Maple Valley City Council Position #2
"Embracing Change Without Losing Sight of the Community's Values"
About Jim
Since 1954, I have been living in, working in, and contributing to the Greater Maple Valley Community. I am a life-long resident of Maple Valley, a graduate of Tahoma High School, Washington State University and Seattle University School of Law. My service to the community began in my youth and has been continuous and diverse, ranging from sandbagging on the Cedar River during numerous floods, to hours of volunteer time at my children’s’ schools. Education/Career After completing my bachelor's degree in Business at Washington State University, I owned and operated a small chain of retail stores, while attending Seattle University School of Law. After graduation from law school, I passed the bar exam and was admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 1983. Beginning as a teen, I also participated in the family business managing commercial real estate in Maple Valley. For the last 25 years I have owned my own property management company, also specializing in light commercial construction. My immediate family, including my mother, sister, wife, and two teenaged children all live in Maple Valley. My son currently attends Tahoma Senior High School and my daughter just completed her sophomore year at Washington State University. Community Service and Involvement
Family
My current service includes membership on Tahoma School District’s Community Relations Committee; serving as an adult leader of Boy Scout Troop 711; as a member of the city’s Economic Development Committee; as a board member for the Greater Maple Valley Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce; as the chair of the chamber’s Business Development Committee; and as a regular attendee at city council meetings (having only missed one meeting since incorporation) city Planning Commission meetings, and city Economic Development Committee meetings.
Other current affiliations and memberships include the Washington State Bar Association, Lake Wilderness Arboretum Foundation, Master Builders Association, and the Ethical Contractors Association. I have recently been trained and certified as a new member of Maple Valley's "Community Emergency Response Team" (CERT). I am a regular volunteer at the Maple Valley Community Center, at the “Hooked on Fishing Derby” at Lake Wilderness, at The Maple Valley Creative Arts Center, at Make a Difference Day, and at various city-sponsored events. It’s been my tradition to annually raise holiday donations for the Maple Valley Food Bank, sponsor the yearly Community Egg Hunt, serve as a member of the Hope Builders Alliance of Vine Maple Place, and support Tahoma Athletics as a dedicated fan of the Tahoma Bears.
My past service includes duty as the Vice Chair of the Maple Valley Incorporation Committee, over ten years service on the Maple Valley City Council as the Deputy Mayor of Maple Valley, over ten years on the city Audit Committee, nine years as a youth basketball coach, five years as an Assistant Scout Master, membership on the Tahoma 2000 committee, and involvement with too many community groups and organizations to mention.
Have a question, opinion, or feedback you'd like to share? Contact me at...
Email
flynn@vircom.net
Cell
(206) 948 0168
or
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Jim-Flynn/114801031376?ref=ts
Campaign Update 10/20/2009 My opponent's campaign has now stooped to a new low by mailing out an attack ad which is full of untruths. I have run a clean campaign based on my own strengths, but I can not sit idly by while he makes untrue claims and uses innuendo to try to distort the truth and discredit me. Referring to the 10 years that I was on the council he claims the following: 1 - He accuses me of "encouraging an over-reliance on building new houses to fund the city." THE FACTS - I and the balance of the council reduced residential densities and intentionally decreased the number of homes that could be built in 2- He claims that the city did not add a single police officer. THE FACTS - The city increased the number of police four-fold, from .5 officer per shift (shared with the rest of the precinct) to 2 per shift within our city. And while I was on the council we had the lowest crime rate in 3- He claims that no general-use city parks were created. THE FACTS - We added hundreds of acres of parks to the city system, including the gem of the city, 4- He claims that not a single sports field was added. THE FACTS - I served on the Tahoma 2000 committee which worked in conjunction with the school district to add the field complex at Tahoma Junior High. Although outside the city limits, this new complex, built with school District and County funds, provided multiple new fields that serve in-city residents. The city also stepped up to take over Lake Wilderness Park and its baseball field, which otherwise would have been closed. 5- He claims that Bill Allison has either grossly distorted the facts, or he is just plain uninformed. That does not represent the style of leadership that our citizens deserve. Thanks, Jim Flynn
I will provide honest, ethical, and constituent-driven representation for the citizens of Maple Valley. Please help me spread the truth.
Why Do I want to be elected?
I have had the pleasure of growing up and living in Maple Valley my entire life. In addition to having great parents who provided me with inspiration and role models, I am extremely fortunate to have been shaped by the Maple Valley community. These experiences have created the person that I am today and I will always be extremely grateful. Maple Valley has also provided me with a place to truly call home, an education, a place to work, and a wonderful place to raise my own children. I have a strong commitment to my community and I feel like I have a duty to “pay back” some of the benefits that I have received. I also am concerned that, if not managed carefully, Maple Valley could lose some of the characteristics that have made it such a great place to live. My involvement with the city has always been driven by a desire to keep Maple Valley the kind of place that the next generation, including my own children, will want to make their long-term home. This desire does not mean that change should be resisted, only that as a community we have to work hard to maintain the positive aspects of our town. Change is inevitable, but it also can provide energy and excitement to a community, if it is the right kind of change. It is important that we embrace such change, but it would be a tragedy if in the process we lost sight of Maple Valley’s values.
In the past 2 years I have had the opportunity to view the city from a different perspective. What I have found is that in general the values and preferences of the residents have shifted a bit from 10 years ago, but core values have not changed. The people of Maple Valley continue to place high value on public safety, our school system, the natural environment, and in particular Maple Valley’s unique sense of community and identity as a small town. Residents continue to be concerned about traffic congestion, over-development, and the lack of dining and shopping options. Where I have seen a shift in public opinion is in the area of how much change is acceptable. I sense that the past strong opposition to “big-box” retail development has waned and that broader options for economic development are more acceptable than in the past. Recognition of the need for a more diverse tax base, additional sales tax revenue, and more shopping opportunities are seen as justification for more commercial development.
I have also had the opportunity to view the city council itself from a different seat. What I have seen recently is that some of the strong personalities on the council often cause council deliberations to break down due to the “polarization” that occurs when certain issues are under consideration. What is lacking on the council is a personality that can provide a voice of reason and find a middle ground to forge compromise. That is the role that I played during my former term on the council, and it has been lacking the past 2 years. From experience, I can say that this is not an easy job, but I have a long track record of being able to work with anyone and I am willing to take this task on again at the council level. If we as a city are going to embrace change and keep the city moving in a positive direction, we need a councilmember who is not going to attack the council for past actions, instead we need a person who understands the issues and the personalities and can work collaboratively for the benefit of the citizens of Maple Valley.
