Candidate Profile: Gwendolyn Fullerton For Bonney Lake Council

BONNEY LAKE, WA — For the Aug. 3 Primary Election, Pierce County's 566,000 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.

Gwendolyn Fullerton is running for Bonney Lake City Council Position 1.

Party Affiliation

Constitutional Republican

Family

Happily married to my husband Troy for 22 years, and we raised two amazing daughters.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Some college, and I graduated from the International Airline Academy Trade School

Occupation

Flight Attendant

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

https://gwendolynforcitycounci...

Why are you seeking elective office?

I love this community and have volunteered for many years in the schools, and I feel this should be my next step to serve my community.

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

Affordability of living in Bonney Lake. It will require the Bonney Lake City Council, with my input as a new Council member, to reevaluate how the City is managing the permitting process for builders who want to construct more affordable housing and businesses by reducing the permit fees and delay times.

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

As a flight attendant I have excellent problem-solving skills and I am quick-thinking in urgent situations. Additionally, I have excellent communication skills. During the Covid-19 city shutdowns the other candidate, while on the city council, did not provide for a proper venue to allow the citizens to communicate in an effective manner in order to voice their concerns or to be heard. Immediate two-way communication was shutdown.

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

The water and sewer rates being too high. Some members on the City Council have had numerous opportunities to solve this issue in the past, but instead they took the quicker and easier paths, which then "passed the buck" down to the current citizens to pay these outrageous rates.

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

Lack of transparency. For the last year the City Council has not allowed its citizens to be heard in a two-way conversation with their elected leaders. Other city councils were able to use internet web conferencing technology to allow communication with their constituents. If I was elected to the Council and these lockdown measures were required, I would ensure that the citizens could participate in the Council meetings using the proper technology.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Maintaining a family-friendly city, supporting our law enforcement and first responders, and listening to our citizens is paramount to my platform. The recent changes to the State legislation that limits our police from properly protecting its citizens will require the City Council to find creative solutions that will best support our wonderful police officers to be able to continue to keep our citizens safe.

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

I was successful in bringing the message against the lifting of the marijuana business moratorium at several Bonney Lake Public Hearings in 2017. My impassioned speeches helped to convince the Bonney Lake City Council to not lift the moratorium, but instead put the question on the ballot to let the citizens decide whether or not to allow marijuana to be sold in the city. The citizens on their own decided not to allow marijuana businesses in the city.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

I have two ears for listening, and one mouth for speaking; therefore, we should listen more and think before we speak.

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

As a City Council member, I’m here to listen and I will always vote based off of these principles I will ask myself these questions:
>Is it constitutional?
>Fiscally responsible?
>Does this benefit our citizens?

If any of 3 questions are Not a “YES” then my Vote is “NO”!

I will fight for less regulation, budget accountability and for family-friendly affordable living.