For the 2021 Voters Guide, we emailed candidates a set of questions on professional experience, local priorities and general issues. We have included those questions and the unedited responses. We have noted when candidates left questions unanswered. We have also provided links to candidate websites, campaign funding reports and other local media coverage when available.
Any questions or suggestions should be sent to: whitmancowatch@gmail.com
CANDIDATE BACKGROUND
Campaign website: meganguidoforpullmancitycouncil.com
Social media: Facebook
Official county Voters Pamphlet statement
RECENT COVERAGE
Thirty-year Pullman resident will run for City Council seat (Daily Evergreen)
Guido declares run for Pullman City Council (Moscow-Pullman Daily News)
Public candidate forum on Oct. 12 (League of Women Voters of Pullman)
CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
How would you describe your current occupation or job title(s)?
I retired from Pullman Regional Hospital in January 2021 after 24 years of working in marketing and communications for our public district hospital. I recently started working part time as the Outreach Coordinator for Community Congregational United Church of Christ in Pullman, I am also a communications consultant, life coach and Color Code Personality trainer in my business called I’m Trying Too at www.imtryingtoo.com.
What other memberships or community affiliations would you like to share with voters?
I am currently a board member on the Pullman Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Pullman Kiwanis. I also serve on the Pullman 2040 Strategy Team.
What, if any, charities, political campaigns or nonprofits have you donated money or volunteer hours to in the past year?
Whitman County Democrats, National Public Radio, Blue Wave, NARAL
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
I’m proud to have contributed to the leadership of Pullman Regional Hospital for more than 20 years. We are truly fortunate to have an award winning hospital with dedicated staff in a small, rural area.
What is your vision for the City of Pullman as a community, and are there any other towns you see doing things right or would like to emulate?
I am running for office to help build a strong, welcoming and inclusive community that meets the needs of all of its citizens, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, race or income level. We are experiencing pivotal social, environmental and economic changes that are impacting Pullman. We must keep pace with these changes and proactively plan for the future. My areas of focus include modernizing city codes for diversity and environmental impacts, providing affordable housing, addressing infrastructure and traffic issues, providing more communications and transparency, incentivizing businesses to locate downtown, working collaboratively with WSU and the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, and with Pullman police, fire, EMS and WSU officials to ensure public safety. Finally, we must have a city government that is reflective of Pullman’s diverse and rich culture. This is the Pullman I will help work to build.
Walla Walla and Colfax are cities that come to mind as successfully transforming their downtowns. Colfax also has the challenge of having a state highway running through their downtown but at least it isn’t one way. I think we need to look at what other cities are doing about vacant storefronts and buildings.
What is your top priority for quality of life and what, if any, changes would you make regarding that issue?
So many issues contribute to quality of life and are interrelated. Affordable, quality housing is key since everyone deserves shelter. Good paying jobs and affordable, accessible childcare also play a major role in quality of life. A strong infrastructure with clean, accessible water are key to quality of life. A thriving downtown and economy are critical for retention and attraction of businesses. The continuing quality of and student enrollment at Washington State University and success of businesses like SEL are a mainstay of Pullman’s economy. It is the role of city council to steward these resources and to proactively plan for the future to ensure ongoing quality of life for our citizens.
Has the city done a good job supporting local businesses and how do you know? What else could the city council do to help encourage economic growth and development?
The city made a good first move by hiring an Economic Development Manager to focus on identifying new businesses, attracting them to Pullman and keeping them here. The City and Pullman Chamber of Commerce need to collaborate on these goals and not be at odds. Other entities like Pullman 2040 can be used as a sounding board and idea generator as well. We need to utilize American Recovery Plan funds to support current businesses and make Pullman a place people want to do business. The Pullman Chamber helped local businesses find American Recovery Plan funds during the pandemic. Hiring a director for the Downtown Pullman Association will be an important step as well.
What three steps do you think the Pullman City Council could take to improve housing affordability?
