Editor’s Note: This is the first round of a two part in-paper debate. In this round, the six city council candidates were asked two questions. Below are their responses. The final round of the debate will run next week in the Oct. 20 edition of the Renton Reporter.
Ballots for the November General Election will be mailed out on Oct. 18 and ballot drop boxes will be open Oct. 19. Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Question 1: Renton City Council unanimously voted against having a safe injection site within city limits. Do you think it is the city’s responsibility to address the current opioid epidemic? If so, how should the city address it?
Position No. 1:
Randy Corman: Renton must continue to coordinate with local, state and federal agencies to combat the opioid epidemic, and we do not need to host an injection site. Addiction to opioids is expanding exponentially. More Americans died from opioid overdoses in 2016 than were killed in the Vietnam War. With council support, our mayor co-convened a King County Opioid Task Force, along with Seattle and Auburn mayors, the King County executive, the King County sheriff and health experts. Recommendations include increased awareness of effects of opioid use, safe storage of medicine, better screenings in schools and healthcare facilities, expanded treatment programs and distribution of overdose kits. The city should participate in these initiatives and work with the state to recover funding from pharmaceutical companies that created this epidemic.
Neil Sheesley: I believe the city administration, Renton Police Department, and the community must join together to tackle the opioid crisis. We should partner with agencies that offer services to those addicted, find property outside of residential areas that can house the different services for the homeless, separate the homeless that want services from the transients that just want a meal.
Communities should partner with Renton Police Department to identify known drug houses and work together to drive them out. Active drug houses are easy to spot but hard to get rid of because of laws at the state and federal level. There should be a lobbying effort to have those laws changed. The social media app Nextdoor is a great way for neighbors to alert each other of suspicious activity in real time. Using that and learning how best to communicate with police will help.
We should join the state in suing pharmaceutical companies and doctors that over prescribe.
Position No. 2:
Armondo Pavone: I believe it is always the city’s responsibility to address anything that has an impact on the safety or welfare of the residents and businesses. To truly stem the opioid epidemic will require an all-in approach which means working across all sectors to ensure equal access to effective treatment among diverse groups. At this time, the city needs to continue to work closely with the county on the Opioid Addiction Task Force and follow through on the recommendations, like providing first responders with training and NARCAN kits which can reverse opioid drug overdoses.
Diane Dobson: I absolutely believe we should be taking steps to address the opioid epidemic.
For starters, we currently have an opportunity to join efforts with other municipalities and entities — like Seattle, Tacoma and Everett and the State of Washington — to put pressure on the pharmaceutical companies. The pharmaceutical companies — in our region specifically — downplayed the addictive nature of the opioids and provided incentives for pharmaceutical reps to promote the opioid use rather than expose the “pill mills” they were creating. Now that the epidemic is upon us, the pharmaceutical companies are again profiting off the federal push for emergency responders to carry naloxone, as an overdose reversal medication. These civil-litigation suits should aim to relieve the burden of paying for the costs of the opioid addictions and diseases, to fund public-health programs and awareness campaigns and to further additional mental health treatment, as mental health is a major component with many addictions and other social challenges.
Position No. 6:
Ruth Perez: There is no question that both here in Renton and across the country, opioid addiction is rising and has created a public health crisis in many of our communities. We cannot turn a blind eye to the problem here in our city. I voted against having safe injection sites because I do not believe that is the answer at this time. I believe that we as a city need to work with the state, county and our neighboring cities to make sure that we have treatment options available to those facing addiction and that each community is doing its part to combat opioid use within their borders.
Jami Smith: The opioid epidemic is dangerous for our community and our residents. I believe that a centralized space for consumption, specified by the city, can help to keep needles and other dangerous artifacts of addiction out of our public spaces, and that we can get King County’s help in funding emergency overdose care and other services, which currently lies on taxpayers solely when ER services are used. I believe that we can learn from the mistakes made by other cities and create a solution that works for Renton.
Question 2: In 2014, the city implemented a B&O (business & occupation) tax for businesses that have a gross revenue of $1.5 million dollars or more. Given the recent surge of economic development, should the city readdress the tax? If so, how?
Position No. 1:
Randy Corman: B&O tax is paid by only the highest-grossing Renton businesses, and the tax rate was coordinated with representatives of this group before implementation. They understood the funds would provide infrastructure, public safety, and other improvements that support and nurture businesses. The tax is working as-is, and we have been true to our promises of enhancing services. As a result, business expansion and job growth in Renton continues to excel.
Neil Sheesley: In talking with business owners throughout the city and with city officials, I have personally not heard anything for or against the B&O tax.
Position No. 2:
Armondo Pavone: The city is currently working through issues regarding the B&O tax. The new on-line license portals required by the state will not be compatible with the city’s use of the head tax. In order to become compliant and at the same time simplify the business taxing structure, the city will need to make changes. In an effort to move small businesses (under 1.5 million in sales) to the B&O tax it’s important to have minimal impact on these businesses and at the same time be revenue-neutral. The B&O tax is the mechanism allowed by the state to collect taxes from businesses to help fund city services. The city works hard to manage resources responsibly and I believe after only two years it is too soon to readdress it.
Diane Dobson: The city should always maintain a constant review of taxes that impact our city, make effort to not increase taxes (especially in effort to protect our small businesses) while making sure our resources can sustain and maintain the healthy infrastructure of our city.
Position No. 6:
Ruth Perez: As our city grows, our need for basic infrastructure grows with it. From sidewalks to roads to parks to public safety, this revenue goes to make Renton an even better place to live and work.
It is a wonderful thing that our economy is booming and that more and more businesses are meeting the $1.5 million dollar threshold — that’s a good problem to have. We are looking at trying to provide revenue-neutral change, not increase taxes necessarily. My priority is to minimize the impact to small businesses.
Jami Smith: The city should regularly review taxes and adjust as needed. We should continue to seek ways to balance encouraging economic development and insuring that businesses contribute to the city the way residents do. The B&O tax is one of many tools that can be used to achieve that balance in a growing city like Renton, which needs infrastructure investment to support new businesses and new residents joining our community. We need thorough forecasting on the rate of residential growth, and a thoughtful plan for channeling business development in a way that serves our residents, which then helps those businesses succeed.
