Since being appointed in January 2010, I hit the ground running and it should be obvious that I am a proven leader as my skills as a trusted regulatory advisor, former banker and banking regulator have been put to the test:
1) I have spent hundreds of hours volunteering throughout Edmonds, listening to people, researching many areas brought to our attention both at City Council and in my outside committees, so I believe I understand the ENTIRE community;
2) I will continue to be the voice of our natural resources and continue to work on obtaining alternative funding for the Marsh as well as other sustainability projects I voted to support and was endorsed by the Sierra Club, Cascade Chapter for my forward thinking ideas;
3) I will remain the financial watchdog and work towards citizen friendly financial reports which means asking tough questions and moving beyond the status-quo;
4) I initiated the first disclosure of our quarterly financial on the website and will continue to work with the interim finance director on ways to fully implement Ordinance 3789 so that all citizens can truly understand the financial situation of this city--should they choose this option;
5) I voted to put land use decisions back into the hands of the citizens overturning the previous Council's decision and will continue to fight for our citizen's rights.
6) I refused to be a part of the budget workshop that was to be off-camera as I support open government and lettting the citizens see where their money is being sent and if it is being spent wisely.
I ask for your vote to retain me in this position.
Here are some of my ideas and highlighted completions items since being appointed in January 2010:
Stimulate our Economy through Fiscal Responsiblity and Marketing Tourism:
We are still in a challenging environment as we continue to live through this somewhat stagnant recession. As shown by the number of citizens that contacted me during the 2011 budgetary process, I understand budgetary issues and attempted to provide a clear budget based on the current staffing circumstances. This next year, with a new interim finance director, I am hopeful that the new budget will use actual number and compare those number to budget rather than budget to budget.
As the council representative for the Economic Development Commission, and have helped move viable items through City Council. Our latest achievement: hiring a Strategic Planning Consultant - Beckwith Consultants to help us set this town's strategy in motion. I was part of the group that spent over 400+ hours researching and selecting this team. We will need to stimulate growth and revenue from encouraging commerce and attracting businessess through branding and marketing our city as examples such as a "Festival City" or "Green Edmonds" and make this city a destination town. We have lovely assets along our waterfront with the ferry system off-loading thousands of potential tourists each year. Edmonds has one of the best dog parks, marina, beach front and scuba diving venues in the greater Seattle area, if not the Pacific Northwest. We also have a wonderful Asian community along Highway 99 as well as the upcoming hospital district. We need to capitalize on this areas and get everyone's input which is why we selected Beckwith Consultants as our strategic planners.
As a fundraising volunteer for two non-profit groups and a former retail volunteer in Edmonds, I understand ways of involving the public and encouraging commerce through marketing our city's assets. Also, I helped establish the banking system in Lithuania and I know what it is like to work through economic uncertainty.
Require Governmental Transparency and Accountability:
In April 2010, I initiated and completed my number one issue of creating a financial policy. Ordinance 3789 and Resolution 1204 were passed unanimously by the City Council. Slowly the new interim finance director is agreeing that citizens need reports they can understand and follow. FYE 2010 was stated in modified accrual standards and many numbers tied to the CAFR. This Ordinance has yet to be completely implemented due to the way the monthly statements are represented as well as how the city uses a non-sanctioned "working capital approach" to state the General Fund balance at year-end.
My goal is to continue to work to making citizen-friendly financial statements that comply with Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) standards. We have a number of technical issues to work through such as moving away from the "modified working capital approach" for stating our General Fund and moving towards actual modified accrual standards.
Further, we must continue to scrutinize our spending and ensure that ammendments that "exceed" budget requirements are approved "before" rather than after the money has been spent. I will continue to ask the tough questions and hold the administration accountable. My financial oversight and regulatory accomplishments are unmatched by any other candidate. I will "walk the talk" for the citizens of Edmonds.
Preserve our traditions and support our arts community:
I own a historically designated home in Oregon and believe in historical preservation. I was a Director for the Edmonds Art Festival for a number of years. As a Rotarian, I am now involved in the Edmonds Waterfront Festival. I am convinced that the arts will help pull us out of this recession by bringing people together to share in the community. We have over twenty festivals/events in Edmonds...so let's support the Festivals and Arts and bring hope back into our community! I was instrumental in assisting the Edmonds Mural Society to have their fees reduced by 75 percent to allow for artistic expression.
Founder and Director Manya Vee stated the following "Diane Buckshnis is one of Edmonds' strongest downtown merchant leaders. We hope that voters return her to the City Council".
Preserve our open spaces, wetlands, and views on the Waterfront:
As a technical writer for manuals covering weather stations that document climate change, I understand our need to reduce our carbon footprint. I will continue to support the preservation of our open spaces and wetlands. We all must move towards a sustainable Edmonds and practice mindfulness in the way we manage our lives. I am part of the Water Resource Inventory Area 8 (WRIA8) Salmon Recovery Steering Committee. I was able to work with the Steering Committee and staff to get Edmonds Marsh Restoration moved from the 10-year holding list to the 3-year action plan. This action allows for us to find alternative funding. This summer, WRIA8 Executive Committee has now recommended and endorsed the Edmonds Marsh restoration in 2011 for federal funding.
I have been endorsed by Thayer "Frog-Lady" Cueter who is also part of the Friends of the Edmonds Marsh. Port Commissioner Bruce Faires has acknowledged my hard work with the Port and WRIA8 and hopes I will be retained so I can continue my good work in the area of sustaining and/or improving our natural resources.
As a former regulator, I know how to manage special interest groups and have travelled extensively and observed many albatrosses on waterfronts because the City Council did not stand up to developers. I am for low impact development in the outlying areas of Edmonds. I am AGAINST tall buildings on the downtown waterfront area.
As a former program manager of an Air Force contract, I understand the noise and air quality issues of commercial aircrafts. I will work diligently to keep commercial air traffic out of Paine Field.
Retain Diane Buckshnis will work to protect our heritage and our neighborhoods!