Hello Carnation,

Thank you for visiting my website. Hopefully this will give you more information about me and why I’m running for Carnation City Council.

I grew up in the small town of Ahtanum, Washington just outside of Yakima. I joined the West Valley Volunteer Fire Department when I was eighteen. While working there I received my Fire Fighter 1 card, Wildland Firefighting card, EMT certification, Defibrillator technician endorsement, and Combi-tube technician endorsement. I enjoyed that job for eight years working for two different fire departments.

My wife and I have been married for eighteen years and moved to Carnation eight years ago. We both grew up in the Yakima Valley and loved the small town feel of Carnation, believing it to be the perfect place to raise our two kids. We fell in love with the great restaurants, outdoor recreation, and downtown area. We also enjoy the convenience of the outdoor activities that are easily accessible from Carnation. Walking the Snoqualmie Valley Trail, playing in the Tolt and Snoqualmie Rivers, and frequenting the multiple parks in the area are all things we enjoy. It’s a great town to get outside and explore. These were the things that we were looking for in a place to live.

Over 15 years ago I bought the representative company I was working for. I manage sales, operations, and budgets for my company, dealers, and manufacturers. I have worked with all sizes of businesses. I have dealers ranging in sizes from single storefronts to Costco and Amazon.com. My experience in managing different customers and manufacturers has helped me accomplish goals in a multiple of different ways. These are experiences that I know will be helpful and needed on City Council.

Our town is facing many challenges right now. We have an increasing crime problem in the area. We have hundreds of homes that are being developed. We have a water system whose billing and management have been mishandled. We need to carefully control this growth and work with what we have, while maintaining the spirit of our community.

I have been very active in City issues for years. I was asked by City Council to be on a committee to help with budgeting. What I have seen is a lack of budget priority for issues that people really care about. There have been projects that have gone through for city beautification, yet nothing for addressing core needs. Our City Council needs people on it who will construct an appropriate budget for issues that really matter.

In my view, issues like life safety and basic infrastructure maintenance need to be addressed first. Police services need to be handled with a logical plan that the City can afford. Further, we ought to be planning for infrastructure improvements to help with the increasing needs of our roads. These are the issues I feel the City really needs to prioritize.

Please contact me with any of our concerns, questions, or comments. I would love to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Jim Ribail