Dave Earling: I'll Work on Issues That Are Important to the Citizens of Edmonds

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on Edmonds Mayor-elect Dave Earling, who will be sworn into office today. .

Dave Earling, who will be sworn in as Edmonds mayor today at 4 p.m., is well aware of the hot-button issues facing him and the Edmonds City Council. Good thing. Earling, who served on the Edmonds City Council from 1992 to 2003, will have plenty on his plate when he leads his first council meeting on Dec. 6.

Although councilmembers set policy and the mayor acts as a manager, Earling will have plenty of power as the city’s chief executive, who also holds veto power.

Earling is now interviewing city managers and staff about important items on the agenda, including the city’s budget, which he sees as having real problems by 2013 if an economic plan is not developed. He also received an earful from Edmonds residents during his door-belling of neighborhoods during the run-up to the Nov. 8 general election, where he ousted incumbent Mayor Mike Cooper.

The , for instance. “That was a hot topic,” he said. “Many people drive through that intersection every day, and they don’t see any need for change. I also ran into people who thought it was a great idea.”

Another hot topic—it’s been scalding for years—is building-height limitations in the city. “The position I took in the campaign is pretty clear,” said Earling. “I support the current restrictions on building heights we have. I know the council has looked at some slight variation in developments they’re looking at in Firdale Village and Westgate.”

Here’s Earling on several other topics of interest to Edmonds residents:

Redevelopment of Harbor Square

“I understand they submitted some conceptual drawings to the city,” said Earling, who says he is an advocate for developing walking neighborhoods. “I have not yet seen them. I know generally what they want to do, which is to keep the hotel, keep the athletic facility, to preserve the marsh. But by and large, they would like to look into redeveloping most of what is there now into a new neighborhood. That would include restaurants, retail and service businesses on the ground floors. If possible, some housing units about those retail centers. I see great potential there in as much as in my work with Sound Transit I’ve seen positive development built around rail stations in cities like Auburn and Sumner.”

Any proposals for redevelopment would come from the .

“We could then do the same kind of proactive development moving from the antique mall moving up towards the ferry dock. We have some real assets along the waterfront, and the whole area truly is undeveloped. And if we’re looking for new sources of revenue, which is going to have to be top of the list, there’s real potential for additional revenue there. We have to find interested parties who want to invest and develop property there.”

Empty business and office space downtown

Although Earling maintains that Main Street is healthy, there are numerous and glaring open retail and office spaces on Fifth Avenue South, a major gateway into downtown. The historic Old Milltown building is a prime example, as is the building that formerly housed Washington Federal and Gallagher’s Where-U-Brew, both of which have moved to new locations.

Earling wants to revitalize the downtown core. It’s not an old subject of study. In the mid-1980s, Earling was president of the Edmonds Main Street Project. The project was funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“We had experts working with retailers to learn how to market themselves,” said Earling, who at that time owned Edmonds Realty. “To learn the difference between paying themselves a salary and an honest-to-God profit. Teaching them basic things like window displays as well as creating low-interest loans for building owners and storefront owners. Building owners own vacant buildings, too, and they can do small things to improve. A group of us were actively involved in getting this moving. We went out and spent a thousand dollars for lampposts. The lampposts are now used for the hanging baskets.”

Earling, a former president of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, says there were more vacant buildings in the 1980s than today.

“We had filled up a very large number of vacant spots in town. We could identify 50 to 60 new jobs we created because new businesses came in and hired people. Those people bought lunch, they shopped downtown, too. It was really an economic development program, but it kept the quality and feel of what we see out here now. “

Chain stores in Edmonds

“It depends on the kind of business,” said Earling. “People are afraid that suddenly we’ll have a Target store downtown, just to pick a name. And that’s simply not going to happen. They want to be where the business centers are. Fifty percent of our business is across a body of water. You come here, and you can’t go any further west. It’s the same thing with commuter rail. We just don’t have the same numbers as in the south. Our market is limited.”

Politics and disenchantment

Dave Earling is a Republican replacing a Democratic mayor. His campaign manager, his son Eric Earling, was once an active conservative blogger. However, the senior Earling says party affiliation is not important to running the city.

“That’s completely irrelevant, which party you are,” he said. “We’re here to work on the issues that are important to the citizens of Edmonds. Go to my Web site, look at my supporters. We worked hard all through the campaign to make sure our campaign was not a partisan race. We had tons of Democrats and tons of Republicans supporting campaign. My mindset for the work ahead is nonpartisan.”

The recent drama at City Hall is one Earling wants to do away with.

“One of themes from voters was disenchantment with the quality of leadership in town,” he said. “It was inclusive, and not just directed at the mayor. We have town of 41,000 people who like living here. There’s a great quality of life, people are friendly and it’s a great place to raise a family and a great place to retire to. Across this community, there’s a high standard of expectations. It’s up to elected leadership to meet the standards of the community.”