Kennewick City Council Pos 2
Steve Lee
No statement submitted.
Engagement:
- Jim and AJ Foster
- Sue Frost
- Tri-City Herald
Endorsements and letters
Donors
💰$29,467 from 63+ donors, including Lee Steven R ($18498)Lee Steven ($2050)Small Contributions ($1077)Cartwright Kyson ($1000)Mills Cameron ($1000)Plumbers Steamfitters Local Union 598 Pac ($1000)Guske Dean ($500)Spooner Brett ($500)
Loren Anderson
Elected Experience
Past-President, Benton-Franklin Dental Association
Other Professional Experience
Founder and Co-Owner, Anderson & Zentz Dental, 2004-present; Co-Founder of Discount Dental, Pasco, 2016
Education
Sunnyside High School...
Engagement:
- Jeffrey Marzyck
Endorsements and letters
Donors
💰$3,285 from 18+ donors, including Connors April Ms ($500)Connors Michael Mr ($500)Smith Stephanie Ms ($500)Smith Andrew Mr ($500)Neal Louise Ms ($250)Neal Steve Mr ($250)Anderson Brian Mr ($195)Benjamin Charlotte Ms ($100)
| Statement A | Strong A | Lean A | Lean B | Strong B | Statement B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Citizens should elect me because I will make the best decision I can based on my experience, judgment, and beliefs. |  LeeI feel like it is critical that folks engage with ideas outside of their echo chamber and I endeavor to do so regularly. Understanding divergent opinions has always helped temper my ideas. | Citizens should elect me because I will seek out opinions and perspectives different from my own when formulating a decision. | |||
Our city is not urban and shouldn't pretend to be. We should prioritize traffic flow. | LeeOur community is both these things. That's why we have zoning and usage plans. The Arts/Entertainment districts of Kennewick are designed to be cores of urbanized walkable usage. Other parts of our community must stick to a more suburban and commuter friendly path. I don't believe that these ideas are counter to each other. | Our city needs to grow its urban core and should prioritize pedestrian-friendliness, even if these things make for slower traffic. | |||
The city has a role to play in cost of living and affordable housing. | LeeCity has limited influence on the affordability of housing without county/state backing. Our community is not currently comprised of a majority of voters who would support localized action that would tie hands of developers. | Cost of living and housing affordability should be left solely to the market. | |||
Cities should rely on the private sector to create projects that enhance culture. | LeeProjects that add cultural value are almost always a financial loss. Tax payers almost always support them through gifting land, subsidizing development, subsidizing operations contracts, etc... This is the reason it is SO hard to get these things done. It is essential that public/private partnerships form to bring these cornerstone amenities to our community that will help attract talent and retain our youth. | Cities should help fund major capital projects that enhance the vibrancy of local culture. | |||
We should control and guide suburban sprawl even if doing so affects short-term economic growth. | LeeEffective zoning practices are very important to make sure the free market flourishes. | We shouldn’t restrain free market development; it's critical to our local economy. | |||
A local majority is against cannabis legalization and therefore we should not allow cannabis businesses in our city. | LeeMany years have passed since the voters of the three cities all voted against i-502. The only local city to vote in majority was Benton City. The state supreme court affirmed that any jurisdiction in the state can prevent the operation of cannabis businesses through several protected paths. If the voters would like these laws to change, they need to fix the laws at a state level or elect 5 vote majority pro cannabis councils. | Cannabis is legal in the state of Washington and running a cannabis business should be legal in our city. | |||
The city has a responsibility to control homelessness by code enforcement. | LeeAgain both. Cities have a responsibility to all residents to maintain a safe and clean community. This includes the homeless. Due to a lack of directed state/county funds to develop adequate housing solutions to address the issue, the cities are left with very few options. We are improving our infrastructure around diverting non criminal contact to social services in Kennewick but much remains to be done. Its all about dollars. | The city has a responsibility to reduce homelessness by addressing its systemic roots. | |||
The city needs to invest more in mental health and other vital services so that police departments don't need to wear so many hats. | LeeThe city needs to invest more in mental health and other vital services so that police departments don't need to wear so many hats AND the city needs to continue to invest fully in hiring the absolute best officers, training and equipping them to do their duty fully and safely, and holding the very few bad actors fully accountable to not damage the excellent credibility KPD has earned from our community. Mental health funding is not the opposite of police funding. | Redistributing police department funds will only put greater strain on existing officers. |