Record

A Record of Logical, Pragmatic Decision-Making!

These will be my main themes during my tenure:

• Community interests come first;
• Ensuring your taxpayer dollars are spent wisely;
• Environmental stewardship, including protecting and restoring our watersheds;
• Community safety and well-being; and
• Making sure that every day remains an “Edmonds Kind of Day.”

Financial Transparency and Management

Since Diane’s appointment in 2010, her record reflects actions to enhance transparency, clarity, and accuracy of monthly financial reports. She was instrumental in having these monthly reports, patterned after the City of Redmond, made available to the public and published on the website.

In 2012, Diane saved the City $5.0 million by challenging the Administration’s interpretation of receivable taken from the City’s books. The Governmental Accounting Standards Board found her analyses of the receivable/payable transaction to be accurate and the City had to unwind the transaction and republish the Audited Financial Statement.

She was instrumental, along with a Long-Range Financial Task Force, in implementing a “Fund Balance Policy” which was key to the City receiving its first ever AAA bond rating, which represents the highest level of credit worthiness a municipality can achieve and allows the city to borrow money at the lowest commercial interest rates possible.

As your Mayor, prudent fiscal management will be a hallmark of Diane’s Administration. Her goal will be to strengthen internal controls, and work with legislators to move to a “Budgeting by Priorities (BBP)” process; BBP was one of the highest ranked items in the community-wide 2013 Strategic Action Plan that two Administrations failed to implement.

Environmental Stewardship

With various marsh community groups and Students Saving Salmon, Diane has seen remarkable citizen interest in restoring our marsh, creeks and streams. Remarkably, in 2022, volunteers daylighted Shellabarger Creek on the West side of the Highway which has a significant impact since Willow Creek on the west side also empties into the Marsh. Since 2010, Diane represented Edmonds on the Watershed Restoration Inventory Area Salmon Recovery Council (WRIA 8) and was appointed to the Puget Sound Partnerships’ (PSP) Salmon Recovery Council. PSP asked her to be featured as part of the Infrastructure Bill sent to our Federal Regulators. Largely as a result of these efforts, the City has been successful in putting the Edmonds Marsh and Perrinville Watersheds onto the WRIA 8 Priority Lists which allows for more grant funding opputunities.

Diane has always advocated for the Citizens' Tree Board, which actively encourages the planting, protecting, and maintaining of trees for the long-term community benefit. The Tree Board was influential in establishing an Urban Forest Management Program to help guide future decisions about the role, value and overall management of Edmonds’ urban forest as well as educating citizens, city planners, and developers alike on the importance of maintaining/enhancing our tree canopy as well as the “Right Tree in the Right Place”. Most importantly, just creating the Tree Board resulted in Edmonds receiving the Tree City USA recognition in 2012 and their accomplishments have helped maintain that designation. Diane recognizes that many citizens continue to have concern about our tree canopy and the loss of trees due to development activities. As such, Diane is a proponent of initiating a tree voucher program to encourage citizens to plant trees on their private property.

Diane recognizes that negative environmental impacts often result from unintended consequences from development policies that aren’t approached holistically. As such, she will remain a strong voice regarding critical area ordinances, shoreline master programs, and the verbiage of our development codes. As Mayor, Diane intends to create task forces, including the legislative branch to create watershed masterplans for addition to our comprehensive plans, ensuring that our development codes are updated to protect our watersheds, open space, and tree canopy.

Economic Vitality and Tourism

Diane appreciates the uniqueness of Edmonds and recognizes that Edmonds is a coastal, artsy community with a vibrant, charming downtown that attracts local and distant tourists. She recognizes a key to sustaining economic vitality is collaboration with the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce; the chamber promotes Edmonds’ existing businesses, while the City works towards establishing a business-friendly environment to attract new and diverse business interests. One example of this was the creation of the downtown Business Improvement District (Ed!) and downtown Edmonds being named the first Creative District in WA State. And as part of the Creative District, Diane thinks it’s time to move forward with implementation of the 4th Avenue Cultural Corridor.

Yet, from Diane’s first campaign for City Council, she recognized the needs of other business districts throughout Edmonds. The Edmonds Citizens Economic Development Commission was created to advise and make recommendations to generate economic development throughout each of our business districts. And we now have established subarea plans for Highway 99, Westgate, and Firdale Village. Diane understands that these efforts need to be extended to all our business districts, which have distinct potential and needs. And that it’s important to revisit current plans to make sure they are achieving the desired outcomes.

Community Safety and Well-Being

Diane is committed to addressing and enhancing community safety and well-being. During her tenure a number of citizen boards and commissions (i.e. Tree Board, Youth Commission, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Commission, Economic Development Commission) were created to help expand Edmonds citizens’ voices in current and future policy and prioritization decisions; there are many citizens with unique talents and the desire to contribute to the betterment of our community! As Mayor, she will continue to appreciate the advice from our Boards and Commissions, as she’s learned first-hand the importance of their input when setting policies. As such, she’d like to expand citizen task forces to solicit input regarding outdated codes and code updates, accuracy and user-friendliness of our website, and other aspects that may assist both the Administration & Legislative Branch. The Administration must work collectively with the Council to become more transparent in our communication.

While Diane recognizes some change is inevitable, citizens are concerned that plans being considered will significantly change the character of their neighborhoods. And who can blame them. Typically, our homes are the biggest investment we make. And we choose a place to live largely on the character of the neighborhood, with the expectation that any zoning or code modifications will thoughtfully consider these aspects. That is, the needs of long-term tax paying citizens should take precedence over those that don’t yet live here. In 2019, a Housing Commission was created to consider all the neighborhoods throughout Edmonds and recommendations were provided for both creating designs standards and more effective application of transitions zones when making changes. But very few of these recommendations have yet to come forth under the current Administration.

Citizens want the Sidewalks to Schools (and expansion of sidewalks generally) as well as the Complete Street programs to be continued because they recognize the resulting pedestrian safety improvements. Diane agrees. Similarly, Diane knows there are some neighborhoods without sufficient access to parks/open space. And the City must find novel ways to introduce pocket parks/forests into these areas, providing a safe and inviting environment for surrounding community members.

Since 2020, our police force was increased and a satellite office on the Hwy 99 corridor was created. But, the current Administration has yet to work out the kinks of the satellite office and our police force is still growing. No doubt, citizens have concerns; that is, the follow-through is just as important as the act.

Diane also believes it’s important that we collaborate with other local jurisdictions in understanding our housing needs, our stormwater and sewer capacity concerns as a result of increased density, and to ensure our various neighborhoods throughout the city feel safe and secure.