Bremerton City Council District 1: Sullivan, Griffith lead

BREMERTON — Bremerton City Council member Patricia Sullivan was the top finisher in her bid for a full term Aug. 1, receiving 310 votes to advance to the Nov. 7 general election.

Suzanne Griffith, a retired English professor and literacy volunteer, finished second with 213 votes and will likely advance. Allen Mathews, an electrical and safety supervisor at a railway technology company, finished third with 142 votes.

The proposed closure of Harrison Medical Center Bremerton and move of all services to an expanded Harrison Silverdale campus was the talk of the campaign.

“I know that people are certainly interested in housing [availability], but they are also concerned about losing the hospital,” Griffith said. “People who have been around long enough remember when [residents] put money up for the medical center. They feel they’ve been betrayed. There should be decent primary care with urgent care available, and we should have local control of our local hospital.”

As council member, she would support a resolution declaring Bremerton to be a welcoming city, “to help immigrant families live without fear,” she said.

Sullivan, a senior staff accountant for Avalara, Inc., was not available for comment on Election Day. But during her campaign, she said her priorities are to ensure the city provides the services residents need “in a safe environment”; and fostering citywide economic development, which will “enable us to find sustainable funding for our infrastructure and public safety.”

“With two years of experience on the council, I am the most qualified candidate for this position,” she said. “The council is nonpartisan and all seven members must work collaboratively for the benefit of all Bremertonians to find sustainable solutions.”

Griffith said her priorities are working to keep a hospital in Bremerton, including emergency and urgent care service; affordable housing; and communicating regularly with constituents — by phone, email, social media, and in person. “I will not hide,” she said.

“I will have no other job besides City Council. I will work for Bremerton full-time. I will be accessible.”

Earlier in his campaign, Mathews advocated for an initiative by former City Council member Roy Runyon “to make sure the city shows the tax breakdown on water utility bills. [I want to work] on bringing that to light a little more.”

He said the city needs to be transparent on where tax revenue goes. For example, he said tax revenue from water utility bills goes to the city’s general fund, about $5 million of it, and about $275,000 goes to street maintenance, like sidewalks. But residents don’t know that when they pay their water bill.

Mathews said he intends to stay involved, and would like to serve on the city planning commission.

Election night, the county Elections Department reported an estimated 3,000 ballots countywide remained to be counted. That includes ballots cast for Bainbridge Island school board and city council, North Kitsap and Central Kitsap school boards, Bremerton mayor and city council, and South Kitsap Fire & Rescue’s Proposition 1 property tax levy.

About the job

Bremerton City Council members are elected to four-year terms, and receive $12,000 to $13,800 a year, depending on when they were elected. According to the city website, council members establish goals, priorities, and policies; adopt ordinances and resolutions; approve the annual budget, and monitor expenditures related to city business throughout the year. The council meets at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.