Politics & Government

In Their Own Words: Meet Shoreline City Council Position No. 2 Incumbent Chris Eggen

Eggen wants to make Shoreline more business-friendly and create jobs

CANDIDATE PROFILE INFORMATION:

What is your full, legal name?        

Christian John Eggen 

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Where do you work and what is your job title?        

Retired Electrical Engineer,

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Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington

When and Where Were You Born?        

Spokane Washington, April 9, 1946

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there?        

Shoreline Washington, 42 Years 

Spouse or domestic partner if any:        

Donna Marie Eggen

Children:        

Brian Walter Eggen

Kristy LaVonne Eggen

Education (include graduation date(s), if any):        

Bachelor of Science, Physics, 1969

Master of Science, Physics, 1976

Master of Science, Electrical Engineering, 1997

Military Service (include year(s) of discharge, if any):

         US Air Force, 1970-1974

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

Justice Project, American Legion, Union of Concerned Scientists, King County Democrats, 32nd Legislative District Democrats, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters, Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, Shoreline Solar Project, Sustainable Shoreline, Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, Shoreline Dollars for Scholars (Treasurer) 

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy?        

No

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation?        

No

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

 Web site:                           www.ChrisEggenforShoreline.com

Email address:                  ChrisEggen@comcast.net

Phone number:                  2063633108

Campaign manager:         Kenyon Foxworthy

Campaign manager contact information:         kenyonf@gmail.com

 

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Elected:  Shoreline City Council, Position 2, 2008-2011

Other campaigns for public office:

32nd Legislative District Senate, 2006

 

THIS CAMPAIGN:

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I am running for reelection in order to: maintain quality of life in Shoreline; make Shoreline a business-friendly city and increase the number of jobs for our residents; increase citizen participation in city government decisions; enhance the environment; and preserve needed human services, especially for children and those who have sacrificed for our community, such as injured veterans, police, and firefighters.   

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?

1.    Make Shoreline a Business-Friendly City.  Shoreline desperately needs economic development.  Such development would increase jobs in the city, and provide more services and tax revenues. In my first term, I pushed for measures to assist new startups, reduce red tape, and allow businesses to operate effectively.  I requested a review of Shoreline business regulations to insure guidelines are reasonable.  I insisted on fiscally responsible policies to insure taxes remain as low as possible.  I encouraged development code that allows new businesses to come to Shoreline easily and quickly and existing businesses to improve their facilities without excessive time and effort in the permitting process.  These efforts are starting to pay off and I will continue them if reelected.

2. Bring the portion of the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Water District in Shoreline under local control.  Currently SPU supplies water to the Western 2/3 of Shoreline.  I believe that the policies used to maintain the SPU system are not the best for Shoreline residents.  For example, it is not a policy of SPU to insure the water supply is adequate for fighting fires and there are parts of Shoreline where water volume and pressure would not support fighting a large fire.  Another example, during the Aurora Project the city of Shoreline had difficulty persuading SPU to install larger pipes while the streets are torn up because SPU’s policy is not to anticipate new business and development, but rather to make new business and development pay for any new infrastructure required.  (SPU’s policy would make putting a large new business in Shoreline both expensive to the business and inconvenient to the residents because Aurora would need to be torn up again to install new water pipes, which I do not favor.)  Another policy detrimental to Shoreline residents is to wait until problems develop to fix them, rather than to schedule preventive maintenance.  This has the unintended effect that Shoreline residents’ fees are used to improve failing water pipes in Seattle.

I and other council members have been concerned about this issue for many years.  In 2010 I was instrumental in getting the purchase of the SPU Water Utility in Shoreline listed on the City of Shoreline’s major priorities, which paved the way for purchase negotiations with Seattle.  The rules the city council set down for such negotiations are that after the purchase the water system can be run, maintained, and updated without raising rates above what SPU would charge. 

If the negotiations and a public vote of approval are both successful, Shoreline will have to do a lot of work to set up a new utility.  There are a number of options for supplying water to the Western 2/3 of Shoreline that the city council would consider, including setting up a city water utility or contracting with the Shoreline Water District to run the utility.  I have the knowledge and contacts with other utilities in Shoreline to help the negotiations succeed, then to contribute to making the important decisions as to how to best supply water in the Western 2/3 of Shoreline.   

