by Elaine Walker
This year Mayor Dean Maxwell and all four at-large Anacortes City Council members are up for re-election: Brian Geer, Position 4; Cynthia Richardson, Position 5; Bill Turner, Position 6; and Erica Pickett, Position 7. All serve four-year terms.
Maxwell and the four council members said they all plan to run for re-election. They, and challengers, can begin filing by mail Monday. The primary election is Aug. 18 and the general election is Nov. 3
Because the four council seats are elected at large, anyone who is registered to vote in the city is eligible to run for any of the positions, and all voters in the city can cast ballots in both the primary and general elections.
The terms of the three council members who are elected by ward (Nick Petrish, Kevin McKeown and Brad Adams) don’t expire until 2011.
Election issues this year will include planning for the city’s future economic viability, development of remaining undeveloped land, protection of the environment, availability of affordable housing and preservation of the community’s character in the face of changing demographics.
In 2010 council members will earn $1,050 a month. The salary range for Anacortes’ mayor is set by ordinance at $81,618 for a first-year mayor up to $98,388 for a mayor with eight or more years in the job. The mayor’s pay range increases each year by the same amount that the federal government adjusts for Social Security.
The mayor and city council have a host of official responsibilities.
The council, with the mayor presiding, has regular meetings at 7:30 p.m. first and third Mondays and study sessions on second and fourth Mondays. Council members also sit on a number of committees: Public Safety, Public Works, Personnel, Parks and Recreation, Port/City Liaison, Finance, Planning and Traffic Safety.
The city council has the power to define functions, powers and duties of its officers and employees and to set compensation and working conditions.
The council adopts ordinances regulating municipal affairs, and may impose certain penalties for violations. It manages city property, utilities and typical municipal services. Within constitutional limits, the council has powers of taxation within city limits for local purposes, except taxation powers that are expressly preempted by the state.
Emily Schuh, the city’s human resources director, said the mayor’s job is difficult to summarize in a few bullet points. She said Anacortes’ mayor has a number of responsibilities not shared by executives in nearby communities.
“From my perspective, Mayor Maxwell’s workload expands further than the code suggests partially since we are a regional water purveyor and the mayor is personally responsible and liable for the production of safe drinking water, and because the mayor does not have a city administrator to assist him in his administrative and policy-related responsibilities,” she said. “Several of our neighboring cities employ a city administrator which allows the mayors to focus greater attention on policy development and political leadership roles.”
According to law, the mayor serves as the city’s chief executive and administrative officer in charge of all departments and employees, with authority to hire and remove assistants, department heads, officers and employees, and to appoint and remove members of city boards and commissions. The council confirms members of boards and commissions appointed by the mayor and department heads hired by the mayor.
As chief executive, the mayor sees that laws and ordinances are enforced and that law and order is maintained in the city. He or she approves or disapproves official bonds and bonds of contractors with the city; sees that contracts and agreements are kept and, if necessary, causes legal proceedings to be instituted to enforce them, subject to approval of the council.
The mayor presides over city council meetings and votes on the rare occasions that the council ties on a matter other than the passage of an ordinance, a grant or revocation of a franchise or license, or a resolution for payment.
He or she prepares and submits a proposed budget to the city council; reports to the council on the state of the city, its financial condition and future needs; and makes recommendations for council consideration and action.
The mayor approves or vetoes ordinances passed by the council and submitted to him or her, but such a veto may be overridden by a majority of council members, plus one vote.
