COMMUNITY

POTTER FORCED TO WITHDRAW CANDIDACY

By: Rhonda Madison July 19, 2009

City Council candidate Tamara Potter received an email Friday, from City of Orting employee Roxanne Pollard, notifying her that according to RCW35A.12.030 she was not eligible to run for office in Orting at this time because she did not meet the one year residency requirement.

Potter asked if the residency requirement was a consecutive year since she had moved away for only a 2 month time period, but fulfilled the year qualification overall with that short term lapse. Also during that time she continued to operate her local restaurant, The Park Bench Cafe, for more than a consecutive year.

After earlier consulting with council member Dick Ford about the issue, Potter said she was advised to talk with City Administrator Mark Bethune and ask for a possible waiver of the residency requirment. She left a message for Bethune on June 26th and he followed up with her on June 30th. Then on July 1st Mayor Cheryl Temple left a message saying it was a state law, they could not go against that, and they needed to talk to the city attorney. The final email determination was sent to Potter over 2 weeks later on July 17th.

Potter originally saw the notice that went up on the city's highway sign on June 25th that a council position had come open after the normal deadline and the deadline to file was the following day June 26th. When she registered after 4 PM on the 26th, she was the only one to do so, the office told her, but Drennen's registration appeared later.

Potters response when questioned about this turn in events was, " What they sent me doesn't really clarify one consecutive year but I am not going to split hairs at this time. I sadly must withdraw from running. However, with this knowledge, I would gladly remove myself due to the fact that I believe in integrity and doing things right. So I do not want anything to come against me or the office that I could possibly hold. I care about the community of Orting and I welcome change and would love to serve but only when I can do it with the utmost integrity and transparency."

As to her plans Potter said, "My plans for the future of course include raising my kiddos and making the best of things here. I do plan however to take a more active part in watching our elected officials at work so that we can hold them accountable for the things they do. I am very disheartened that they do not really support local business and that they do not have a "set rule" for everyone."

She added, "I think that is possibly why some do not run for office, because they are comfortable with how things are, and because it benefits them. We should be in this for the future of Orting and to hand our children a community based community."

Every Orting council position up for election is unopposed. The office of mayor is being challenged. Incumbent Mayor Cheryl Temple is running against newcomer Kim Farnes, known locally for her work with Communities in Schools and ownership of Around the Corner Cafe.

Running for city council unopposed are: Position 1 candidate Joachim ‘Joe’ Pestinger, Position 2 candidate Stanley Holland, Position 3 candidate Tyler Coughlin, Position 4 candidate Nicola McDonald, and Position 7 candidate Scott Drennen.

See related comments concerning this event in the Orting News Opinion Blog.



File photo of Park Bench Cafe owners Tamara Pottor with Husband Sean Potter, also a John L. Scott Realtor.