3.            Minimize the Negative Effects of Development at Point Wells on Richmond Beach Citizens.  Point Wells in Snohomish County can only be reached via Richmond Beach Road in Shoreline.  In 2010, Snohomish County designated Pt Wells as an Urban Center and permitted a very large development that would greatly overload Richmond Beach Road.  Shoreline sued in the Growth Management Hearing Board to overturn Snohomish County’s designation and won, but the Board did not invalidate the grandfathered permits of the developer at Point Wells.  However, the board did direct Shoreline to attempt to reach an agreement with the developer and with nearby Snohomish County Cities that would be agreeable to all.  Shoreline is now negotiating with the goal of insuring that any traffic from the development does not overload Richmond Beach Road.  We hope to limit the size of any development built at Point Wells, and to insure the developer provides adequate funding for mitigation of traffic on Richmond Beach Road.  If the negotiations are not successful, Shoreline will take other measures.  This is an extremely important issue for Shoreline and I believe I have the knowledge, the regional contacts, and the perseverance to help reach a successful conclusion.

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders?

         In my first term I have demonstrated that:

            1.  I respect my constituents and will listen to them in making decisions, and actively seek their input and participation.  In 2010, I strongly opposed the reduction in public testimony during city council meetings and strongly supported citizen input on the hiring of the new city manager and assistant city manager.  I strongly opposed the elimination of the city’s economic development committee because it provided a mechanism for participation by local businesses.

            2.  I am a practical and independent problem solver.  Early on I broke with others on the council in recognizing the urgency of revising development and business codes.  I approved projects that were beneficial to Shoreline that had been stalled in earlier councils.

         I also realize that the driving force behind increases in municipal personnel costs and benefits that exceed those in the private sector is a set of policies shared among almost all Washington Cities and partially enshrined in Washington State Law.  The best way to control costs is to modify these policies, which requires a regional and statewide approach.  To contain costs I will work on the local level to oppose or slow down increases, but also work within the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and the Suburban Cities Association (SCA) to change the policies that cause the increases.  I am uniquely positioned to do this because of relationships I have developed in the AWC and the SCA.

         3.  I have a strong core set of values that guide my decisions.

         For example, I am an environmentalist.  I sponsored electric infrastructure and a demonstration solar project on the city hall to encourage renewable energy in Shoreline.  I helped establish and the Aldercrest and Cedarbrook Task Forces to preserve open space in Northeast Shoreline.  I supported the Shoreline Green Business Conference and sponsored an ordinance requiring new development to provide space for recycling and composting.  I was a strong supporter of natural storm water runoff measures on Aurora and in revisions of the Shoreline Code.

         I am a strong believer in transit.  For long trips, transit is the most efficient way of providing mobility and is critical for less prosperous people.  It also reduces air pollution, including greenhouse gases, and it also reduces pollution in water running off of roads.  Finally because transit takes vehicles off the roads, improving freight mobility, and reduces the need for parking at destinations, it is essential for economic development, and reduces the need to build expensive new road capacity.  For this reason, I volunteered for many regional transportation committees, the Regional Transit Committee, the Regional Transit Task Force, the SeaShore Transportation Forum (of which I am co-chair), and the PSRC Transportation Policy Board.  In this capacity I supported policies and decisions that benefit Shoreline.

         I am an advocate for education and human services in Shoreline.  I have supported cooperation with the Shoreline school district and advocated for funding the YMCA, the Senior Center, and the Center for Human Services in Shoreline.  I am supporting the Veterans and Human Services Levy.

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election?

$15,000

What groups or individuals are your major endorsers?

King County Democrats

32nd Legislative District Democrats

 Washington Conservation Voters

Martin Luther King County Labor Council

Seattle Building Trades and Construction Council

King County Municipal League Rating:  Outstanding

State Senator Maralyn Chase

 State Representative Ruth Kagi

State Representative Cindy Ryu

King County Council Member Bob Ferguson

Kenmore Mayor David Baker

 


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