PORT ANGELES – The three candidates for City Council Position 6 talked about their plans for the city at Monday’s noon meeting of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
Peter Ripley, an online publisher, Don Perry, downtown businessman, and Paul Sawyer, a forest products industry retiree, introduced themselves and answered questions. About 50 people attended the forum at the Port Angeles CrabHouse Restaurant.
One question prodded the candidates to talk about where they saw Port Angeles in 10 years and how they anticipated getting the community there.
Sawyer said Port Angeles is developing as a retirement community. He would like to see services going toward that population.
“Port Angeles has grown something like 13,000 people in the last 30 years since I’ve been here, and to me that isn’t a whole lot of growth in 30 years,” he said.
Development of the senior center and trails that seniors might enjoy should be emphasized over skateboard parks, he said.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing us filling in the skate park and making it a slab of concrete to hold barbecues that seniors would enjoy,” Sawyer said.
“It is a lot less liability for the city.”
He advocated increasing the number of family wage jobs to keep people from moving out of the area when they become adults.
Ripley is in favor of more waterfront development.
Perry wants to encourage more affordable housing and family wage jobs.
“We also need to develop incentives for businesses to open that will encourage tourism and also use the younger generation to work,” Perry said.
“It is not a total solution but it is something that would help.”
