Thursday, June 16, 2011

Meet Candidate Dorothy Bailey

A few days ago I asked both of our unopposed candidates for open council seats to answer a few questions. Dorothy Bailey, who will replace Bradley Huson in Position 5, sent these responses yesterday:

Tell us a bit about yourself. How long have you lived in Ruston? I've lived in Ruston for the last 7 1/2 years and enjoyed every day of being a part of this vibrant and diverse community.

Why did you choose to move here? My partner, Julie Martin, and I moved here from Seattle as a way to split our individual commutes. Julie works in Olympia as the Deputy Director of Washington ’s Lottery while I work in Seattle as the Benefits and Retirement Supervisor for King County . Ruston offered us a unique and wonderful community in which to establish our home and become part of what we call a front-porch community of friends and neighbors.

Do you have family at home or perhaps an empty nester? I'm not really an empty nester. With 8 siblings and over 25 nieces and nephews, I decided early on to be the aunt to so many wonderful children rather than having children of my own; a decision that I've never regretted.

Other details you can share about yourself? I enjoy every aspect of living in Ruston , from walking the 5 mile loop of Point Defiance Park , sitting in the sun on our front porch to cruising the Sound on our boat. Ruston offers a diverse community where we can all come together as friends and neighbors.

Why are you running for council? Ruston is faced with many challenges over the next few years that are more acute as a result of the economic challenges that face our nation, state, county and town. I had not considered a position in public office, but was approached by friends and neighbors and asked to consider running for Town Council. I realized that I could not sit back and expect others to take the responsibility for our community and its future. If I wanted to maintain the independence of our town I needed to get off the sidelines and become involved in shaping the future of our community.


Outline the issues you see as important for the town right now.
a. Maintaining our independence as the Town of Ruston: The financial realities facing our Town are severe. If we are to maintain our independence, we need to find reliable sources of continuing revenue to support the town now and into the future.

b. The development of the Ruston Way waterfront: We need to work in partnership with Tacoma in developing the former Asarco sight and to ensure that the development there is in the best interests of our town and does not diminish the many unique characteristics that make Ruston a safe and welcoming community that we know it to be.

Where do you want the town to be in 5, 10 and 20 years? I want Ruston to continue to be an independent town a reliable revenue stream.

Anything else you want to say? I would be honored to be on the town council and will be open to hearing the ideas and concerns of our community.

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