MOUNT VERNON — Four City Council members are up for election this fall, and three face challengers.

Incumbent Dale Ragan is opposed by Doris Brevoort, who ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign for mayor in 2007. Kathy Combs faces Ken Quam, who owns a business in Burlington. John Cheney squares off against Gary Molenaar, who cuts hair at his downtown barber shop.

None of the challengers have held elected office before. The incumbents have served a combined 44 years on the council.

Councilman Robert Fiedler is running unopposed for his Ward 3 seat.

Whoever is elected in the three contested races will inherit a tight city budget and an ongoing struggle to get downtown revitalization and flood protection funded and approved by the federal government.

Dale Ragan vs. Doris Brevoort

Like most of the City Council candidates, Ragan, 68, is a business owner. He faces Seattle teacher Brevoort, 59.

If elected, it would be Brevoort’s first time serving in elected office, but she is not a newcomer to campaigning. After missing the filing deadline and launching a write-in campaign, she got 33.4 percent of the vote in the 2007 mayoral election to Bud Norris’ 66.6 percent.

Ragan, who owns Karl’s Paints in Mount Vernon, was elected to the City Council in 2001 and has since carved a niche as an occasional critic of Norris.

Last month, Ragan presented a resolution distancing the council from the mayor’s decision to honor TV pundit Glenn Beck.

“If I perceive that something isn’t in the best interest of Mount Vernon, I cannot sit idly by,” Ragan said in a recent interview. “I think the councilperson’s job is to try to keep the best interests of the city foremost in their mind.”

Ragan said the biggest issue facing Mount Vernon is revenue. City projects hinge on having tax dollars to fund them.

He said he probably would not support increasing the city’s property tax levy, which he has also opposed in the past, and that there is no direct way for the city to drive up sales tax revenues.

He said an ongoing community marketing campaign could help. The campaign’s slogan is “Get a great life in Mount Vernon.”

“We are involved in what I think is a pretty viable marketing campaign so that people know ... what a nice place Mount Vernon is to live in,” he said of the campaign.

Flood protection, keeping the city’s boundaries off farmland and “appropriate development” were among Ragan’s priorities.

Brevoort said council members need to communicate more with their constituents.

“I don’t think there have been enough vehicles for the information to get from the city to the people, and we do not have enough opportunities for the citizens to give feedback,” she said.

Brevoort suggests council members hold monthly meetings with their constituents. She said the meetings should be in Mount Vernon neighborhoods, not the council chambers, and focus on getting the public to talk to each other.

She also named funding basic city services as a goal.

“This is a matter of prioritizing things and just looking at the budget and seeing how we can actively work to increase the city’s income,” she said.

One way to do that, Brevoort suggested, was through downtown revitalization.

Brevoort is active in the Main Street effort, which seeks to bring economic vitality to downtown through public involvement and historic preservation.

“Smart design” — which would include energy efficiency, multifamily dwellings and a focus on environmental preservation — should be encouraged throughout the city, Brevoort said.

She suggested a task force made up of council members and business leaders to brainstorm ways to bring more investment into Mount Vernon.

Kathy Combs vs. Ken Quam

Three-term councilwoman Combs, 63, and political newcomer Quam, 57, are both business owners.

Combs said the biggest issue facing Mount Vernon is money.

“It doesn’t matter what the priority is. If we don’t have the money we can’t do it,” she said.

“All our departments are trying to conserve money,” she said. “And we are investigating grants and those moneys that are out there for special projects.”

“There are some projects I’d like to see finished before I step down,” Combs said. She listed flood protection, downtown revitalization and the LaVenture/Anderson connection.

Quam owns Ken’s Radiator, Inc. in Burlington.

“I want to give back to the city and people of Mount Vernon for what we have here, a small city that is growing with a lot of issues, and I would really like to be part of the growth and decisions,” Quam said.

Quam also said city revenues are important.

“No. 1 is economic growth and courting new business,” he said. “I think, just put together a task force to specifically address that point.”

Quam considers himself to have an outside perspective even though he lives in Mount Vernon.

“My business is in Burlington,” he said. “I think I can be for the businesses but look at it from a little different perspective because (I am) not involved.”

John Cheney vs. Gary Molenaar

Cheney, 70, a semi-retired architect in his 24th year on the council, is the longest currently serving member. Challenger Molenaar, 48, was appointed to the city Planning Commission in 2007 and is the owner of Ken’s Hairstyling.

The competitors cited similar reasons for running for the council.

“To complete flood protection and downtown revitalization efforts. To continue to represent citizens from all demographics and (to) continue sound fiscal policies while being responsive and accountable to the community,” Cheney said.

To the same question, Molenaar wrote, “I am running for City Council because I believe we are at a crucial crossroad in our beautiful city. With our downtown water project, continual growth and declining economy, we face many challenges in the upcoming years.”

Both also noted their deep connections to the community.

Molenaar said he is “ready to serve” after living in the community for 48 years and gaining experience as a business owner and planning commissioner.

Molenaar and Cheney agreed on what the city’s biggest issue is.

“Definitely the downtown waterfront project,” Molenaar said. “And filling our storefronts and businesses.”

Cheney said: “Among the most significant is the initiatives that are underway to revitalize the downtown core and provide flood protection at the same time. I think that will enhance the downtown business community.”

Both have been involved in the downtown project — Cheney as council member, Molenaar as planning commissioner.

n Elliott Wilson can be reached at 360-416-2147or .

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