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Politics & Government

Meet Jim Hogan, Candidate for Enumclaw City Council

Running unopposed, he had planned to step down after 9 years, but was encouraged to keep going.

This is part of a series of candidate profiles Patch will be bringing you for the 2011 elections. Jim Hogan is running unopposed for Enumclaw City Council, heading into Tuesday’s primary election.

What is your full, legal name?

James Patrick Hogan

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Where do you work and what is your job title?

Puget Sound Energy, Sr. Project Manager

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When and where were you born?

Jan. 28, 1968, in Kettering, Ohio

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there?

Enumclaw, for 35 years.

Spouse or domestic partner if any:

My wife of 20 years, Kim Hogan

Children:

Jen (16) and Chris (12)

Education (include graduation date(s), if any):

Enumclaw High School, 1986

BS Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University, 1991

Military Service (include year(s) of discharge, if any):

None

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

Volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician with Rescue 1 and Enumclaw Fire from 1984 – 2004

Enumclaw Design Review Board:  1999-2003

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy?

No

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation?

No

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

Web site: N/A

Email address: jimhogan86@hotmail.com<mailto:jimhogan86@hotmail.com>

Phone number: 360-825-7193

Campaign manager: N/A

Campaign manager contact information:  N/A

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Elected:

Appointed to fill council vacancy in 2003.

Elected to council in 2003 and 2007

Other campaigns for public office:

None

THIS CAMPAIGN:

What is the primary reason you are running for this office?

I had planned to step down after 9 years and had made that well- known, but there didn’t seem to be any serious interest from potential
candidates willing to serve on the council. I was also asked by several members of the community to continue serving and decided shortly before the filing period that my family and I were willing to give four more years of service in this position.

Aside from the Mayan predictions, 2012 looks to be another difficult year of stagnant growth for city revenues, while at the same time costs for goods, services, and employees continue to rise. By staying on the council I’ll help maintain continuity of the fiscal practices we’ve adopted during the last few years of recession.

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why?

1.  Continue to maintain an austerity-level budget that is sensitive to the financial pressures that our citizen taxpayers are facing. There has been talk of raiding our reserves to fund operational expenses, but I’ve been opposed to all of those proposals.   No matter how much we have to tighten our belts, we owe it to the citizens to maintain an emergency fund because things could always get worse.

2.  Fund the police department to a level that allows us to fill vacancies we’ve been carrying in recent years. Public safety is an essential government service,  and our police department has done a fantastic job combating some of the personal property crimes that seem to have increased in this recession.  Still, I think we owe it to our officers and
the public to bring the department back to approved staffing levels that bring an acceptable level of officer safety and provide the patrol coverage that the citizens deserve.

3. Continue to tackle some of our big projects with an open mind.  In the last few years we’ve made some major changes to city operations with the annexation of the city fire department into the fire district and contracting operation of the cemetery to a private company. We still have a lot of tasks ahead of us that need resolution, including determining the fate of our municipal library, finding an operator for the golf course, and working toward self sufficiency for the Expo Center.

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders?

I think it’s very healthy in local politics to have a diversified group of elected officials. In my case, I am the only engineer on the council and am proud to have served as chair of the Public Works Committee for the last 8 years.   In this role I’m able to provide more direct
oversight of the city’s four utilities (water, sewer, natural gas, and solid waste) along with roads, fleet, and facilities management.

I have also managed large budgets, projects, and employee groups during my professional career and am able to leverage those experiences in overall oversight of the city budget and staffing issues.

I also pride myself in being available and engaged with citizens. I answer every email I receive (even the ones that are critical of me) and am regularly stopped at school events and in the grocery store to hear citizen concerns. I’m always happy to take input from people in any forum….unless I have ice cream in my cart, and it’s starting to melt.

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