Three of the five seats on the Snohomish County Council are up for election this year: Dave Gossett and Dave Somers are defending their positions in south and east Snohomish County, respectively, and in our own backyard, John Koster (R) is up against challenger Ellen Hiatt Watson (D) for the District 1 position.

Koster is a two-term incumbent on the council, and prior to his current post he spent six years in the Washington state legislature. Before launching his political career, Koster owned and operated a family dairy farm in Arlington, a third-generation dairyman and successful small businessman. He and his wife of 37 years, Vicki, have four children and seven grandchildren.

Watson is a former journalist and a marketing and communications consultant who became a citizen activist with the founding of 7-Lakes, a community organization that has successfully challenged some of the county's previous land use decisions while advocating for responsible rural growth. Watson is the mother of four children and lives in the Lake Howard area near Stanwood.

A staunch defender of individual rights, Koster has named this year's election cycle a Campaign for Liberty. As the lone Republican on the County Council, the man with the quick smile and flashing eyes believes "the ability of individuals to create and keep their own labor is at the very foundation of liberty." He has made a career of opposing government intrusion and pledges to "stand against the over-reaching, micro-managing arm of government."

Watson is a proponent of citizen involvement who would encourage more grassroots activity. She believes citizen groups can be a proactive voice in helping guide decisions made by governmental officials.

"Citizen activism, coupled with responsive leadership and common-sense policy making, can result in effective and efficient government," said Watson. She pointed to the City of Everett's Office of Neighborhoods as a model for sub-area planning and involvement that could work on a larger scale.

Not surprisingly, both candidates identified the economy as the biggest issue for Snohomish County voters right now.

"I've been on 12,000 doorsteps," said Koster, "and people are worried about the economy, putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads. But we also need to be concerned about maintaining freedom, so people can go out, start a business, provide for their families, create wealth and create jobs."

"Focusing on economic development is key to getting the economy back on track," said Watson. "It's going to be a slow, grueling recovery, and we need to take advantage of any opportunity that comes along to retain large employers and support small businesses."

Koster supports the work of the Economic Development Council, and believes Paine Field is an "underutilized asset."

"It would make it much more attractive for investors to bring businesses to Snohomish County if they didn't have to fly into Sea-Tac and drive for hours to get here," he said.

Watson also sees a need for more commercial air traffic in the county, but not just at Paine Field. "Look at the Arlington Airport," she said, "a great facility that could handle some growth."

She actually envisions the possibility of a county-wide port district that would have more flexibility in dealing with transportation and infrastructure issues as a way to enhance the county's economy. With focused oversight and tax advantages, a local port district could find solutions that aren't possible for local governments.

Population growth is another big issue for the county: where do we put all those thousands of families who are expected to move in over the next 15 years?

Koster admitted that during the years of rapid growth, it was "difficult to get ahead of the curve."

"It's time now to stop and really think about it, make plans that will handle another 350,000 people in our county by 2025," he said. "Of that number, 10 percent, or 35,000, are heading for rural areas. Where are we going to put them?"

"We've made changes to ordinances that give us better tools," Koster claimed. "Rural clusters are a good thing, and the revisions we've made to the codes, limiting the number of houses in a single development and increasing the buffer area, will only make them better."

"Still, we're going to need other options to handle that many people. Maybe we'll have to look at rural villages or other ideas," he said. "Water rights are the sticking point. Whoever controls the water, controls the land."

Watson, whose 7-Lakes organization was largely responsible for the council's decision to reverse earlier ordinances and outlaw Fully Contained Communities (FCCs) in rural areas, believes the county will need to work more proactively with cities to make urban areas inviting to newcomers. She's also a proponent of the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program, but added, "Unfortunately, it's not working now because the council meddled in the market at its start and set unrealistic expectations."

The intrinsic differences in the candidates were highlighted by an answer to a question about their guiding principle.

Koster, who values common sense and pragmatism, framed his filtering question as, "Does it expand the size and scope of government? If the answer is yes, I'm less inclined to support it."

Watson took a minute to digest the question, then answered with a surprisingly philosophical analogy. "It centers on faith, the web of life. It's faith in the strength of each one of us, and in each strand of that web. Does a decision weaken the web or does it create a stronger strand? Everything you do affects the web and impacts other strands. Keeping in mind the whole web is what's important."

Ballots will be in the mail to Snohomish County voters by October 19, and must be postmarked or delivered to a ballot dropoff location by November 3.

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