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Retired activist runs against seasoned firefighter for fire board By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
In a contest that so far has been more lively than most races on Vashon, Joe Ulatoski seeks to be elected to position four on Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s five-member board of commissioners, a six-year term. The seat is currently filled by Candy McCullough, who is running to retain the position. Voters are expected to receive ballots for the all-mail election at the end of this week, and they are due on Nov. 8. McCullough and Ulatoski, along with the two candidates running for position one on the board, will answer questions tonight at a debate sponsored by Voice of Vashon and The Beachcomber. The debate, moderated by Susan McCabe, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Penny Farcy Training Center on Bank Road.
Candy McCullough When Candy McCullough was appointed to complete Gayle Sommers’ term on the fire board in June, she stepped down from a 26-year volunteer career at VIFR, where she has been a firefighter, EMT, instructor and ultimately a captain. She has also moved through the ranks over the course of an approximately 20-year career as a firefighter with Boeing, where she is now a fire inspector as well as the secretary for the local union and a union negotiator. Though McCullough says she’ll volunteer again on Vashon if she isn’t elected to the board, she believes her extensive experience as both a professional and volunteer responder makes her an asset as a commissioner. “Who better to look at the program and decide what we should spend our tax dollars on than someone who has been in the program?� she said. McCullough, 53, speaks confidently and smiles often. She throws out department terms and phrases as only a seasoned responder would and freely speaks her mind, but is also quick to crack a joke and even poke fun at herself. McCullough, who shares a love of swing
dancing with her partner, served for five years on the board of the 600-member Seattle Swing Dance Club, three of them as its president. “The fire service is my passion,� she said, adding that as she gets older and is within a few years of retirement, it’s a good time for her to be a commissioner. “Now I’m ready for my next challenge,� she said. McCullough, who remembers a time when all of Vashon’s volunteer responders were from the Island, is clearly passionate about local volunteerism. She pointed out that many volunteers are now from off-Island, and the majority of on-Island volunteers are support staff, meaning they don’t fight fires or aid patients. McCullough used to respond from her home in Tahlequah and believes increased on-Island volunteerism is the key to having faster response times to outlying areas of Vashon, especially as some roads may fall into disrepair due to a lack of county funding. “When the real stuff hits, we’re in trouble. That’s my opinion,� she said. McCullough recently volunteered to be the board liaison to the department’s recruiting and retention coordinators. “I know what we need, I know what it takes and I know we need more local involvement,� she said. She is also paying close attention to the upcoming expiration of King County’s EMS levy, which provides half of the department’s funding and is set to expire in 2013. Though a task force is currently working to draft a new levy to put before voters, she said the board faces the possibility of the department losing all or some of its levy funding, and McCullough feels she knows what the department should and should not spend money on. “With the economy the way it is, that EMS levy is going to be a big deal,� she said. McCullough, who is also involved with the Vashon Island Fruit Club and puts on monthly swing dances at Ober Park, says she loves to volunteer behind the scenes but isn’t a “drum pounder.�
She acknowledged the fact that Ulatoski, her opponent, is a bigger name on Vashon but said she believes her experience and inside knowledge of the department will continue to benefit the board. “I’m not a politician, but I am upfront, and I have integrity and the intention to do what is best for the community,� she said.
