et
INSIDE | City hires new planning director [3]
.com
Reporter
newsline 253-833-0218
a u b u r n˜
Sports | Resilient Cathy Z’s Hope races in memory of others, and for a good cause [16]
Friday, JUly 19, 2013
PICKING UP THE PIECES IN PACIFIC New mayor looks to put City back on track
By ROBERT WHALE rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
By SHAWN SKAGER sskager@auburn-reporter.com
Newly minted Pacific Mayor Leanne Guier found the atmosphere at last weekend’s annual Pacific Days celebration fantastic, hard to believe, unreal. Riding with councilmembers atop a Valley Regional Fire Authority fire truck during the Pacific Days Parade, with just two days under her belt as the City’s chief administrator, Guier said the reality of her new position set in. “That was a good feeling, it was a surreal feeling,” said Guier, whom the City Council appointed as mayor on July 11 after former Mayor Cy Sun’s ouster in the recall election became official. “That’s probably a moment I’ll never forget my whole life. It just felt good.” Now the hard work begins for Guier, 52 – and for the community of Pacific. For 18 months, the City struggled under Sun, whom
Newly appointed Mayor Leanne Guier, a longtime Pacific resident and recent City Councilmember, hopes to lead the revitalization at City Hall and restore the confidence of the City’s constituency. shawn skager, Reporter voters overwhelmingly chose to oust in a special recall election June 25. The obstacles facing the City as it tries to recover are legion. Pacific has vacancies at several key positions, including city clerk/personnel
Festival: Whirl your wine, appreciate the art, move to the music The third annual Auburn Wine Art Music Festival comes to life in the downtown area Saturday. The Auburn Downtown Association, the City of Auburn, the City of Auburn Arts, Parks, and Recreation Department, and the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce/Tourism present the festival. The annual Merchant Market on Main and specialty vendor sale runs [ more festival page 15 ]
Auburn Int’l Farmers Market 812235
Man charged with vehicular homicide in crash that killed cab driver
director and public works/ community development director. In her first act as mayor, Guier directed Pacific Public Safety Director John Calkins to fill two police department vacancies immediately.
With the City’s year-end accounting for 2012 long overdue, the financial bookkeeping also needs tending. Most important for the community, perhaps, is [ more GUIER page 9 ]
The King County Prosecutor last Wednesday filed vehicular homicide, felony hit and run and reckless endangerment charges against the man it alleges drove the SUV that struck and killed 56-year-old cabbie Brian F. Love in the early morning hours of July 5 in downtown Auburn. Floyd D. Gonzalez, 29, of Auburn, is in King County Jail on $1 million bail. The vehicular homicide charge alleges that Gonzales was under the influence of alcohol and driving in a reckless manner at the time of the collision. Prosecutors tie the reckless endangerment charge to the allegation that, by speeding and failing to stop for a red light, Gonzales put his girlfriend and sole passenger, Latasha Moses, 21, at “a substantial risk of death and serious injury.” Here, according to court papers filed with the charges, is what happened. At 5:5O a.m. on July 5, Gonzales, traveling at an estimated 50 to 60 miles per hour southbound on Auburn Way North in his girlfriend’s 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe, blew through a red light at the intersection of Auburn Way North and East Main Street. Narrowly missing an eastbound Auburn Police patrol car that had just cleared the green-lighted intersection, court papers say, he slammed into the driver’s door of the red taxi just [ more CHARGES page 12 ]
Theater Simple brings ‘Owl and Pussycat’ to farmers market July 28 By SHAWN SKAGER sskager@auburn-reporter.com
Theater Simple brings its interactive production of “The Adventures of Owl and Pussycat” to the Auburn International Farmers Market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., July 28. By pulling audience members into the performance, and allowing them to interact with the unfolding play, the Seattle-based
Market
troupe – it previously performed an interactive version of “Alice in Wonderland” at Auburn’s ArtRageous in 2011 – defies perceptions of what theater is, said Llysa Holland, artistic instigator. “Unlike most park shows, theater simple’s outdoor work is interactive - and it moves the audience around a space, whether a garden, a farmer’s market, [ more THEATER page 15 ]
See you at the this Sunday! Sunday market through Sept. 22 | 10 am-3pm Sound Transit Plaza, 23 A Street SW www.auburnfarmersmarket.org | 253-266-2726
Duel: Ricky Caates is Piggy Pirate, left, and Llysa Holland plays Pussycat in Theater Simple’s production of ‘The Adventures of Owl and Pussycat,’ coming to Auburn on July 28. COURTESY PHOTO
featuring...
ChalkArtist Gabrielle Abbott