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University Place council position 3« Go back
Eric Choiniere
Residence: University Place
Contact: 253-273-8351
E-mail: ericforup@gmail.com
Website: www.ericforup.com
Occupation: Self Employed

Experience: I have severed on the University Place Parks & Rec Commission and the Pierce County Citizens Advisory Board. I have also been very involved with the local elections & worked as an elections watcher for my union. I have been a volunteer baseball coach in University Place & with the Lakewood Baseball Club. I have also been involved in the Annual Royal Rangers Pinewood Derby at Life Center.

Education: Electrical Engineering @ ITT Tech - Non Graduate

The Town Center project is on its fourth potential developer, and it has progressed in spurts. Should the city move forward with the project and if so, should it continue down the path it has taken?
I believe the Town Center project needs to be completed without any more unnecessary delays. Heartland Consulting stated in a council meeting that we need to add local business to the project. I would agree & further state we need to give it a "Northwest" feel of business. We also need to add business that feeds off Chambers Bay as a destination point.

With two national golf tournaments coming to Chambers Bay Golf Course - including the 2015 U.S. Open - how can the city capitalize on the visitors to University Place? How should the city prepare for the influx of people from a traffic and public works st
We need to work with the make sure we are communicating with Pierce County & Washington DOT to make sure we are not only setting routes to the Open to allow the least amount of disruption to local residents. We also need to make sure we have plenty of meetings with local neighbors to air all concerns & confirm all issues are addressed.

The City Council recently allowed volunteers to save the Curran Apple Orchard house. Do you agree with that decision, and what should the city do with its other historic properties that are endangered?
I am thankful that local residents worked together on this issue. I agree that if this house has a complete plan including funding to save the house without increasing the city's cost, I will support the project. We have very few remaining real historical locations left in our city. We need to save what few we have left but we need to separate historical properties like Curran House from sentimental properties such as Windmill Village.

Personal Statement:
I have talked to several residents, business and civic leaders in our community. They agree with my ideas for University Place. I will always be there for our all of residents and present solutions that in the best interest of our community. When election time is here, I want to be the person that will bring new ideas & better solutions to our city & keep our community spirit that we all enjoy.

Lorna Smith
Residence: University Place
Contact: 460-0910
E-mail: LornaSmith37@yahoo.com
Occupation: City Council Member and small business owner

Experience: Member of University Place Advisory Commission for Pierce County 1994-1995; Fire Commissioner 1994-1995; a Founder and First Chair of UP Community Council 1994-1995; University Place City Council 1995-2009; Mayor Pro Tem 1998-2000; Mayor 2000-2002; Representative to Rainier Media Center 1996 and 2009; Representative to UP Chamber of Commerce 1995-2009; Rep. to PC Cities and Towns 2000-2002; Rep. to PC Mayors 2000-2001; Alt. to PC Regional Council 1995-2009. Chair Finance Committee 1998-2000.

Education: High School: Tacoma Community College adult education classes; National League of Cities Leadership Program; Association of Washington Cities Certified Municipal Leadership Program.

The Town Center project is on its fourth potential developer, and it has progressed in spurts. Should the city move forward with the project and if so, should it continue down the path it has taken?
Yes, town center needs to move forward, but due to the economy, in a different form than we had originally envisioned, We need the services of professionals outside of our city staff to achieve our goal. We also need to look at the bigger picture of encouraging development of the larger "town center"and commercial areas by offering incentives such as eliminating or delaying developer impact fees, and other costs.

With two national golf tournaments coming to Chambers Bay Golf Course - including the 2015 U.S. Open - how can the city capitalize on the visitors to University Place? How should the city prepare for the influx of people from a traffic and public works st
It is important that we work closely with Pierce County, their economic development staff, and surrounding cities to get the most out of the event from the commercial standpoint, as well as coming up with a plan for traffic and accomodating the visitors. We need to work with local businesses and homeowners to maximize the opportunities for them. Roadway beautification is an essential element of hosting those events, to benefit our city.

The City Council recently allowed volunteers to save the Curran Apple Orchard house. Do you agree with that decision, and what should the city do with its other historic properties that are endangered?
I worked with the group of volunteers to save the "mid-century modern" Curran home, and I agree, it should be preserved as part of the history of our city. We have lost too much of our history all ready by tearing down structures on our city properties without consideration of historic significance. We need to continue to work with our UP Historic Society to preserve other endangered properties that define our city character.

Personal Statement:
It has been my honor to serve the citizens of University Place on the City Council for the past 14 years. I want to continue to be your voice and advocate on the Council. I will seek citizen involvement on issues before they come to a vote; listen and respect your opinions; work for safety, reduce debt, more parks and green space, preserving our history, and getting our town center up and running!