Editor’s note: This is the third of a five-part series looking at the candidates running for mayor of Bremerton. Part two can be found here and part four can be found here.

Will Maupin compares Bremerton to the Boston Celtics of the 1970s.

“We have spent a lot of seasons at the bottom of the league,” he said.

Maupin, one of five candidates for the position of mayor of Bremerton, comes from blue collar roots that include a fisherman grandfather and a father who worked in a sawmill. Maupin said he learned a lot from their situations and became the first person in his family to attend college. While there, he met his wife, Karen Domstad, whose father was the mayor of Bremerton. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in mechanical engineering and went to work for Boeing. After being laid off in 1970, Maupin found a job at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, where he proceeded to work for 31 years. He and his wife have lived in Bremerton for 39 years.

In his professional career, Maupin was the manager for redevelopment projects for the Department of Navy. He has served on Bremerton’s City Council since 2001, was city council president in 2007 and 2008 and was the chair of the finance committee. He was executive committee member and board member of the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council and has been a board member of Kitsap Transit since 2001.

He also is the recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal from President Bill Clinton.

Maupin said he is proud of the city and downtown’s redevelopment, but he feels the city needs to “continue the momentum.” He plans to create partnerships to build a busy downtown center, work with residents to develop plans for city neighborhoods and find solutions to improve city streets and downtown parking.

“I’ll work with local leaders and residents to support new businesses and generate jobs,” he said.

Maupin believes his 30 years in the shipyard have given him experience in bringing people together to solve problems and make improvements. He said his three terms on the Bremerton City Council allowed him to further those relationship-building skills and focus on issues affecting the city. Maupin also said the expansion of Bremerton is not complete and it is time to look around the rest of the city to expand the economy and housing opportunities for all of Bremerton, not just the downtown area.

“Let’s continue to move Bremerton forward and maintain the momentum,” he said.