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INSIDE | Man pleads not guilty to theft charge from woman he met online [3]
It’s Blue Friday! See inside for our special
Seeahawk Section
FRIDAY, JANUARY 24, 2014
City seeks applicants to fill vacant council position BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The Kent City Council posted a help wanted sign on Wednesday to fill a vacant council position. Ken Sharp’s sudden resignation Jan. 16 because of pending firstdegree theft charges against him
after only two weeks in office left the seven-member council one person short. Council President Dana Ralph announced the plan to find a replacement at Tuesday’s regular meeting. The council will pick the replacement. People who have lived in Kent
for at least one year and are registered voters can apply up to 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, online at the city website kentwa.gov or email applications to cityclerk@kentwa. gov. Applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter about why they want to serve on the council. The part-time position
pays $13,752 per year. The council will have a special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11 to review the applications and decide who they want to interview as finalists. The council will have another special meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 to interview the finalists and then meet in execu-
INSIDE: More on Ken Sharp’s resignation, page 4
tive session before voting on who shall be appointed. “We encourage anyone that is [ more COUNCIL page 4 ]
State PDC probes complaint on Stober BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The state Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) is investigating a complaint that Bailey Stober failed to file expense reports during his campaign against Ken Sharp for the Kent City Council. Stober lost the November race to Sharp, Stober who last week resigned from the council because of pending first-degree theft charges against him. Stober has said he plans to apply for the vacant seat. The council will pick Sharp’s replacement. “Yes, there is an investigation underway,” said Lori Anderson, PDC communications officer, in a Tuesday email. “It will likely be a couple of months before there is any progress to report.” [ more STOBER page 4 ]
BLUE AND TRUE
story, more photos online… kentreporter.com
Charter school bid receives support BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
Kent-Meridian High School teacher Patrick Campbell sported his Russell Wilson jersey last Friday afternoon in preparation for the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl-clinching win over San Francisco last Sunday. Blue Friday isn’t limited to Seattle. Seahawks fans are showing their colors throughout Kent, from barbershops to high schools, banks to businesses. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
The Excel Public Charter School received a largely positive reception at the Washington Commission on
Charter Schools’ open forum Jan. 15. Excel presented its charter school plan alongside two other charters, Coral Academy and Cedar River Academy. During the discussion section of the presentation, [ more CHARTER page 5 ]
Singer-songwriter reaches for the stars BY ROSS COYLE
Kent’s Tess Henley has won $35,000 through her piano playing and singing, and is gunning for a third prize pack at the Guitar Center SingerSongwriter competition in Los Angeles. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
rcoyle@kentreporter.com
To say the music business is in Tess Henley’s blood would be an understatement. Her mother sang in a soul band and her brother is an award winning guitarist. Her sister helps manage her music business and her father looks for other ways to monetize her music. “Music was always around the
house,” she said while relaxing in her family home, a secluded house in the Kent-Covington area. “It was a natural progression that we started learning how to play more pop contemporary music and the music that we wanted to actually play instead of classical.” Henley has made $35,000 from winning two music competitions, and now the young singer-
songwriter has her eyes set on a third: the Guitar Center SingerSongwriter Competition with a hefty reward of $25,000 and an album recording deal among other prizes. “It’s a blessing for someone like me as an independent artist for opportunities like this,” said Henley, whose brother competed [ more HENLEY page 5 ]