David Cole

1) Should West Richland adopt a “City Manager” form of government, or retain the “Strong Mayor” form of government that we currently have? Please explain your rationale.

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I support moving to a Council-Manager form of city government. The current strong mayor model is no longer sustainable. It relies on a mayor without the skills needed to run the city. I do support a hybrid City Administrator system. It failed when tried before. West Richland is poised for substantial growth, potentially increasing by 8-10,000 in population over the next 10 years. We need a professional city manager who has the education, training, knowledge, skills and experience for the job – one who will collaborate with council, empower city staff, and hold him/herself accountable to citizens and council. I believe the cost of a competent city manager salary will easily offset the costs associated with serious past mistakes, pending lawsuits, etc.

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2) The West Richland Mayor currently has sole discretion over hiring and salary decisions for City Staff.  Should that continue or should hiring and salary decisions require concurrence with the City Council? 

 

The mayor should rely on the “advice & consent” function of Council, especially in hiring department heads and/or confirming appointments, budget development, and salary determination. As the chief executive of the city in our current system, the mayor has authority for hiring/firing and salary determinations.

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3) Should there be a succession plan for key city staff positions? 

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Yes. Every successful organization has a succession plan for replacing talent to ensure continuity of operations and reliability of leadership. Succession planning is a requirement in many cities and in most major businesses.

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​​4) What are your favorite aspects of West Richland and what do you think draws people to our City?  Alternatively, what are your leading concerns? 

 

My favorite aspect of West Richland is definitely the people.I chose to live here 20 years ago and have never regretted it.We appreciate our small-town vibe and family-friendly neighborhoods, yet we recognize the need to accommodate growth.My leading concerns are a lack of transparency in city government, the need for a healthy business climate and lack of citizen involvement. My priorities are:

• Increased transparency in city government

• Greater citizen involvement in policy, planning and budget decisions

• Strengthen family-friendly neighborhoods

• Minimize tax increases

• Promote a healthy and profitable environment for businesses

• Support continued growth and provide essential city services

• Encourage continued development of middle housing

• Support our police officers and first responders

• Promote a drug-free community and focus on crime prevention

• Enhance senior citizen and veteran support efforts

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5) How should current and future City Park development and maintenance be funded?  Should the City establish a Parks & Recreation department or contract for private companies to provide those services? Should future neighborhood parks be maintained through HOA funding? 

 

Our parks are a great feature and we should continue to maintain them well. I do not support creating a Parks & Rec department. Maintenance of existing city parks should be provided by contracting with local business. The city currently contracts essential services such as fire/EMS (Benton Co Fire Dist. 4), sanitation/garbage service (Basin Disposal), and library services (Mid Columbia Library) to name a few. Future park maintenance options include HOA provisions as was recently approved by the city with the developer, neighborhood park associations with city oversight, and corporate sponsorships.

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6) How would you improve communication between the City Council and citizens? Should more time be given for people to speak at City Council meetings? Should there be more open workshops for citizens to attend? Other suggestions? 

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Communication is essential in all levels of government but especially at the local level. Successful businesses make great efforts to communicate with the communities they serve because customers insist on it. The market demands it. City government has customers too – the citizens who pay the bills. Active listening is an essential skill for council members. The city should continue to encourage citizen participation in Council meetings. No citizen should be made to feel they won’t be heard and no citizen should be restricted to “free speech zones” in order to exercise their God-given (and Constitutionally protected) right to speak their conscience.

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7) What is your position on allowing adult-only businesses such as adult entertainment, casinos, etc. within City limits? 

 

I do not  support these types of businesses in our city. They are completely contrary to the city’s vision statement, which reads: “West Richland is a growing city where family values and community responsiveness are important.  The city should grow in a balanced way to produce a safe and inviting community having good residential and recreation alternatives and a healthy economic base.” I agree with and support that vision. The purported revenue for the city from these businesses rarely reaches the levels claimed. The potential threat to public safety and harm to families is virtually incalculable.

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8) What is your position on permitting firework sales and use within West Richland city limits?  Should Municipal Code Section 8.22;  “Fireworks” and Section 9.38; “Noise Regulation” be amended to be consistent? 

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I have yet to meet anyone in West Richland who is ambivalent on this issue, with folks tending to either strongly support fireworks or strongly oppose them. WRMC 8.22 is well-written and very prescriptive. It considers the need for public safety and the citizens’ desire for fireworks. It adopts the standards of the WA State Fire Marshal’s Office and even contains provisions for suspension of fireworks use, recovery of costs associated with fireworks response, prohibits property damage due to fireworks, and prohibits fireworks in parks or private property without consent of the property owner. The types of fireworks allowed/prohibited are also listed. Chapter 9.38 is equally prescriptive and provides exemptions for events with substantial public participation like community celebrations, festivals, parades, etc. As a Navy veteran and former sworn law enforcement officer, I support maximum freedom with maximum responsibility. A complete fireworks ban is unreasonable. A complete fireworks free-for-all is equally unreasonable. I believe reasonable people do reasonable things. We don’t need more laws or rules on this issue. A reasonable solution with respect to fireworks can be reached. I support Chapters 8.22 and 9.39 as they are currently written and encourage all citizens to familiarize themselves with both. Our solution to the fireworks quarrel is there.

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9) What can City government do to improve transparency with the public when it comes to spending and other critical City decisions?  

 

The city should invite public input through increased citizen interaction, open Q&A, workshops, and expanding opportunities for public comment.

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10) What can be done to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse of our City tax dollars?  

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Every single member of city government – council, mayor, city staff – has a fiduciary responsibility to the people who are paying the bills – the taxpaying citizens. We aren’t Shark Tank, we shouldn’t invest in start-ups. City funds should not be used in ventures like the super car facility and similar endeavors. I support an independent, unaffiliated DOGE-style review to provide confidence to citizens that our tax money is being spent correctly.