Three vie for Medical Lake mayor

With Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins not seeking another term, three candidates are vying for his seat in the 2017 August primary election. Two are longtime City Council members, Shirley Maike and Laura Parsons, while the other, Mikael Suniga, is a police officer and former mayoral candidate in 2013.

Shirley Maike

Shirley Maike said her 20 years on City Council and time as the chief operating officer at Eastern State Hospital has helped her build leadership skills she can bring to the mayor's office. Her experience on the Spokane County Boundary Review Board and the Housing and Community Development advisory committee has helped her learn the struggles that other towns experience.

One of Maike's goals as mayor is to work with the state Department of Social and Health Services to compensate the city for the public safety services it provides ESH and Lakeland Village through its fire department and contract with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

Another concern for Maike is finding funding for infrastructure projects throughout Medical Lake. While Maike recognizes the local maintenance department efforts in keeping its streets in good shape, she said the city has not reconstructed one of its roads in years.

As mayor, Maike wants to address individual residents concerns and provide the best service the city can on its income, mostly funded by property taxes. Although Maike recognizes the desire for more business in Medical Lake, she doesn't feel the city should compromise its code or laws just to bring in a new merchant.

"We are a good and healthy city, and we don't want to put that at risk," Maike said.

Laura Parsons

Like Maike, Laura Parsons served on the City Council for several years. In addition to her time on council, Parsons served on a number of boards, including the Spokane Regional Solid Waste Board and Spokane Regional Transportation Council.

Part of Parsons campaign motto is "taking the good in Medical Lake and build upon that," which includes having the city, the school district and local service groups working together. She also wants to bring in more businesses and restore some of the old buildings.

One of the issues Parsons would address as mayor is potentially reestablishing the city's full-time police department, which disbanded in 2009. She would also like to add to the fire department's coverage and increase volunteers.

Parsons also wants to establish a "well-rounded community center." She would also like make upgrades to the parks - including a memorial park on the corner of Lefevre Street and Brooks Road. She would also get residents involved in a city-wide clean up to help address some of the nuisance code violations.

Parsons recognizes that accomplishing these goals would cost money but she feels the city is in a good spot financially to apply for loans and grant funding to pay for some of these projects.

"It's about looking at things with fresh eyes, saying 'yes' more than 'no' and looking at the possibilities," Parsons said.

Mikeal Suniga

Mikael Suniga, a former Medical Lake police officer who now works in Airway Heights, said he would use the leadership skills he's learned as a police officer in his role as mayor.

As mayor, Suniga would look at options to bring more visitors to the city, such as starting a sustainable farmers market and increasing the city's park services.

In public safety, Suniga said he would find "creative ideas" to help expand the fire department's capabilities and coverage, such as bringing in resident firefighters from the Community Colleges of Spokane and having them live in the city. He would also examine Medical Lake's contract with the Sheriff's Office and see if it would be more cost effective for the city to restart its police department. Suniga recognizes the SCSO's efforts in law enforcement across Spokane County, but feels they are not providing Medical Lake the best services it's paying for.

Suniga also wants to help create more dialogue between residents and elected officials. He would focus on holding more town hall meetings and broadcasting City Council sessions on the city's website for residents who cannot attend those scheduled meetings, but still want to participate in local government.

"My intent is to put the community first to make it better for my generation and the generations ahead," Suniga said.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].