A race of extremes for Sultan council seat

He first entered politics while still in high school as the Sultan High School student representative on the Sultan City Council. Now, four years later, 20-year-old Russell Wiita is taking things up a notch; in November, he will face off against opponent Bart Dalmasso for Sultan City Council Position No. 4.

While the Sky Valley has had some young candidates in the past, Wiita is likely one of the youngest. Former Gold Bar Mayor Crystal Hill-Pennington, who was first appointed to the Gold Bar City Council when she was 25, was subsequently elected mayor at 26. Former Sultan City Councilmember Ken Marshall was about 30 when he was appointed in 2011. Marshall served for two years before losing his bid for election against opponent Bob McCarty in 2013.

Wiita, a lifelong Sky Valley resident, will turn 21 in July.

"I think there'll be people who say that I'm too young,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "But I see it more as an advantage.GÇ¥-á

Political experience-á

In addition to serving as Sultan City Council's student representative, Wiita has been politically engaged in several different capacities, including serving as class president at Sultan High School and serving on the Sky Valley Teen Court, a program founded by former VOA Director Dave Wood to steer low-level offenders away from traditional criminal justice pathways.-á

He was a part of Mayor Carolyn Eslick's Blue Ribbon Committee, which was implemented to support efforts to rebuild the Sultan Boys & Girls Club after it burned down in 2010. As a senior, raised more than $3,500 to bring the anti-bullying campaign, Rachel's Challenge, to Sultan High School.-á

Currently a senior at the University of Washington (UW), Wiita just completed a four-month legislative internship in Olympia, where he worked for 39th District Reps. Dan Kristiansen and Elizabeth Scott and 15th District Rep. Dave Taylor. During his time at the UW, he has been involved with the Associated Students of the University of Washington (ASUW), including serving on the student senate.-á

Additionally, Witta has spent time lobbying on behalf of UW students in Olympia, advocating for affordable tuition and quality education. He will graduate this fall with a bachelor of arts degree in political science. -á

A worthy opponent

Wiita's opponent, Dalmasso, served on Sultan's Planning Commission for five years and has sought election to the Sultan City Council three times previously.-á

A lifelong resident of Washington, 75-year-old Dalmasso has lived in the Sky Valley since the early 1980s. He owns a real estate brokerage on Main Street in downtown Sultan.-á

"While my opponent is a nice, young man from a good local family, he lacks experience for this job,GÇ¥ Dalmasso said. "To quote Ronald Reagan, "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.'GÇ¥-á

But on the topic of his age, Wiita has a different perspective.-á

"While I am younger than your average candidate, I think my resume speaks for itself. My involvement as student representative on the City Council, as well as my community involvement, has given me the experience and ability to look after the best interests of my friends and neighbors,GÇ¥ Wiita said.

As student representative, Wiita engaged interactively with the youth in the community, working to advocate for the student body he represented by giving them a voice. He conducted a survey and assimilated the data to determine what the youth in Sultan wanted from city government. -á

Political plans-á

If elected to the Sultan City Council, Wiita plans to zero in on public safety, transparency and accountability of city government, community engagement and economic development. He feels that there could be some merit in taking a comprehensive look at the city's permitting processes and fee schedules to make sure that processes are streamlined and accommodating to potential incoming businesses.-á

He wants to look particularly at manufacturing businesses, like Romac Industries and Werner Paddles, which have successfully operated out of Sultan for years.-á

"I think that Sultan's an inexpensive area to operate something like that, as compared to Everett or Seattle,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "So I think that that could be an opportunity for jobs.GÇ¥-á

Wiita responded to concerns that citizens have voiced over the salary levels at Sultan City Hall. During a series of public meetings held last summer, some residents were worried that because of high staff salaries, the city was mis-prioritizing things like public safety. Wiita asserted that the city's longterm financial success is contingent upon having staff who can be relied on to provide expertise when it comes to municipal policy.-á

"The reason that we have to pay a competitive salary is to attract candidates that know what they're doing,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "They need to be well-versed in not only city policies but county, state and federal policies.GÇ¥

"We're a city of almost 5,000. Seattle's got, I believe, close to 700,000 people, but those regulations on how we build projects apply the same,GÇ¥ he continued. "So we really need top-level staff that is qualified and well-versed in these kinds of policies so that we're following the rules and not opening ourselves up to lawsuits down the road.GÇ¥

In addition to government transparency, community engagement and economic growth, public safety is one of Wiita's top priorities. If elected, he plans to closely examine the specifics of Sultan's contract with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office to ensure that Sultan residents are getting the most for their tax dollars. He wants to make sure that officers assigned to the City of Sultan aren't focusing their efforts patrolling areas of unincorporated Snohomish County like Startup, Ben Howard Road and Old Owen Road. -á

"If we have officers assigned to Sultan patrolling those areas, that's not the taxpayers of Sultan,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "I think a lot of the residents of Sultan would expect that if we're paying officers from the sheriff's office to be patrolling Sultan that they're going to stay within city limits.GÇ¥

He feels that increased perception of proactive law enforcement within the common areas of the city is crucial.-á

"I know when I drive around Sultan, I don't see the sheriff's deputies a lot,GÇ¥ Wiita said. "If there's a perception that the officers aren't out there, which it sounds like there is that perception, then I think that paves the way for there to be more crime.GÇ¥

The Monroe Monitor and Valley News will continue its election coverage with additional information on each candidate. For more information on Russell Wiita, visit www.facebook.com/RussellForSultan?fref=ts.-á