Mary Miller and Darren Glazier are vying for the North Bend City Council Position 7 in the Nov. 5 General Election.

Glazier is the executive director of Regency North Bend Rehab & Nursing Center. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in social sciences from Washington State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Western Governors University.

Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in telecommunications from Michigan State University and works in freelance photography and construction. She is a planning commissioner and has many years of volunteer experience for foundations, boards, commissions, community events and as a guest speaker in Snoqualmie Valley schools, according to her candidate statement.

Are you for or against the potential water deal with the Sallal Water Association? Please explain why.

Glazier: I’m for finding a suitable resolution for all involved. However, it appears the longer things drag on the less likely that will be. As a side note, I would say that I am glad to not have heard anyone using the recent Sallal E. coli contamination as a justification for North Bend taking over the association. I realize that one of the fears the Sallal members have is that their water prices would increase. I can empathize with that completely and feel the same way anytime a new tax is proposed at the state level. I’m all for taxpayers keeping more of their own hard earned money. North Bend is going through some unprecedented growth and many of the changes are not welcomed. As much as I know the taxpayers don’t want to hear that we can’t completely stop growth, there is truth to that.

Miller: I wish to be conscientious and thoughtful in all levels of decision making. With that being said, I am still researching to comprehend accurately the ramifications of the recent E. coli outbreak affecting all Sallal Water Association members. Not surprisingly, our community comes through in crisis. This ability to care for each other is one of the greatest reasons I fell in love with North Bend. My belief is to enter into a water mitigation partnership between the city and Sallal requires a willingness to be completely transparent. That would be my stance with absolutely any partnership. I do think that it is worthwhile to delve into further conversation as it could possibly lead to a less cost prohibitive infrastructure connection and potentially be up and running in a short span of time. Meanwhile, many informed Sallal members have multiple concerns, one being a potential and significant jump in water rates. Understanding both sides of any story is necessary and crucial. I do believe that we should be looking into other mitigation options and potentially offering up creative solutions. Maybe there is not one single partnership for the greater good but multiple that are on the future horizon.

How do you balance development and growth against maintaining the town’s current character?

Glazier: The current and recent past city council and mayor have gone above and beyond what most cities do to protect the character of North Bend. People may have missed the recent press release about the public perception that the mayor and city council are encouraging growth. In that press release the city put forth many examples of how they have made protecting the character of North Bend a priority. One example in that release was from The National Parks and Recreation Association that recommends a little over 10 acres per 1,000 residents of park and open space. To meet that recommendation, North Bend would need 70 acres of park and open space. North Bend currently has more than 600 acres of park and open space. It probably doesn’t feel that way when you are sitting in traffic or staring at a yellow suited gal holding a stop sign during the construction of another roundabout. Unfortunately, as cities grow, the infrastructure always lags and there is a period of insufficiency because cities cannot build infrastructure before the need is well established. Right now we are experiencing those “growing pains.”

Miller: North Bend Is a city filled with history, character and wonderful people doing amazing things. The small town sense of community is part of what makes our city extraordinary and precious. The downtown businesses need the city support as parking and traffic are longstanding issues yet to be fully addressed. We cannot turn our back on this. The downtown corridor is the face of our city and we need considerable conversation surrounding this alone. North Bend is reeling from “too much, too fast” as an explosion of growth over the last few years has had profound impact. I would like to see a more thoughtful and balanced rate of growth with infrastructure improvement. The Waste Water Treatment Plant is in Phase 1, but there is much more that needs to be updated and improved. We still need a vision for we want North Bend to look and feel like, moving into the next 30 years. We are a fantastic draw for outdoor recreation, this we are proud of. We have needs for a quality hotel to help support businesses and our outdoor brand. I would be very excited to see a thriving downtown with diverse businesses who work together to create a unified vision of what North Bend really means to us.

What are your plans for sustainability and preserving the environment?

Glazier: I could never live in a big city again. I need mountains, rivers, trees and trails. I’m sure the majority of North Benders have similar feelings. I want to preserve that. The other side of that coin is individual property rights. It’s easy to scoff at property rights until it’s your property that someone is trying to put restrictions on. One of the key elements to building a thriving and trusting community is having a large percentage of residents that are home owners. With home ownership comes rights to your property. Those rights should not be encroached upon unless there is a compelling and clear justification. There seems to be a trend in the northwest region to dramatically increase setbacks, sometimes doubling or tripling, with little more justification than what feels like “We think it’ll make the fish happy.” A strong community needs residents that have skin in the game. Having residents that can feel like they have a little piece of the pie should not have to worry about someone else coming by and taking a bite out of their piece of the pie without overwhelming cause.

Miller: With the advent of our recent growth have come pressures on infrastructure. I would like to see that slow down so we can delve into efforts to update and fix pressing needs. Respecting our precious environment is important to me, and not using items that have been proven harmful to our environment (ie; Round Up, plastic) will only help our city. We can lead by example, as a city. Grants or a loan from a government or philanthropic agency can make a major impact in a small town. I love to see safe walkable/biking connectivity in and around the downtown and would love to see more. Protecting open spaces through appropriate grants, potentially purchasing properties for more parks, possibly working with Snoqualmie to better use our Train Depot area, as well as being vigilant to protect our abundant wildlife are just some of the ways we can begin to plan for our future. Being open minded to creative thinking, we can learn from experts and seek out many possible ideas and solutions. We live in an incredible and stunning area. We need to always be mindful, appreciative and respectful of all that we do have around us.

What are your budget priorities and why?

Glazier: I know that one of the budget priorities for the city is upgrading and expanding the waste treatment plant. In the spirit of maintaining our clean and pristine environment, this seems like the right decision. There have been some pretty catastrophic instances in other municipalities across the united states of local government neglecting much needed capital investment projects for more favorable and “shiny” ones. I believe the city is doing what is right for the city and the residents. When the city has a little more money to consider more projects, I’d like to see some money going towards making our rivers and dike systems more accessible and usable. Whether that comes in establishing a river front park or extending the trail systems to other parts of the town is something to consider.

Miller: My budget priorities begin with safety and supporting our Snoqualmie Police Department and authorities to address the long known and ongoing illegal drug distribution issue. We still have homelessness. Our children truly are our future and we need to showcase how much we care with actions. We need to do all we can to stay vigilant in commitment and create greater connection with services, available local sources, avenues of education for those with concerns and needs in this arena. Our first responders need our continued support. Bottom line, we all need to feel safe as we continue to grow as a community. Infrastructure is another great priority. As we have pressing issues and concerns with water, sewage, roads and traffic flow. Looking into the future, we have to be very careful. Grants exist to help cities with needs such as these and may be well worth exploring. Responsible government is imperative. My hope is that we apply our city motto which is, “Excellence in government, pride in service.” I know that it is a great privilege to be a public servant and have every intention to continue to carry on with that mindset.