Editor’s note: This is the final in a series of interviews for contested Sequim elections in the Nov. 7 General Election. This week it’s current Sequim City Councilors William Armacost, a salon owner, and Kathy Downer, a retired nurse, for council seat No. 1. Armacost is seeking to hold the position while Downer, who currently holds seat No. 2, opted to run for Armacost’s seat.

Each candidate was interviewed in late August at the People’s Forum in the Sequim Prairie Grange and due to print space constraints their interviews are running now. They’ve been edited for clarity and space. Find more information at clallamcountywa.gov/elections.

Both Armacost and Downer spoke about the council’s priority for creating opportunities for more affordable/workforce housing in Sequim.

They also mentioned the need to increase civic engagement at meetings for local agencies, such as the city council, Sequim School Board, and other Sequim area municipalities.

• What’s your personal and professional background?

Armacost said he’s been in the hairdressing industry for 49 years starting in Ohio, and then as an apprentice for Vidal Sassoon in London for a year-and-a-half. He worked for a large chain of salons in New York City, for the Plaza Hotel, opened his own salon and was a spokesperson for Revlon. He taught educational programs for L’Oréal around the globe. He met his son’s mother in the Bahamas and eventually settled in Sequim in 1983. He works full-time out of Changes Salon on Fir Street. Armacost is married and has an adult son.

He said a benefit he brings to the city council is that he’s “experienced how government affects both small business in a positive way and a negative way (and knows) how it is for a small business owner to navigate changes and the challenges complying with different ordinances and how the city operates and still be able to make a profit and contribute back to the community.”

Downer said she started as a nurse at age 19 and worked across the country for 43 years. She ran for city council in Ohio at age 62, she said, and when she won she gave her two weeks notice the next day. She served three, two-year terms. She moved to Sequim four years ago.

“The thing about community service is it gets inside you,” she said. “I love Sequim. It has lots of community service and there are so many places to volunteer here.”

Downer is married and has four adult children.

• What prompted you to run?

Armacost: “I have a real heart and passion for children and widows. We have a large senior population and I believe they need a voice. I try to bring a common sense approach to strategic planning, both in our policies and how we look after those in their senior years,” he said.

“They’ve contributed in their careers, some raised their families here, and we can’t turn our backs on those vulnerable people of our community.”

Armacost said he’s a good listener and that at his business he interacts with eight-10 people a day giving him “real life input on how things are going.”

He said community members living in manufactured home parks have been advocating at city council meetings about concerns of raising rents, and that it’s becoming challenging for them to meet their needs.

Downer: “[I decided to run] when I realized what was going on with council: meetings being disrupted, not following Robert’s Rules of Order, passing useless ordinances by telling merchants they didn’t have to follow (COVID-19) vaccination cards and abide by state health guidelines. (Editor’s note: Downer is referring to a September 2021 ordinance with a majority of councilors feeling requirements to check vaccination statuses was an unjust burden. City staff said it was a position statement and did not undo state/county requirements.) As a nurse that really bothered me. You have to go by what the state says.”

Downer, who attempted to be appointed to city council twice, ran and won in city council seat No. 2 in November 2021.

“I think we need to have some moderate, reasonable people. I don’t have any problem with anyone on council except for (Armacost). I think we can do better.

“I’m glad he supports the need for workforce housing. We’re both on the Clallam Transit Board and he does a good job on that. I do enjoy being on council. It’s very stimulating.”

• What do you like about the City of Sequim and what needs to change?

Armacost: “The real secret magic are the people. The majority of the people who live in Sequim have made a choice to be here … they want a safe place to retire or raise a family. (In the city) the water treatment plant continues to be a gem in the state of Washington. It’s state of the art with a phenomenally dedicated crew to the highest level of efficiency. We’re aware of the future needs and constantly looking at how we can grow that.”

Armacost said the city is digging a deeper aquifer on Silberhorn Road, and that city manager Matt Huish is a big asset to Sequim with his business background.

He said the hardest part of being part of council since 2018 is the “slow moving wheels of bureaucracy.” For example, he said the council wanted to ease restrictions on mobile food vendors in January but the policy wasn’t changed until July.

“I’m proud of council and planning commission in getting that done,” he said. “The timeline is the frustrating portion.”

Downer: “I didn’t move here to change anything. We have fresh air, fresh water and nice people. I don’t want to change a lot. We should address citizens’ needs as they come up. (For example), we have citizens saying we want our private streets to be taken over by the city.

“The city administration is wonderful about researching information, so it’s a matter of researching to find out. I’d encourage people to come and voice their concerns because that’s the process.”

• Accomplishments as a councilor?

Armacost: “I’m extremely proud that as mayor during Covid, a real period of uncertainty, no one knew the extent of what this virus was going to do. Manager (Charlie) Bush had resigned prior to Covid-19 hitting and when it hit, I was aware he was an integral part of developing our emergency management team.

“Knowing the uncertainties of Covid, he reached out to me and asked (to) remove (his) resignation and come help during the pandemic. I felt with his knowledge and his organizational skills it was the single best move for our community.”

(Editor’s note: A majority of council called for Bush’s resignation for unknown reasons in January 2021. Downer and other councilors ran partially on the platform on Bush’s wrongful termination.)

“During Covid, I did a variety of safety broadcasts over the radio, and we tried to reach out through social media about how to stay safe and maneuver through this tragedy.

“During that, every negative has an opportunity for a silver lining … We had businesses on the cusp of going under, so we created the Rapid Relief Small Business Grant. We were successful at distributing over half a million dollars to our small businesses. During that period, we did not end up with a bunch of empty storefronts in our town.”

Armacost said he’s also proud that councilors agreed to free utility rate increases during the pandemic and reconsidered low income utility discounts so residents would qualify by their income and not assets.

“At the end of the day, those are dollars and cents that actually affect people’s livelihood,” he said.

Armacost said he also negotiated the 7 Cedars Casino sewer connection rate with W. Ron Allen, CEO/tribal chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe.

He said his initial viewpoint of the tribe’s Healing Clinic was wrong and he’s made amends with Allen after disagreements over it.

“I cant say enough about how positive the Healing Clinic is and how it’s an asset for our community,” he said.

Armacost said in his background as a recovering alcoholic with 20 years of sobriety, he felt the clinic would attract drug dealers, and had a stigma as a dose-and-go. He credits the clinic’s executive director Dr. Molly Martin for its success.

“What they’ve been able to accomplish I have not seen anywhere else in the country,” he said. “It is an outstanding facility that is changing people’s lives.”

Downer said she is proud that councilors passed updated civil discourse guidelines. She also supported several initiatives and projects but did not want to take credit away from city staff.

Some of those include changing zoning to allow multi-family housing options in the city for projects such as with Habitat for Humanity.

“It was about time it was done,” she said.

She said the city modified zoning for accessory dwelling units (they’ve since been updated again), and have allowed residential spaces in commercial buildings in certain developments.

“There’s a great need for workforce housing,” she said.

Downer proposed a 50 percent reduction in park impact fees for low income housing developers to expire in five years. It passed last month after this interview.

“We need to do the little things in our power and we need to entice some contractors to come in and do it,” she said. “If that doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.”

• What groups or organizations do you associate with?

Armacost: Clallam Transit board of directors; Economic Development Council board of directors; advisory council member Jamestown Healing Clinic; formerly North Olympic Legislative Alliance; attends New Beginnings church in Dallas, Texas, via Zoom.

Downer: Clallam Transit board of directors; attends Trinity United Methodist Church; volunteer Toys for Sequim Kids; former HOA president.