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Bronson handling his business on, off the field Regan
Bolli takes over as city manager
BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com
Not many Uber drivers are asked for their autograph after a ride. Then again, there’s never been a Seattle Seahawk sitting behind the app-for-hire wheel before. Demitrius Bronson is ready to change that. “Friday night or Saturday night when I’m not doing something, why not make a few extra bucks?” asked Bronson, 24, a member of the Seahawks practice squad. “I’ve got two kids at home.” Turns out not everything Bronson has learned since landing in the NFL has been related to the football field. The Kentwood High School alum, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the defending champs over the summer, is looking beyond the CenturyLink turf to secure a steady income. Practice squad players earn a minimum of $6,300 per week during the season, though the Seahawks don’t release specific contract information. As a young man with a burgeoning bank account, and a non-guaranteed contract, Bronson must consider where to put his money carefully. “It looks like a lump sum of money, but you have to expand it out,” he said. The average NFL career lasts 3.3 years, according to the NFL Players Association. The NFL claims the average is six years for players who make an opening roster their rookie season. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated estimated in 2009 that 78 percent of former NFL players had gone bankrupt or were under financial stress after two years of retirement. Demitrius’ main source for capital advice comes from his older brother, John, a former tight end who played a total of three games in the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and is now the chairman of the Pro Athlete Chamber of Commerce in Phoenix. Although football is Demitrius’ full-time gig, he is also looking for advice about a few
BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com
Demitrius Bronson leads a cheer while coaching his son’s recreational basketball team at Cedar Heights Middle School Jan. 10. Bronson, a Seahawks running back, has also signed up to be an Uber driver. ERIC MANDEL, The Reporter side projects. That includes picking the brain of former Seahawks owner John Nordstrom when the former retail magnate visits practices. “There are great resources here if you just take the time to look what’s around you,” he said. “Those people (like Nordstrom), a lot of times you’re not going to run into on the street. The setting I’m in, either way you can be a special person.” Beyond Nordstrom and his older brother,
Maple Valley ‘going green’ with new LEDs BY REBECCA GOURLEY rgourley@maplevalleyreporter.com
Maple Valley is planning on “going green” with new LED streetlights on Witte Road and 216th Avenue Southeast. The cost of lights and poles is estimated at about $425,000 combined. The rest of the installations, which includes foundations and conduits, went out to bid this
week, according to Steve Clark, Public Works and Community Development director. The city won’t have an estimation on that part of the project until after bids have been received. The project on Witte Road between state Route 169 and Southeast 240th Street will include installation of 11 new streetlights and poles. The 216th Avenue project will feature 36 new lights. This is the first public project for
one of the biggest resources for business advice has come from a surprising source: his Skittles-toting, media shunning, defense bulldozing teammate Marshawn Lynch. Bronson nearly purchased a coffee shop in Lakeland Hills with his wife, Tatiana Kawachi, a long-time barista in Covington, though he said Lynch cautioned him against it. Instead, Bronson said Lynch encouraged him to invest
Maple Valley that upgrades streetlights to LED, Clark said. At Monday night’s City Council meeting, Mayor Bill Alison and the council members agreed not to take action on the resolution to approve the light order from Intolight/Puget Sound Energy. Instead, they plan to add it to next meeting’s consent calendar. The two orders are expected to be approved at the beginning of the Jan. 26 meeting. Clark said the new lights will be “whiter” than the current lights, but will not have a blue tint like some LEDs. He also said they will be installing shields to prevent the light from going into people’s homes.
[ more BUSINESS page 3 ]
In the second night at his new Auburn home, Regan Bolli’s car was stolen from his driveway. Police told him it was a rarity in the neighborhood and found the vehicle days later, deposited in White Center with a few dings. “Our neighbors said that was our nice welcome to the area,” said the 36-year-old Regan Bolli transplant from Ephraim, Utah. Bolli is expecting a much easier and more hospitable introduction in his new role as Covington’s city manager. Bolli has more than seven years of local government experience, most recently through a four-year stint as city manager in Ephraim, population of roughly 6,300. Bolli earned his bachelor’s degree from BYU in American studies and a law degree from the University of Denver. He and his wife, Erin, have six children, whose ages range from 12 to less than a [ more BOLLI page 10 ]
The city plans to upgrade 11 streetlights on Witte Road SE between Southeast 240th Street and state Route 169 to LED bulbs. REBECCA GOURLEY, The Reporter