Meet Melony Kirkish, Sumner City Council Candidate

What is your full, legal name? Melony Marie Kirkish

Where do you work and what is your job title? Physicians and Dentists Credit Bureau; Project Manager

Age: 28

Where Were You Born? Milwaukee Wisconsin

Where do you live now and how long have you lived there? Sumner, 3 years

Spouse or domestic partner if any: Wife, Jacki; We've been together over five years and will be celebrating our one year anniversary in October.

Children: We have three amazing kids from my wife's previous marriage. Our daughter is going into Sumner High School and our two boys are fifth graders at McAlder aka Maple Lawn this year. 

Education (include graduation date(s), if any): Bachelor's in Urban Studies from the University of Washington-Tacoma 2009;    Bachelor's in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; 2004

Military Service (include year(s) of discharge, if any): None

Memberships and affiliations with clubs and other organizations: Sumner Design Commission Member, Maple Lawn Art Docent Co-Coordinator, Director and Youth Programming Chair for the Seattle Architecture Foundation, Community of Thinkers through SAM  

Have you or a business you owned (or had principal interest in) ever filed bankruptcy? No, not personally but it has touched my family.

As an adult, have you been convicted or charged with a crime other than a minor traffic violation? No

CAMPAIGN INFORMATION:

Web site: None
Email: kirkishforcouncil@gmail.com
Phone number:253-370-5734
Campaign manager: None

PREVIOUS ELECTED OFFICE(S): 

Elected: None

Other campaigns for public office: None

THIS CAMPAIGN:

What is the primary reason you are running for this office? I would like the opportunity to make sure the citizens of Sumner feel well represented with a diverse Council.

What will be your top three priorities if you get elected and why? The top three priorities will be retail attraction/retention, guiding potential development, and being in tune with the citizens of Sumner.

We need a strong retail base for so many reasons but mainly to ensure people in Sumner and our visitors have the chance to spend their money in town to not only strengthen the tax revenue but to continue to build our Sumner brand. There is a need to fill in our downtown core and continue that energy to the east.

Guiding potential development proposals is an area that I feel particularly strong in. My background is in the design and research of the built environment. Assuring we do everything we can to guide sustainable choices in not only our future buildings but also in our existing stock is crucial. And last but not least is making sure everyone has the opportunity to be heard. Given the way we've all seen politics go the past few years at all scales of government has been disheartening to say the least. I am so excited to have the chance to remind people we know best about our community and empower them to affect real change.

What sets you apart from the other candidates and/or previous office holders? I have a fresh perspective. What I know of Curt Brown is that he is a 'fantastic teacher' a direct quote from my daughter who had him as a teacher last year and what a nice guy he is to work with from his collegues. I'm running for this position so that I too can have the chance to serve our community as he has done. During my time at UW-T I was given an award for excellence in research from the faculty; it was a great honor and I want people to know I will use those same skills and drive to make the absolute best decisions possible for Sumner.

How much money do you expect your campaign to spend on this election? I'll be printing some postcards to leave at people's doors if they're unavailable when I 'doorbell.' So between paper and ink perhaps $50. But other than that I'm more alligned with the view that spending money is just not in the household budget right now, especially since we're buying a house. I absolutely loved Nancy Dumas' idea of encouraging people to make their own signs out of what they have; what a great step forward toward really engaging the community!

Official endorsements: None