Q&A with Kent City Council candidates Boyce, Rahman

Challenger Mizan Rahman is running against incumbent Bill Boyce for Position 5 on the Kent City Council.

The Kent Reporter emailed the same three questions to all candidates and gave them one week to respond. They were asked to limit their answers to each question to 200 words or less.

The general election is Nov. 5. King County Elections mailed ballots Oct. 16.

Q: Does Kent need more police officers? If no, why not? If yes, how do you propose to pay for them?

Boyce: Kent absolutely needs more police officers. We are about 40-plus officers short of an appropriate staffing ratio for a city of our size. If we were fully staffed, it would allow us to more proactively fight crime rather than only being responsive to 911 calls and emergencies. It would allow our officers the opportunity to engage in more community policing and participate with the community to aggressively and proactively fight crime.

There are only two options to fully fund our police department: 1. We can ask the voters to pass a utility tax increase. A utility tax is the most equitable because it is charged to renters, homeowners and businesses equally. However, voters rejected that when we put it on the ballot. 2. We could ask the voters to pass a property tax increase.

At the end of the day, the council needs to work through this as a team along with the mayor and her leadership team to see the best approach to move forward. It is up to the voters to decide, and, at the end of the day, I will support whatever method gets our police department fully staffed and funded so we can keep Kent safe.

Rahman: Yes, Kent needs more police officers to address the growing crimes and to match population growth. As a member of the community policing task force, I see every day how hard our police officers work to keep us safe. The reality is they are short-staffed compared to all the surrounding cities. However, studies show that more than 65 percent of crimes and other public safety issues can be prevented through strong community involvement.

I will advocate for community-based policing involving our neighborhood councils and optimize the number of officers that are required. Public safety could be improved significantly while gradually recruiting new officers over time through an effective partnership with neighborhood councils.

Funding for the additional officers could be achieved by improving the overall structural adjustment and efficiency of the city government and thus reducing the expenses. At the same time, the council could procure funding and increase revenue by bringing in more businesses, tourism and local jobs to the city. As a last option, I would consider going with a fair tax increase accepted by the residents through a proposition.

Q: What is your proposal for reducing the number of homeless in Kent?

Boyce: I think we are doing a good job at working on our homelessness issue, but with proper funding we could do even more to aggressively reduce the problem. I believe we must balance compassion with accountability. Kent has a first-of-its-kind program where our police department has partnered with our human services department and nonprofit providers to find resources for those who want help.

If the federal government and state government would fund some of their unfunded mandates, we would have even more money for homelessness prevention and homelessness services.

One of the methods I would like to see us further investigate is homelessness prevention – we can work to stop people from becoming homeless to start with. Then we can address the number of people on the streets without a continual increase in those numbers.

Rahman: Studies show one of the best ways to reduce homelessness is to provide transitional housing while also providing individualized support programs. Homeless populations often battle with mental illness and substance abuse. The key to success lies in providing them the dignity they deserve and the support they need to overcome these challenges.

As a short-term approach, I would collaborate with local nonprofits to provide temporary shelters, food and counseling services. Transitioning the homeless population from parks and open spaces to safe shelters would give them the necessary stability and resources. Simultaneously, this would improve the safety of our parks for our fellow Kent residents.

As a long-term approach, I would form coalitions with other cities and counties to explore solutions like constructing permanent homeless shelters, developing a trained team of addiction and mental health specialists and providing job training opportunities. I would establish externship programs where the homeless could work to maintain our parks and trails as they receive counseling and job training, allowing them to build valuable work experience for a future career. I would also create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund dedicated explicitly to improving homelessness.

Q: Why should residents vote for you?

Boyce: I hope residents will vote for me based on a track record of results and a lifetime of service. I have served our country as a U.S. Army Ranger, served our kids as a youth sports coach and have served our families as the president of the Kent School Board and now president of the Kent City Council. In addition, I served as the co-chair of our new Kent YMCA. In each of those roles, I have advocated for what is right and what is fair for the residents and taxpayers.

I have fought against major tax increases, I have fought to protect seniors and vulnerable community members and I have worked hard to invest more money in public safety. We have done a good job, but there is so much work left to be done, and I would like to see it through. Together, we can make Kent a safe, thriving and economically booming community where everyone is proud to call home.

I owe the residents of Kent a thank you for giving me this opportunity over the past several decades, it has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’d be honored to continue serving this community for the next four years.

Rahman: 1. I have a clear vision for our city in regards to public safety, environment, diversity, family values and economic development.

2. My educational qualifications would be an asset to our council. I have bachelor’s degrees in chemical and environmental engineering, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in environmental management.

3. I have more than three decades of engineering and project management experience in local government. I am currently serving as senior capital project manager at King County and managing multi-million dollar projects on a daily basis.

4. I want to bring my professional local government planning, budgeting, management and fund-sourcing experience to Kent City Council so we can build a city that works for us all.

5. With my unique immigrant background, passion for community building and leadership in many nonprofit organizations, I will bring fresh perspectives and positive changes.

6. I would promote community-oriented policing through involving neighborhood councils, adopt policies for racial and cultural inclusivity, and reform current land-use plans and zoning rules to encourage future business and infrastructure growth of our city.