EDITOR’S NOTE: When the Daily World approached a third candidate for this council seat, Dick Murchy, he politely declined to be interviewed, saying he was not doing any media or promotion for the election.
Keeping the citizens of Aberdeen connected with their city government is a big part of Tawni Andrews’ job, she said as she seeks a second term on the City Council in the Ward 1, Position 2 chair.
“I’ve done my best to make sure people are connected with the city,” said Andrews. “It’s important for the city to communicate to the public and let them know what’s happening.”
Andrews has lived in Aberdeen since 1990 and said the negative attitude many residents were expressing about the city prompted her to run for City Council.
“The reason I ran was pretty much because so much of the pride in the community was gone,” she said. “About four years ago I kept hearing ‘Only in Aberdeen!” and so many negative things, so I thought I could do something about that on the City Council.”
Flood relief and homelessness are two of the major issues facing the city in the coming years, said Andrews.
“We’re still working with Timberworks, getting that levee put in to relieve homeowners of the burden of the extra flood insurance they are required to carry,” she said.
As for the homeless issue, Andrews said, “We are trying to do our best to find a solution. But we always have to worry about not infringing on the rights of the homeless people, but there needs to be a balance so citizens’ and downtown businesses’ rights are not infringed upon by the homeless. It’s a delicate balance.”
As for a city administrator, she said she was unsure whether hiring one for Aberdeen would be a good fit until she attended an Association of Washington Business presentation about how city governments perform with and without a city administrator.
“I now believe a city administrator is a good idea,” said Andrews. “It’s good to have a constant person. A Mayor may only get four years, having the city administrator would help keep all the departments working seamlessly together.”
Andrews works at Columbia Electrical Supply, a company that supplies residential, commercial and industrial electric components, in Hoquiam as an accountant and inside salesperson.