- Incentivize developers to build mixed use, lower cost housing in Pullman (e.g. pocket neighborhoods or intentional neighborhoods) located next to amenities like grocery stores, recreation, bus system, etc.
- Find grant or federal/state funding to restore older homes and bring them up to code.
- Limit the number of building permits for single family houses.
What is the best action the city government or the council has taken in the past five years?
The city council made a goal in 2018 to make Pullman Transit system fully electric and we are on our way thanks to the city government’s work to secure federal funding.
What is the worst decision or biggest opportunity the council has missed the past five years?
The Council missed an opportunity by not putting the Black Lives Matter mural on the concrete wall on Spring Street. I don’t believe the Council gave the Arts Commission good direction and then it didn’t like how the call for art was handled. Unfortunately, it resulted in poor public relations for the city and sent the wrong message. We must work to restore people’s beliefs that we are a welcoming and inclusive community.
What do you think will be the most significant challenge or threat the City of Pullman will face in the next five years?
Proactively planning for growth and a changing future. Making hard, unpopular decisions about use of resources and building and updating/enforcing codes to reflect current and future realities.
What city infrastructure do you think needs the most attention or additional funding, and why?
Our roads within city limits should be an infrastructure priority. We need to attend to potholes and sidewalks that are cracked or uneven. These are a hazard to walkers and runners and a quality of life issue.
Traffic is also a quality of life issue and is getting worse. Grand and Main streets can be improved with the construction of a south bypass to divert truck and car traffic. A greater concerted effort to make this a reality must happen.
We should implement measures to manage and conserve water since climate change has and will impact our environment in the future.
What are your top transportation and transit priorities for the community and why?
I believe we must find a way to divert traffic that flows through our downtown because of the busy state highways. This will make the downtown more attractive and improve traffic flow. It won’t be easy but I believe it is key to the successful revitalization of downtown and quality of life issues. The intersection at Davis Way and Grand is an increasing hazard and “driving across town” is taking longer.
I’d like to see incentives to ride your bike, walk or take the bus to work by the city and private business. The city must partner with civic groups like Pullman Civic Trust to support our current bike paths and build more of them.
Do you support creating a transportation benefit district? Why or why not? If yes, do you favor a .02-percent sales tax, increased licensing fees or another approach?
A recent survey on the condition of Pullman roads revealed many of them are in poor shape and maintenance/repair must take place now. Creation of a Transportation Benefit District is an approach to raising the revenue to address our roads and sidewalks. It’s possible the revenue generated could also be used for the construction of a highway bypass which would take noisy and undesirable traffic out of the downtown area.
Yes, I would support a slight percentage increase in sales tax or licensing fees, particularly licensing fees since it relates to transportation.
What is your highest priority for city-managed parks and recreation efforts? What would you like to see done with the funding from the abandoned Lawson Garden event center project?
I think Parks & Recreation does a great job with its programming and offerings to community. Our parks are one of our greatest assets. I’m hearing that our playground equipment is in need of upgrades though. I would support a review and upgrade of playground equipment possibly using funds that were originally designated for the Lawson Garden event center project.
Do you support the city enacting policies to address climate change or promote environmental sustainability? If so, what steps would you take?
Yes, we have to take the lead on this or who else will? We know that city operations cause carbon emissions. Let’s start with us. The city needs to develop a Climate Action Plan with science-based metrics and targets and should think about enrolling in programs like Race to Zero to provide us guidance to get to carbon neutral within the next 25 years.
What, if anything, would you change to make the city more transparent or to improve communication with the public?
The city has made communications an identified priority and is planning to hire a communications coordinator. As a working professional in the field of communications in non-profits and public agencies, I strongly support this hire to ensure regular communication to the public on issues they have a right to know. Communicating about city affairs is a full-time job.
Our city council members should also regularly communicate with constituents through such venues as electronic newsletters, social media, their respective websites or periodic neighborhood meetings.
If you could wave a magic wand and instantly change one thing about Pullman, what would it be and why?
The downtown for obvious reasons.