Joe Ulatoski Joe Ulatoski, 84, says he’s been accused of being nuts or having a misplaced gene because he just keeps volunteering. “Some people like to go play golf or go sailing. I’d like to take all this experience and knowledge I’ve accumulated and use it for the community, to make it a safer place and a better place to live and work,� he said. Upon moving to Vashon a little over a decade ago, Ulatoski soon got involved in Island affairs. As one of the founders of VashonBePrepared, he has worked with the fire department and a corps of volunteers over the last decade to make the Island more prepared for a major emergency such as a large earthquake. Ulatoski, who has a thoughtful demeanor and civic-minded sensibility, is also a member of the Vashon Rotary Club and was on the board of the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council for about six months before resigning with the rest of the nineperson board last summer. He has also been one of the largest proponents of Vashon’s ferry service, serving on the community council’s transportation committee and lobbying politicians to retain the Island’s service levels. He recently put forward a motion at a community council meeting to send a letter to local lawmakers expressing concerns with the county’s plan to let some Vashon roads fall into disrepair. Those who know Ulatoski well know that he boasts a 32-year career with the Army. His array of positions include commanding a 6,000-man infantry in Vietnam, acting as the liaison between the White House and the Department of Defense during Watergate and commanding a 13,000-per-
son American community in Germany. He retired in 1978 as a brigadier general. Ulatoski’s experience since then includes managing a major law firm, a regional real estate company and his own management and consulting company. He tried to retire in 1991, but soon took on an executive position at the Frank Russell Company, where he stayed for another decade. Now truly retired and living on Vashon, Ulatoski believes he would be an asset to the board as it facea several county- and staterelated issues. Like McCullough, he sees the upcoming expiration of the county EMS levy as a top concern. Losing the levy funding, he said, could have a “disastrous impact on Vashon,â€? and combined with declining county funding for road repairs and budget cuts in the state ferry system, Ulatoski said the department could find itself in a difficult situation. “We already cannot meet the desired standards for response, it’s nobody’s fault. ‌ All these things that are on the horizon are going to adversely affect VIFR and their ability to go out and help the people,â€? he said. Ulatoski believes his leadership skills and experience lobbying lawmakers and working with county officials will aid the department as it attempts to keep Vashon’s funding and services. “All these things come through King County, so it depends on what your relationship is with King County, how you can persuade them to do something to your benefit,â€? he said. Ulatoski, who can often be seen at local meetings and events, said that as a commissioner he would have his finger on the pulse of Vashon. He said the fire commissioners should be more active in the community, and while some of them have volunteer experience with VIFR, his knowledge of Vashon and King County would bring a new perspective to the board. “(There are commissioners) who know the internal operations of the department. Isn’t it time to get somebody who takes the broader view?â€? he said.
Another seat on Vashon fire board is contested In a much less public race, longtime VIFR volunteer Deborah Brown is challenging incumbent Ron Turner, a retired Cost Guard senior chief who will finish his six-year term this year.
Deborah Brown To call Deborah Brown’s resume eclectic is an understatement. It’s her diverse experience both on and off the Island that she believes would make her an asset as a fire commissioner. “I touch a lot of different pockets in this community and have worked with different pockets in this community, and I have their trust,� she said. She and her husband Rick Brown have both volunteered with VIFR for more than 15 years, and together they revitalized the department’s Explorer program. Though she no longer responds, Brown still leads the Explorers and teaches classes at the fire department. Brown, who has a warm, even
bubbly personality, said that she has been thinking of joining the fire board for at least five years, and believes now is the right time. Not only does she have time to commit, she said, but she believes her experiences have prepared her to join the board as the fire department may enter a period of financial insecurity. “I think my skills base lends itself well to what the department needs right now� she said. Brown, who grew up in south Seattle and was once a professional ballet dancer, is currently a substitute teacher on Vashon. She has worked all over since moving to Vashon two decades ago, listing more than 20 on- and off-Island positions on her resume, from medical assistant at the Vashon Health Center to executive director of the Vashon-Maury Island Chamber of Commerce to facilities project manager at Boeing. She has served on several community boards, including those for the Vashon Park District and
Vashon-Maury Island Community Food Bank, and in 2002 she was an alternate board member to the Puget Sound Regional Council’s Growth Management Board. With a master’s degree in organizational systems and environmental management from Pacific Lutheran University, Brown says her volunteer and professional experience both on and off the Island have given her connections — such as ties within the King County Department of Transportation — that would be valuable to the fire department as it continues to rely on county support, such as the EMS levy and road repairs. She has even developed valuable relationships with other fire districts through her work with the Explorers, she said. “I think (the board has) done a good job, but I think there’s more we need to do,� she said. “I’m in a place right now where I have the energy and connections and that’s what I want to do.�
Deborah Brown
Ron Turner
Brown said she believes VIFR has been “doing its own thing� and having success, but is entering a time when it must depend more and more on other agencies in order to keep its funding and may face the task of cutting its budget. She thinks her grantwriting experience will come into play as well. “There is money out there, and we need to get it,� she said. Brown is the mother of a student at McMurray Middle School,
and it would be tough to find a facet of Vashon life that she hasn’t been involved in. As a fire commissioner, she said she would stand up for Vashon’s fire department among a sea of agencies looking to sustain their services. “I think this is time we need to collaborate rather than be our own selves,� she said. “We need to broaden our horizons. I have those connections and abilities.� 4&& '*3& #0"3% /&95 1"(&