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FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015
Filings draw two races for Kent City Council BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Voters will pick from more than one candidate in just two races this year for the Kent City Council as three incumbents are running unopposed. Four people are running for the seat held by Deborah Ranniger, who decided not to see reelection. Her term ends in December. Councilwoman Brenda Fincher, who
was appointed last year to her position, faces challenger Toni Troutner in the Nov. 3 general election for the remaining two years on the four-year term. Nobody filed by the May 15 deadline with King County Elections to run against incumbents Les Thomas, Bill Boyce and Dana Ralph. The council seats are fouryear terms and the part-time positions pay $13,752 per year. The candidates to replace Ranniger are Bailey Stober, Rich Brandau, Hira Singh
Bhullar and Tina Budell. They will face off in an Aug. 4 primary. The two with the most votes in the primary will advance to the general election. This marks the third council race for Stober. He lost races in 2013 against Ken Sharp and in 2011 against Ranniger. He lives on the East Hill and works as a communications and marketing consultant for several small businesses and a political client. [ more COUNCIL page 8 ]
Ismail Mohamed with his sons.
One race set for Kent School Board
Sister blames brother’s death on lack of help for mentally ill
BY HEIDI SANDERS hsanders@kentreporter.com
The Kent School Board will have one contested race in the Nov. 3 general election. Trisha Sanders is challenging incumbent Russell Hanscom for the District 1 seat. Board president Debbie Straus, District 3, and Karen DeBruler, District 2, are both running unopposed for re-election. Each position carries a four-year term. Filings closed May 15. Hanscom, 48, of Kent, was first elected to the board in 2011. He said he is pleased with the direction the district is headed and hopes to continue to serve on the board. “It’s important to me that we not only continue to build on our past success but continue to be innovative, ensuring all our students have the resources, structure and support to be successfully prepared for their futures,” Hanscom said in an email. Hanscom, the executive director for the Puyallup Tribe Elder and Vulnerable Adult Services, has three sons in Kent schools. [ more SCHOOL page 8 ]
Courtesy Photo
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
BIG TOY
[ more TOLLESON page 4 ]
[ more DEATH page 9 ]
Evan Mitchell, 2, of Kent, checks out a mini loader during a National Public Works Week event at the ShoWare Center on Monday. The city of Kent hosted the event, which featured a variety of heavy equipment and displays about the city’s Public Works Department. HEIDI SANDERS, Kent Reporter
Kent artist attracts large audience BY MARK KLAAS mklaas@kentreporter.com
Michael Tolleson, a renowned autistic savant artist, creates an inspiring piece in an hour or less. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter
Kent’s autistic savant artist is in great demand these days for his paintings. Through his attractive downtown gallery to his strong social media presence, the 57-yearold Tolleson is gaining a worldwide audience. “I’m a vessel that holds a gift. I cannot be credited for what I’m doing because it’s something that channels through the autism,” Tolleson said. “There’s a light within all of us. I didn’t find mine until my 50s. Who
Just two days before Kent Police responded to a suspicious death and found Ismail S.A. Mohamed dead, naked and with head injuries outside on a Kent hotel parking lot, his sister and parents had tried to convince a Yakima mental health treatment facility and a judge to keep him in custody for treatment. His family traveled to Washington from their home in Cairo, Egypt several days before the death of Mohamed, 31, a divorced father with two young boys. They came here because his sister reported Mohamed missing on April 14 after he failed to communicate with family members by phone as he typically did. The family tracked him down at the Bridges evaluation and treatment facility for the mentally ill in Yakima. A Washington State Patrol trooper had found Mohamed asleep and uncooperative in his vehicle along a Yakima street, according to Kent Police. Mohamed was admitted to Bridges on April 16 and discharged on April 17. Radwa Elfeqi saw a brief story on the Kent Reporter website about her brother’s death on the morning of April 21. He was found at the Crossland Economy Studios hotel. She called the newspaper to say there’s much more to the story than a man being found dead. She wanted the story known so other
Michael Tolleson has discovered more places, people and possibilities through his spontaneously created art. All for the purpose of bringing greater awareness to and support for autism.