Candidate Profile: Earle Stuard For Sumner City Council

SUMNER, WA — For the November General Election, Pierce County's 555,000 registered voters will be asked to weigh in on dozens of high-profile elections, including mayoral races in Tacoma, Eatonville, Buckley, and Bonney Lake. Nearly a dozen cities from Puyallup to Lakewood are holding city council elections, and six school districts will also have candidates on the ballot.

To help readers make informed choices, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Earle Stuard is running for Sumner City Council Position 1

Age (as of Election Day)

76

Position Sought

Sumner City Council Position 1

Party Affiliation

This election is non-partisan.

Family

Wife: Sondra Stuard, age 78. Adult children living out of the home: Kelle Talbot; Hilary Birdsell; Pete Stuard; Megan Clayson; Mitch Stuard.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

BA degree in Business Administration, University of Washington. Several post-graduate seminars in purchasing management.

Occupation

5 years work in Purchasing at PACCAR - Renton Division
Over 37 years in Finance department at City of Bellevue
Retired as Assistant Finance Director December, 2011

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Appointed to and served for 4 years on the Sumner Planning Commission 1/2010 - 12/2013
Elected to City Council Position 1 and served 4 years (1/2014 - 12/2017)
Appointed to unexpired term City Council Position 7 and served 2 years (2/2018 - 12/2019)

Campaign website

facebook.com/VoteEarleStuard

Why are you seeking elective office?

I loved my past experience of serving on the City Council and am driven to serve another term. My vast experience of working & serving in the Public Sector has motivated me to do my best for my community. I seek to use my life's experiences to make this community a better place for future generations. I know I can make a difference.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Most pressing issue - Getting back to normal after the Pandemic with what defines Sumner: parades, festivals and enjoyment of life in Sumner which will make our town a more welcoming community. I intend to fully support and encourage the efforts of the downtown merchants to open their doors to residents and visitors, I intend to encourage the Council to live up to its responsibility of creating or revising laws and policies that will enable our citizens to enjoy the quality of life they deserve.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have served on the city council for almost 6 years after serving on the Planning Commission for 4 years. I enjoyed a nearly 40 year career in a public sector finance department where I gained skills in public policy development, contract negotiation and major contract administration. My nearly 5 decades of public service has given me significant experience in how a city functions and the role of the council in serving the people. I am not aware of any experience possessed by my opponent that would qualify him for this position. I am not seeking to use this office as a stepping stone to further public office or to use this office to support any sort of coalition with others in the community.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

This position is being vacated by the current office holder as he is not running for re-election. As the current office holder was appointed to replace a council member who vacated the position, he has only been in office for approximately 7 months. Being new to the city council and its roles and responsibilities, he had to learn the protocol associated with his position. He did not generate any communication to his constituents that I have seen. In addition, he has chosen to not endorse the person most qualified to replace him in the coming election simply because he knows the other candidate. This is very disappointing because he must understand the fact that the candidate with the most on-the-job experience and solid qualifications is a much better fit for the job, yet he chooses to support neither candidate.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

I think the staff of the city has responded very well in dealing with the impacts of the Pandemic. They revised policies to allow staff to work from the safety of their homes. They quickly revised their economic forecasts to respond to the downturn in the economy and made adjustments in the budget to make sure there was sufficient funds available to meet the steady flow of expenses. They made adjustments in the public meetings to allow staff and citizens to participate via Zoom and the Public Information Officer did a terrific job keeping the public informed of critical decisions.

Two way communication suffered some because the Zoom meeting format was not conducive to public (face-to-face) communication. With open houses being restricted, it was not easy for staff to keep the public informed of major projects or developments. However, they did their best with the limitations they had to work with.

Given the "stay home, stay healthy" mandate of the Governor, there isn't anything I would have done differently.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Community Policing:
1. Having our own police department in Sumner is a privilege. This ability ensures that our officers know and understand our community and can remain focused upon our local priorities.
2. I would fully support the Police Department and provide them with the tools they need to be fully functional within the constraints of State mandates. This would likely result in increasing their budget to be able to recruit and retain well experienced officers and staff.
3. I would encourage the Police Department to strive to improve response times to emergency calls, and work within set parameters in responding to non-emergency calls.
4. I would support requests for additional funding to implement traffic control measures and enforcement of traffic laws.
5. I would encourage crime prevention efforts throughout the city to teach citizens ways they can protect themselves and their property.
6. I believe that businesses in Sumner need the support of law enforcement to help protect them from theft and vandalism.

Community Living
1. I would promote continued efforts towards an inclusive community and concentrate on respecting all people, without labels.
2. I would support efforts to provide financial support for less fortunate individuals and families. Because this is a regional issue, I fully support our city's representation on panels or committees across organizational boundaries that address these issues on a more global scale.

Financial Issues
1. I fully support efforts to secure grant funding to maintain and improve the city infrastructure, roads and trail system.
2. I support the concept of performance based budgeting that could possibly reduce expenditures and save the city money in the long term.
3. I would fully support a city resolution that opposes a state income tax.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have held this position before. Because the City Council is a policy setting body that also passes ordinances and resolutions that affect the way the city operates, I will use my nearly 40 year career in the pubic sector where I wrote policies and procedures that helped the organization function to its fullest. I worked closely formulating budget proposals and have experience helping staff stay within budget. I have proven successful in saving money and spending less in order to help reduce future budgets. My career in city finance and 6 years on the council give me the knowledge and understanding that will allow me to hit the ground running and not have to use valuable city resources in order to train me in the functions performed by council.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Listen more, talk less and serve to the best of your ability.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I care deeply about Sumner and want what's best for this community. I'm not interested in using this office as a stepping stone to any higher political office. I am not wanting this position to fill any personal need or to gain any sort of recognition. I care about the people who live here and want to represent them in all that I do. I do not seek this office as an opportunity to support other members of the council or be involved with their agendas.

For nearly 20 years, my family has called Sumner home. We have the privilege of owning one of Sumner’s oldest homes, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. We love this community and have thoroughly enjoyed living and serving here. I am passionate about ensuring we maintain the historic charm of Sumner as we grow into a prosperous future.

Here are my top priorities after I’m elected:
- Focus on getting our community back to normal with parades, festivals and enjoying
life in Sumner.
- Making Sumner a welcoming community by addressing problems of affordable living and homelessness.
- Strongly support the Sumner Police to provide the best possible protection for our citizens & visitors.
- Work to reduce the rush hour traffic that clogs our city streets.

Here’s a summary of my qualifications:
- 6 years of serving on City Council
- 4 years of serving on Planning Commission
- Nearly 40 years of municipal finance experience
- Over 25 years of community service helping people

And finally, my personal values speak volumes about the kind of person I am: Honesty, Loyalty, Integrity, Hard work, Faith, Equal treatment for all and Respect for others.