REVIEW BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
INSIDE: Soccer team wins again, A19
Friday, May 8, 2015 | Vol. 90, No. 19 | WWW.BAINBRIDGEREVIEW.COM | 75¢
Getting schooled in the art of saving lives
Mike Scott
Pegeen Mulhern
Out and In: Candidates line up for council BY BRIAN KELLY
Bainbridge Island Review
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Firefighters work to free a “patient” (an unlucky mannequin) from a vehicle trapped under a school bus, one of the scenarios of the recent multi-department joint training session.
Firefighters gather on Bainbridge for extrication training BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Luciano Marano | Bainbridge Island Review
Course instructors review the performance of participating firefighters after an extrication drill.
A person is killed in a traffic accident in this country every 13 minutes. Roughly 9,000 fatalities result every year from rollovers, more than 8,000 from offset crashes and more than 2,000 from rear end collisions, according to the Puyallup Fire Extrication Team. In the face of such daunting figures, first responders know they are facing an uphill battle at best, and
rely on quality training and the very best equipment to remove people from damaged vehicles in the quickest and safest way possible, knowing that every second really could be the one that makes the difference between life and death. To that end, firefighters from several departments around the county, including Bainbridge, North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Poulsbo and Suquamish, TURN TO TRAINING | A2
Bainbridge’s last two mayors won’t seek re-election to the city council. Mayor Anne Blair and Councilman Steven Bonkowski said this week they won’t run for another term. Island voters will see a couple of familiar names on the ballot, however. Councilwoman Sarah Blossom said this week she would seek another term, and Councilman Mike Scott, who was appointed to the council in January, has also announced a bid to retain his seat. Also, Pegeen Mulhern, a Bainbridge attorney and a longtime community volunteer, kicked off her campaign Thursday for the District 1 council seat currently held by Bonkowski. The field of council hopefuls will take further shape next week, as filing week for candidates kicks off May 11. Scott was the first to toss his hat in the ring for the city council. Scott announced his candidacy late last week. The move was not a surprise, as Scott had said during his interview for the vacant council seat in January that he was planning to run as a candidate in late 2015. “It’s been a good experience. I’ve been learning a lot and have a lot to learn still,” Scott said. Scott joined the council earlier this year as the city was trying to emerge from an ongoing controversy prompted by council members who were found to be conducting city business
in secret on their personal email accounts, and then later, refused to release emails that were deemed to be public records. Scott stepped up to serve in the Central Ward seat after then-councilman David Ward resigned as part of a settlement agreement that ended a public records lawsuit against the city that also named Bonkowski and former councilwoman Debbi Lester. Scott said he has been impressed during his time on the council by the city manager, city staff and his council colleagues. “I like the direction the council is heading with more collegial decision-making,” he said. “There’s a lot more good work to be done,” Scott added. Scott, 58, has lived on Bainbridge since 1989. A lawyer who received his juris doctor degree from Stanford Law School in 1982, he currently is the chairman of the Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson Litigation Group. He has previously served in elected office. He was a member of the Bainbridge Island School Board from 2001 to 2004. In his announcement, Scott pledged to “work collegially, collaboratively, and creatively with the other members of the council, the city manager and city staff to make the best decisions we can for our city.” One of the big issues this election season is expected to be development TURN TO COUNCIL | A18
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