing the state requirements.

As a bedroom community with a small revenue base, Brier has many expenses and limited income - mostly from residential property taxes. A relatively small percentage of residential property taxes becomes city revenue: only 12-13% for a typical home. 

The city is constantly prioritizing and reprioritizing expenses for law enforcement, public works equipment, infrastructure, streets, parks, and necessary facilities like park restrooms. Additionally, year over year we are paying more for staff wages, insurance, fuel and utilities.

I want Brier to be a great place to live and raise a family. With Council, I focus on making sure that the city retains quality employees to plan and maintain services, and look for ways to keep costs as low as possible. As a Councilmember, I strive to stay up to date on funding options that are available to our city. I’m always learning about and tracking funding opportunities that may match our city’s stated planning, capital projects, infrastructure, parks or transportation projects. 

The state has grants to help cities achieve goals for infrastructure management, such as Dept of Ecology grants for stormwater management and Dept of Transportation grants for traffic and safety improvements. The city must maintain compliance with state rules around growth planning and fiscal management in order to remain eligible for these funds. 

I am proud to say that Brier is a well-run city, in good standing with the state.

Being outdoors and having easy access to parks and greenbelts is very important to my family. Brier has a fantastic parks and open spaces connected by a unique network of trails.  Living here, we can get outdoors without first getting in the car – and I see many of my neighbors doing that too: running, cycling, walking (with or without dogs), playing at the playgrounds, skate park and sport fields.  It's been our city goal for decades that all residences should be within 1/2 mile of a park - and we are just a few neighborhoods short of making this happen. 

Working with City Council, I will support continued maintenance and promotion of our sport facilities, improvements to encourage cycling and walking, and events that welcome our community to join together in our beautiful parks. Additional priorities include:

• adopting an updated trail map, to ensure neighborhoods are connected when larger lots are subdivided

• encouraging resident involvement through volunteer work parties and educational opportunities

• partnership with local schools and PTAs to promote walking and cycling to school

With environmental responsibility as a goal for our city, we can make small and manageable changes to do our part to encourage healthy living and sustainability practices while staying in our budget. We should set reasonable goals to decrease emissions, conserve natural spaces, and prepare for extreme weather events.

Taking the time to consider renewable energy options when upgrading equipment and vehicles just makes sense. We must make the most economical purchasing decisions and wisely use the city’s funds – considering not just the initial outlay for equipment but also projected maintenance and fuel costs. We know that fuel costs are forecasted to increase, and grants and tax incentives are available now for renewable energy alternatives.

I support keeping bus service in Brier, and hopefully someday increasing its frequency so that it can be more useful to residents. My work with Edmonds School District PTA Council is focused on environmental sustainability this next year, and that will include campaigns to encourage students to walk and bike to school.

Brier is in a great position to support natural habitat and wildlife with our network of parks, greenbelts, and waterways. The many residents who have certified their yards as wildlife habitat show that conservation is an important value in our neighborhoods. We can come together as a community to support this goal also, with volunteer opportunities to remove invasive plants in our parks and greenbelts, and to encourage planting native species.

Extreme weather events in our area will most likely take the form of heat waves, heavy or long rainstorms, and smoke exposure from wildfires. We can prepare for higher water flow with regular maintenance of our stormwater system, oversight of cleaning of private stormwater systems, and use of best practices for stream and wetland management. When we preserve natural spaces, trees and habitat, we also create a buffer for stormwater and lessen high flow’s impact on the system. 

The Brier Public Library has been a cooling center in past, and I would work to publicize that, as well as connecting with EMS and the Police Department who perform wellness checks on our most vulnerable residents.

Brier will need to work with other small cities in urban areas to make sure that our needs – which can be very different than those of medium and large cities – are not overlooked when the legislature is crafting future housing, law enforcement, and transportation bills.

If re-elected to council, I will continue to follow what’s happening in Olympia and report back to the council on bills that impact Brier. Only by knowing our city’s strengths and limitations and watching state legislation at every stage can we stay on top of possible impacts of proposed laws. For example, in 2021 the state legislature was considering a vehicle pursuit policy with supervisory consent requirements that would have been impossible for the City of Brier’s Police Department to meet. There are very few small-town police departments that this would have an impact on – so the law wasn’t written with Brier in mind. I read the proposed bill, identified the problem, discussed with other city leaders and then contacted legislators, testified in committee, and worked to find a viable solution. The final legislation included language that allowed our police department to continue normal operations – language that was preserved in updates to the legislation in 2022. 

After many years of engaged advocacy on behalf of families, children and education, I have established relationships with state legislators that I can lean into when needed to advocate for Brier’s interests.