Mayor Facing Serious Challenge

Ruston mayor Bruce Hopkins is facing serious illness. Out of respect for his privacy, I will only repeat what was mentioned publicly at the council meeting this week. Hopkins has been in the hospital and is now reported home resting. Everyone is grateful he is doing better and that he has agreed to continue to serve another term as mayor (he is running unopposed this fall). Mayor Protem Jim Hedrick said he was went from worried to shocked as the news of Hopkins illness unfolded. He asked everyone to pray for a full and speedy recovery for Mayor Hopkins. We join him in that prayer. Rest well, Bruce. Your community loves and thanks you (and your wife) for your service - we want you back soon healthy and whole. Until then, rest well.

What Other's Think: Moratorium

It's always interesting to see what others outside our little world think about us - such as with the council's recent emergency declaration halting all development in commercial zones. Exit 133 has researched the issue and posted a story here.

The "visioning" meeting that started this process only had five members of the public attend; who apparently wanted a strong residential neighborhood with limited commercial options. The current planning process will tighten existing codes to match this new "vision". The public hearing on the proposed changes to commercial zoning standards will be held tomorrow night, 7pm at the Joyce Community Center (5219 N. Shirley Street).

The proposed changes are available on Ruston's web page here. It's a long read, but very important. Be sure to attend the hearing tomorrow to let your voice be heard. It is unclear if testimony will be limited to two minutes like council meetings, but I believe this will be the only time residents will be allowed to testify.

Quiet Election Season

Very little change is likely for the next four years in Ruston, at least on the political front. All four council members and the mayor up for election have filed to retain their seats. Only one race even drew a second candidate. Residents will actually have a choice to make for Position 2, now held by Deb Kristovich. Holland Cohen has decided to venture into the local politics.

Here is a breakdown of the ballot this fall:
Mayor - Bruce Hopkins
Council Position 1: Lyle Hardin
Council Position 2: Holland Cohen vs. Deb Kristovich
Council Position 4: Jane Hunt
Council Position 5: Bruce Judd

Development Moratorium

Ruston's recent moratorium on commercial development has made the front page of the local paper. You can read The News Tribune article via this link... Town planner Rob White is quoted as saying the planning commission's recent visioning meeting (with 5 people in attendance) produced some different 'visions' of Ruston's future than are reflected in the current codes - which necessitated the complete shutdown of all development...

Point Ruston Trash

The Nose (columnist at The News Tribune) has a few comments on the trash cans at Point Ruston (link here). I've always been a little miffed there are no cans promoting Ruston out there. Now that the sleuths among us have discovered even the Tacoma cans show the Seattle skyline, maybe I can relax. At least Ruston is spared the controversy.

Karen

No Contested Races So Far In Ruston

As of 9pm Wednesday, 3 Ruston incumbents have filed to retain their seats with one newcomer entering the local political scene. Here is the current breakdown:

• Mayor - Bruce Hopkins (incumbent)
• Council Position 1 - Lyle Hardin (incumbent)
• Council Position 2 - Holland Cohen (currently held by Deb Kristovich)
• Council Position 4 - None filed yet (currently held by Jane Krock Hunt)
• Council Position 5 - Bruce Judd (incumbent - appointed and must run for election for the remaining unexpired term)

Here is the link to the current listings.

Timeline To Allow Commercial Development

Ruston planner Rob White provided the following outline of what the process will be for updating the city codes so that the current moratorium on commercial development can be lifted:
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Amendment to the City's zoning code is a legislative process which involves the following steps:

1) A SEPA determination must be made and notice provided to the Dept of Ecology and other interested agencies.

2) Notice of the proposal must be given to the Dept of Commerce.  They require 60 days, but usually grant requests for expedited review, which is 2-3 weeks.

3) The Planning Commission will hold a work study session and public hearing on May 22 and hopefully forward a recommendation on to the City Council without the need for additional meetings.

4) I expect to have the amendments to Council for first reading on June 4 and then for second reading and passage at their June 18th meeting.

5) After adoption, the final ordinance is sent to the Dept of Commerce for filing, then sent to the codifier so the online code can be updated.

6) Upon adoption, I expect that the Council will remove the moratorium, which is required to be done by ordinance.

Hopefully the above gives you a better understanding of the process.

As you can imagine, this project has been top priority and will continue to be until it's completed.  The draft ordinances with details on the amendments will be available before the end of the week.  I set up a web page for the project, so check back on Friday for more info.  The link is here:

http://www.rustonwa.org/current-projects/ord-1407---commercial-zoning-standards-update

New Life

The next generation of local geese enjoying a sunny day on the new Point Ruston Waterwalk last week...

Four of Five Council + Mayor Seat Up For Grabs

During sleepy political times like this, getting Ruston citizens interested enough to run for office is a challenge. It will be interesting to see if that trend holds true next week when election filing opens. We could face another quiet season where the biggest challenge is finding even one candidate to run for each office, much less two candidates so voters have some choice.

Out of the five council seats, four will face election this fall. The position of mayor is also open. Ruston could see a major change in direction or more of the same. We will know more by next Friday. Offices facing election are:

• Mayor (currently held by Bruce Hopkins)
• Council Position 1 (currently held by Lyle Hardin)
• Council Position 2 (currently held by Deb Kristovich)
• Council Position 4 (currently held by Jane Krock Hunt)
• Council Position 5 (currently held by Bruce Judd - appointed and must run for election for the remaining unexpired term)

Although no one wishes to return to the cantankerous political fighting we have experienced in the past, it would be wonderful for Ruston voters to have more than one choice on the ballot. Even if you've never considered serving your community in this way before, please think about running for office. We need fresh perspective and new voices. The list of open offices can be found via this link. Details about how to file for election are on the auditor's web page here...

New Neighbors Moving In

The News Tribune featured an in-depth article this week (link here) detailing the major step forward at Point Ruston first reported here on Ruston Home last Friday. The first new residents of the Copperline Apartments are expected to start unpacking in their new homes by this weekend. If you haven't wandered down to explore the new building yet, get down soon to welcome our newest neighbors. It's a milestone for everyone involved.