One of the many local races to be decided in the upcoming Tuesday, Nov. 4, general election is for Yelm City Council Position No. 5, and months ahead of the election, incumbent Brian Hess and candidate Kayla Russell, a lifelong Yelm resident, made their cases as to why voters within the Yelm community should elect them.
Incumbent Brian Hess
The incumbent Yelm city councilor, Hess has called Yelm home since 2004 and claims he has always wanted to serve as an elected official in order to continue giving back after a career in the military.
When Hess first began his term four years ago, he said he approached his tenure with the Yelm City Council the same way he approached beginning a new leadership position or role in the military.
“I sat back originally. I made sure that if I was going to be involved in something, it was something I was already very knowledgeable of. I also just asked a lot of questions,” Hess said. “I reached out to director (Cody) Colt, as well as the Chief (Rob Carlson). I worked with the mayor and my fellow council members to learn what their passions are and what they feel is important.”
His main reason for becoming involved in city government as a councilor four years ago was that he believed Yelm needed a voice.
“What piqued my interest in Yelm is that we needed to have a voice, and I believe it was slowly happening before I got there, but we started to get some voices from the community itself, people who are engaged in the community, as well as more transparency,” Hess told the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Aug. 25. “I’m not the first one to do it, but I’m hoping I’ve been able to continue bringing that transparency, as well as transportation to the public.”
He added that he’s hopeful his time on the Yelm City Council has allowed for more citizens to become educated and engaged with what’s going on throughout the city. Hess wants the community to know there’s at least one person, referring to himself, if not more who listens to the community on Yelm City Council.
“I’m hoping that over the past four years I’ve been able to prove that I’m approachable, I’m transparent, and I don’t hide anything,” Hess said. “For those who pay attention to the city council meetings, I usually ask questions that we already probably know the answer to, but I just want the public to understand why we’re making these decisions. It’s the communication and transparency that I’ve shown over the last four years, and I’m hoping to continue doing that.”
If re-elected to the Yelm City Council, Hess said he’d be sure to listen to the community in order to create and share a vision of Yelm that fits the local residents.
“I’ve always been asked what my vision for Yelm is, and, yes, I have my own, but I always try to make sure I’m listening to everyone else. My vision for Yelm is that we’re a managed growth community,” Hess said. “I understand everyone doesn’t like the growth that is happening, but I want to make sure we’re doing it properly and managing it.”
Additionally, the incumbent would like to see more mixed use opportunities “as far as actual storefronts” go. Hess believes these opportunities could arise through the development of additional commercial zoning.
“I want to see more small businesses come into town. What we need for that is more commercial and retail space opened up in the central business district and some other areas,” he said. “I am also going to work to bring in more park space, or greenspace as it’s called. I am also going to be working on making sure infrastructure continues to be maintained, improved and added to when necessary. I will listen to community members and bring them what they want and desire.”
According to Hess, his leadership style comes from his background in the military. He said he’s not a micromanager, and believes in being able to work with people in the same environment.
Kayla Russell
Russell, who currently serves on Yelm’s parks committee and civil services commission, looks to further her involvement in the local community by becoming elected to the Yelm City Council. In addition to her duties with the city, Russell said she is an assistant coach and team mom on her daughter’s machine pitch team, and a team mom for her son’s travel baseball team with Total Sports Development.
Additionally, Russell has virtually attended every Yelm City Council meeting and study session for the last seven or eight years, she claimed. Professionally, she’s a policy council representative at Head Start, where they revise “all policies that pertain to families.
“I just love Yelm. I have lived here my entire life, and so I’ve seen the change from knowing everybody when you’d go to Jay Hawks, to maybe not knowing everybody but still being able to say ‘hey, how are ya?’ I want to keep that feeling here,” Russell told the Nisqually Valley News on Friday, Aug. 22. “It’s fun. It’s great to be able to connect with community members on a different level, and that will never change. I will continue to meet people where they’re at, figure out what they want and how I can help.”
Russell described herself as an average person and as a mom who wants to stay active within the local schools. She wants the local youths’ voices to be heard as they’re the future of Yelm and of the United States. Additionally, she values the voices of the elders within the community and noted there will be a “repeat of history if we don’t listen to them and learn from the past.”
If elected, Russell said she would view herself as an equal among the six additional councilors in order to create an environment centered around teamwork and working efficiently. She described her leadership style as laid back.
“We are all on the same team, and I am an equal. If we’re helping each other, our team is succeeding. In this instance, our team is the city. I listen to hear. I don’t just listen to talk. That’s a waste of time for all of us. If we’re not having a productive conversation, we’re not going anywhere and we won’t cross that finish line.”
Russell has applied several times in the past in pursuit of being appointed to the Yelm City Council, and though she didn’t prevail in her previous efforts, she believes the time is right for her to become an elected official in Yelm.
“When I didn’t reach those positions, maybe it just wasn’t the right time. All of my kids will be in school and I’ll have plenty of time during the day,” Russell said. “I see Yelm moving in a direction that I don’t know I’m super comfortable with. If we don’t have people who stand up and say ‘growth is great, but what is our plan?’ we’re going to be in a lot of trouble. I don’t want that to happen.”
If elected, Russell said she’d value public safety, transportation and growth management.
“We need to make sure our police force, fire department and public services are able to maintain this growth we’re seeing. Now, we’re doing good but when we put in these new apartments — does the fire department have their ladder yet? Can they even reach these apartments? These are things we need to be working with the fire department on to find out what we have before we approve these permits,” Russell said. “With housing growth, I know we can’t tell property owners what they can and can’t do with their property. I would never support that, but I also wouldn’t support changing codes to accommodate a housing development. You should know what you’re buying before you buy that land, and not expect us to change our zoning just because you bought that land.”
Additionally, Russell would like to see the city strengthen its relationship with Yelm Community Schools amid the district’s ongoing financial situation following three consecutive levy failures.
“We’re two important entities in our community, and if we’re not working together, then we’re not succeeding,” Russell said. “Our schools are maxed out, but then we’re adding 300-plus apartment buildings. Where are these kids going to go to school? I would like there to be more communication between the city and the school district in ways we can both grow in positive ways.”
