Meet Richard Elfers, Candidate for Enumclaw City Council

This is part of a series of candidate profiles Patch will be bringing you for the 2011 elections. Richard Elfers is running for the Enumclaw City Council. He and his opponent, Darrel Dickson, both will move on to the general election in November.

What is your full, legal name?

 Richard Hurly Elfers

Where do you work and what is your job title? 

Adjunct professor GRCC teaching  high school level American history and recently, American government, and Intensive ESL; adult continuing education (Prime Time), substitute Intensive ESL teacher, and Enumclaw City Council

When and where were you born?

Portland, OR 12/17

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

I live at 2343 Stevenson Ave., Enumclaw.  We moved into this house in 2004--7 years.

Spouse or domestic partner if any:

Wife:  Kathleen A. Elfers

Children: 

Four and 3.5 grandchildren 

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

Renton High School 1966, BA in Theology, Ambassador College, UK 1970, Pepperdine U. MA in History 1974, K-12 teaching certificate UW, 1975 

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

N/A

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations:

Hope Lutheran Church, Enumclaw, WA

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

If so, please explain and include dates and locations.

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

Web site: VoteElfers.com
Email address: richardelfers@clearwire.net
Phone number: 360 825-0265
Campaign manager: myself

Campaign manager contact information:

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S):

Elected: Enumclaw City Council #2 2008-11 

Other campaigns for public office: none

THIS CAMPAIGN:

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

I want to serve. I've taught American history and government for 32 years at the high school level and feel I can offer the citizens of Enumclaw my historic perspective. I  have the ability to research complex issues. I'm semi-retired and have the time to devote to city issues .

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

Fiscal responsibility--I'm chair of the Finance Committee and want to continue to move the City to long term planning. I also have and will continue to search for ways to cut spending and come up with ways to make government more efficient. Why? It's an important part of government to be financially accountable to its citizens. How finances are spent determines the direction of the city and the well-being of my constituents.  I even took an accounting class to understand how accounting works.

Building community: I have worked to develop and want to continue to find and implement ways for people to connect to each other and to work together. Why? Based upon a book I just read (Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman p. 312),  "Among people around the world, nourishing relationships are the single most universally agreed upon feature of the good life." That seems like a really good reason to build community.

Public service: That's why I ran for Council in 2008. There's no higher calling than to serve others.  Working as a city councilman gives me the opportunity to serve my community using my skills, knowledge and experience. I want to be able to continue serving my constituents in a second term. 

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

As I said above, my life goal is public service. I listen well, seeking differing views. I research issues carefully before deciding the best course.  Since I've been in government--as a teacher, and now as a councilman, I understand how the system works, and I'm familiar with the legislative process.  My opponent has little or no experience in government.  He understands business, but business is based upon the profit motive, not public service. Also, as I said before, I have the time and the energy to devote myself to public office. I'm not running several businesses.

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election?

I expect this election will  cost between $1,500 to $3,000.