2017
Municipal Candidate Questionnaire:
Steve Fields: Please
describe what motivates you to run for public office and what or who inspires
you?
On a professional level, I have worked throughout my career
on environmental protection. Examples and Highlights include;
c.
Established a market for solar water heaters in the
1970s in Meridian, Mississippi for a plumbing supply company.
d.
As a business and Government procurement consultant
worked with engineering firms on environmental cleanup projects such as Yucca
Mountain, Hanford Nuclear Site, and a number of Small Business Innovative
Research Grants for the Department of Energy, FAA, and Environmental Protection
Agency
e.
Worked in the Executive Office at King County in the
Office of Performance, Management, and Budget. Key policy initiatives and work
included:
a.
Establishing more efficient Hybrid busses
b.
Improving transportation planning
c.
Air quality and climate change
d.
Hazardous waste
e.
Waste and Recycling
f.
Water and Land
g.
Flood Control Zone District
h.
Watershed Strategy
i.
Social Justice Initiative
j.
King County Parks
k.
Annexation initiative
l.
Office of Emergency Management and Business Continuity
m.
Facilities Management and energy efficiency
f.
As a Candidate for Mayor of Redmond in 2015 I worked
and consulted with Sustainable Redmond to better understand the issues facing
Redmond and in particular where current practices and decisions with the
environmental health of the Redmond community
Environmental Issues
- Essay
Steve Fields: The issues below affect all of our communities. Please write
one to two paragraphs about the following six issues facing our environment.
a.
Climate change, water pollution, and air pollution disproportionately
affect communities of color and people with lower incomes. What is the
relationship between public health, equity, and pollution in your jurisdiction
and what policy solutions will you advocate addressing these inequities?
Although Redmond is not a city as vulnerable to Climate
change as cities with large communities of color and people with low incomes
living in coastal areas or near large water systems, there will be significant
impacts in Redmond from climate change. Like any community the poor or people
with less means, will be much more vulnerable to the impacts of powerful
storms, flooding, wind damage, deadly heat waves, or economic or social
disruption. The city needs to prepare and adapt now. Adding staff positions to
help the city prepare for changing weather patterns and update our land use and
building codes and policies is essential. Additionally, we should broaden and
prepare our city emergency response and our regional partnerships. For example,
working with the school districts will help establish tools to reach our
non-English speaking community members and help educate and prepare them for
the right actions in the event of an emergency.
Robust alternatives for transportation are critical for the
socio-economic mobility of lower-income individuals. By investing in local
transportation infrastructure, we can open up economic opportunities for people
with lower-incomes while reducing overall carbon pollution; thereby,
demonstrating the interconnectedness between the environment, economic justice,
and public health, and that we can address distinct yet related problems
simultaneously. In addition, our citizens are forced into carbon-polluting
transportation options, as we far less bus service than we had envisioned for
now.
b.
What do you
see as the relationship between your local economy and the environment?
Redmond is city where the
success of the local economy and the health of the environment are essentially
linked by the nature of their common need. The natural beauty and health of
Redmond’s environment is a primary attraction for employers and employees.
People want to live here and enjoy the quality of their life as defined by the
beauty of a healthy eco-system including trees, clean air and water, parks and
trails. They take civic pride in the fact that Redmond historically has been
good stewards over healthy wetlands, an abundant tree canopy, and protected
water ways that support a vibrant fish and wildlife habitat. And investors and
businesses want to stay or locate in a place where people want to live. In
addition, Redmond as a destination for visitors and tourists is enhanced by
keeping Redmond’s natural beauty and world class park system maintained and
healthy. The people and businesses who reside here want a city government that
manages growth with the understanding that the economy and the environment are
not conflicting priorities. Conservation ordinances and
enforcement of these on individual site plans may increase the cost to some
projects by constraining actions allowed on new development. However, this
investment pales in comparison to the economic benefits that are received over
many years. These benefits can include;
1 -- Reduced maintenance costs on keeping green
infrastructure, ( ie. groundwater recharge, storm-water management, pollutant
filtration, and soil and water conservation)
2 - Reduced costs on tree maintenance. Healthy native trees require less costs to
keep alive then non-native, or further loss to trees that were intended to
satay when the eco-system is disrupted
3 - Future costs to the community to mitigate
damage from landslides, or other consequences from an unhealthy natural
environment.
c. Your
community is an integral part of a complex watershed. What will you be
considering as you legislate to ensure your communities’ water and waterways
are protected?
This is an important moment in Redmond's history to
determine how our city grows. Redmond should establish the right positions
within city staff with the credentials and skills to oversee a City Urban
Forest Plan implementation, Tree Retention, Sustainability efforts, Climate
Change Response, and overall Environmental Planning efforts. We need a Wetland
Scientist/Stream & Wildlife Biologist position that reviews critical areas
studies for accuracy, reviews development applications for compliance with
critical areas regulations, relays related regulatory requirements to
developers and applicants, engages in city restoration efforts, and tracks
environmental mitigation projects in the city. The strength of these positions
would raise our environmental expectations with our developer partners and help
educate and assure our community as we grow.
As a partner with many water departments, local governments
in King County need to take up the charge to be better stewards of our water
supplies and start educating the public now on substantial cutbacks to water
usage.
Wastewater is an area where we need to be working more
collaboratively within the region as the problem of new development, water
runoff pollution, cleaning, and neutralizing contaminated water all warrant a
uniform method of compliance, returning water to a usable state and perhaps
finding efficiencies and funding to be able to move faster in protecting our
waterways.
