Council chooses members of RFA committees, honors Schaefer, appoints new finance director

Members of the pro and con committees are now in place for the Regional Fire Authority (RFA) annexation special election before Edmonds voters April 22. Using the process it agreed to last week, the Edmonds City Council during its Tuesday meeting chose a total of six members — three pro and three con.

The council also unanimously agreed to rename the Edmonds Wildlife Habitat and Native Plant Demonstration Garden as the Susie Schaefer Wildlife and Native Plant Community Garden. And it approved the appointment of Richard Gould, currently serving as the finance manager for the City of Port Townsend, as the city’s new finance director. Finally, it heard an announcement from Council President Neil Tibbott that he won’t be running for reelection to his Position 3 seat.

Regarding the RFA annexation pro and con committees, individual strips of paper listing the name of each person who applied were placed into a container. City staff then drew the names at random and the council voted on them in order of their selection — with the winners being the first three to receive four or more council votes.

Those selected were:

Pro Committee

Adam Cornell, retired Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney

Patrick Hepler, retired South County firefirefighter

Maria Montalvo, freelance journalist and writer

Con Committee

Theresa Hutchison, registered nurse

Jim Ogonowksi, retired Boeing engineer

Kevin Fagerstrom, retired Everett code enforcement director

The city council approved the April 22 special election by resolution on Jan. 7. Edmonds no longer operates its own fire department and has contracted with South County Fire for fire and emergency medical services since 2010. That agreement is set to expire at the end of 2025, after South County Fire gave notice in December 2023 that the fire authority intended to terminate its current 20-year contract with the city.

If annexation is approved by voters, Edmonds property owners would pay South County Fire directly for these services.

The Edmonds City Council has the legislative responsibility to appoint two committees to write ballot measure argument statements that appear in the election voters’ pamphlet. The pro committee writes the statement supporting the measure; the con committee writes the statement opposing the measure.

In other business, the council also held a public hearing on an interim ordinance the council approved in January regarding neighborhood centers and hubs. The neighborhood centers are Five Corners, Westgate, Firdale and the Medical District Expansion. The neighborhood hubs are the North Bowl, Maplewood, East Sea View, West Edmonds Way and South Ballinger. (You can see maps of all the centers and hubs here.)

The Edmonds Comprehensive Plan update adopted on Dec. 17 designated neighborhood centers and hubs to accommodate multifamily housing and commercial uses. Now the development code needs to be updated to match. The council in January passed an interim ordinance to update the code, but it may be in effect no more than six months unless the city council adopts an extension. Within 60 days of adopting an interim ordinance, the council must hold a public hearing for comments on it — and that was the purpose of Tuesday’s public hearing.

Several residents of the North Bowl hub, located in the area of State Route 524/Puget Drive and Olympic View Drive (see map) expressed their concerns about the impact that planned greater density could have in their neighborhood.

Jon Rudlang, who lives on Grandview Avenue, said that allowing additional multifamily development as part of the North Bowl hub would mean less parking, “more concrete, more noise, less privacy, less green, less light. Surely the road would have to be widened, reducing owners’ lot sizes, with upgrades in utilities, sewers.” He also pointed the potential removal of trees, which would have environmental impacts.

Westgate resident Arlene Williams spoke about her neighborhood — designated as a center — pointing to the area’s steep slopes, which “must be treated with care” due to the risk of erosion and landslides. “Westgate’s unique terrain calls for special attention, especially considering all those new residents you hope to be living there,” Williams said. “You have to assure their safety with good development guidelines.”

In unanimously confirming Mayor Mike Rosen’s appointment of Richard Gould as the city’s new finance director, councilmembers agreed that both Gould’s background in municipal finance and his demeanor made him well-suited for the job — especially given Edmonds’ challenging budget situation.

“I was very impressed by the experience that Mr. Gould brings to the city,” said Councilmember Will Chen. “And one of the strong points, given our current financial situation, is Mr. Gould has the experience of turning around some adverse situations for municipal government.”

Councilmember Michelle Dotsch described Gould as “personable and accessible,” adding: “I  had a mental box of all the things that I was looking for and he literally checked every single one.”

Gould comes to Edmonds from the City of Port Townsend. He also held finance- and accounting-related jobs in multiple other cities, including North Bend, Pacific and Snohomish. According to the employment contract approved by the council, his annual salary will be $172,733. He will also receive $5,000 in moving expenses.

Wednesday will be the last day for Acting Finance Director Kim Dunscombe, who was serving as interim director and stepped into the acting role when then-Director David Turley left the city in 2024.

During her council comments, Councilmember Vivian Olson praised Dunscombe’s work, noting that she started her job at the time of Edmonds’ fiscal emergency. “Kim worked tirelessly to fix problems, answer questions and rebuild trust with the council and the community,” Olson said. “We owe her a debt of incredible gratitude. She’s been so dedicated and generous with her time and passion for our city, and I’m just incredibly, incredibly grateful to her.”

While announcing during his council comments that he won’t be running for reelection, Tibbott — who is finishing his second term — stressed that the council “has a lot to accomplish this year and I’m looking forward to working with this council in particular. We’ve supported each other and learn from each other, and also done battle with each other, but but come out, I think, with some really positive gains for the city.”

The council will be holding a daylong retreat this Friday, Feb. 7 in the Edmonds Library Plaza Room. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. You can see the agenda here.

— By Teresa Wippel