Every year we don’t do more to contain the water runoff
pollution, the more our water and waterways will deteriorate. I will seek more
involvement at the city level in addressing storm water runoff.
d. Nearly
half of Washington’s global warming pollution comes from transportation. In your
role as an elected official you will often have to make decisions on
infrastructure. How do you see infrastructure decisions impacting your
communities’ ability to reduce its dependence on single occupancy vehicular
traffic?
It is essential for us to invest in infrastructure in a way
that shows our community we’re serious about reducing our focus on single
occupancy vehicles. As an elected official, I will champion the expansion of
transit options and work to build sufficient infrastructure so that forms of
transportation beyond single-occupancy vehicles are demonstratively practical.
Looking ahead, I will use my position to lead by example, in educating younger
generations – i.e. up-and-coming commuters – on the merits of reducing our
dependence on single occupancy vehicles. In addition, Redmond business leaders
are among the most cutting-edge technology advocates that could be used for new
ways to decrease the use of fossil fuels. An active partnership with our city
government and environment-minded business leaders could very well produce the
ideas and products that would help on a world-wide level.
As my personal history shows, I have been a lifelong
advocate of a healthy lifestyle, and what I’ve learned through championing
recreational activities is that awareness of transportation alternatives often
comes from a health-conscious lifestyle. Some clear examples are bicycling and
running/walking. People who develop strong ties to these activities view them
as viable alternatives for their daily commute. I, for one, have always been an
avid bicycle enthusiast, and for the majority of my professional career,
bicycling was my primary form of commute.
Moreover, using one alternative can often lead to one
appreciate others options as well; for instance, riding my bike to and from my
work in Seattle required me to also take the bus, which in turn, gave me a
deeper appreciation of bus lines.
We can address it directly and before the issue clears the
State’s review and any other Environmental Impact Stages of its scrutiny. I
will be a strong opponent of uncovered coal trains, oil being transported on
our waterways, as well as our roads and rail lines. Concern for the community’s
health is just not demonstrated, resources for regulation and accident response
are insufficient, and there’s an obvious need for a clear (and better) path for
environmental sustainability laid out to public.
From the way things are currently progressing, the
transportation of oil and coal through our state is being done in a way that is
unsatisfactory for those of us who have the highest stake. The way we’re
currently handling this issue is not representative of Redmond’s socially
conscious identity, and so I will suggest city resources to assessing the local
impact of these activities and heavily advocate for higher protective
standards, while simultaneously pressing the urgency of developing sustainable
alternatives. I will take every opportunity to publicly advocate against
moving more oil and coal through our state. I believe this is a matter of
public safety in addition to environmental preservation. I will take every
opportunity to legislate against increasing oil and coal transportation through
our state.
f.
Climate change is the biggest environmental challenge
of our time and all levels of government can be leaders at addressing this
issue for our state and nation. As an
elected official, what do you see is your role in helping to tackle climate
change?
Cities of all sizes are at the heart of the chance to both
mitigate climate change and prepare for the impacts that are coming. Local and
city governments have the best opportunity to change human behavior by building
communities that have more energy efficient buildings, homes, and
transportation systems.
We have got to keep our pressure on our national and state
legislators in coming up with a tax structure that reduces carbon pollution
into our air. We must ensure a well-informed public about the choices or
complexities of any of these more progressive ideas to limit carbon in our air
supply. Civic engagement and education is needed before we can move to a point
of action. The biggest impact that I can make as an elected leader in
mitigating climate change is to provide the leadership that restores trust and
confidence with the people who live here, so that Redmond can better
participate in the global community as a leading partner to meet this global
challenge. As part of this effort, it is essential to restore authenticity and
strength to City indicators and measurements in the context of Climate change
and building a sustainable City.
I would welcome options for creating an action plan for
Redmond regarding carbon neutral goals that involve everyone. It would be my
pleasure to assemble a multi-generational advisory committee to come up with
ideas, materials and an overall program to breakdown the complexities and allow
everyone to learn why carbon neutral is important and how we can live that way
– very similar to how we all learned to recycle.
Yes / No Questions
·
Do you acknowledge that human actions are a
contributor to climate change?
Circle one: Yes
Circle one: Yes
·
Would you be open to representing your community
on leadership committees to try to address threats to our environment at the
local level, such as the Safe Energy Leadership Alliance (SELA)?
Circle one: Yes
Circle one: Yes
Your Campaign
Preserving the environment is
pivotal to why I am running for a Council Position in Redmond. Many People feel
we have lost our environment-first attitude in managing growth, and I can cite
far too many cases where residents and small business-owners have been adversely
affected by the city’s lack of concern for environmental sustainability.
Development projects in Overlake, Downtown, and North Redmond continue to be
completed with priority for developer convenience over our neighborhoods and
their surrounding nature. In addition.
we need to develop much stronger and more forward thinking local
Government. It has become clear that our Federal Government is on the verge of
breaking down. The recent election cost over $6B with the result of a much more
divided and less responsive Federal Government. Our environmental protection,
public health, transportation, social justice and education needs will continue
to look more toward local government to resolve as our Federal Government
continues to be ineffective and indifferent.
-- Excerpts from Steve Fields' responses to Washington Conservation Voters Questionnaire.
Editor's Note: Washington Conservation Voters sent their questionnaire to all candidates this June. Steve Fields and Manka Dhingra are the only Redmond candidates I know of who published their responses. I am e-mailing all Primary and General Election candidates to invite them to send their responses to Redmond Neighborhood Blog for posting, should they wish. Redmond Neighborhood Blog is not endorsing candidates. 7/28/2017
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