Whether it’s making Federal Way a “fun city” again, focusing on attracting Fortune 500 companies or ensuring each resident is safe from gang violence, the Federal Way mayoral candidates had a lot to say at the Federal Way Mirror’s annual primary election candidate forum on Wednesday.

Held at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club, Mayor Jim Ferrell, Councilwoman Susan Honda and C. Mark Greene faced a crowd of about 150 as they tackled key issues. King County elections mailed ballots on Wednesday. Voters have until Aug. 1 to cast their vote.

PERFORMING ARTS AND EVENT CENTER

Proudly proclaiming he believes the Performing Arts and Event Center is “Ferrell’s Palace” and that Ferrell is the “Pope of the PAEC,” Greene was quick to call his opponent out. Greene reminded everyone of Ferrell’s initial distaste of the building and then stated he believes the city should enter a private partnership in order to reduce taxpayers’ burden.

Honda said the performing arts center is here, it’s beautiful and it’s coming Aug. 19. She said it’s important to make sure it’s successful and that she believes in working with a private company to run operations one day if necessary. As an arts commissioner, she was supportive of the arts center, but as a council member, she has concerns about financing it as the city has just begun to draw upon its inter-fund loan in which the city has three years to pay it off and 20 years to pay off Community Development Block Grant monies.

Ferrell said the PAEC is a “tremendous success story.” He joked the name “Ferrell’s Palace” didn’t need to go on it, at least not yet, in response to Greene. He explained he was initially opposed to the performing arts center, but between May and June of 2014, he commissioned a Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Panel to look at objective measures to determine whether the project could be feasible. With the $24 million raised of the $32.7 million construction cost, Ferrell said he expects the $8 million gap to be closed through naming rights.

FORMER WEYERHAEUSER CAMPUS

Ferrell said plans for the former Weyerhaeuser campus have come a long way in one year. Now owned by Industrial Realty Group, there was an outcry after many in the community learned the 430-acre land could be developed with warehouses and industrial-type projects. This year, however, Ferrell said the city secured $1 million and an additional $2 million from King County to assist in preserving about 40-50 acres of that land which is along North Lake. He said he brought in Forterra, a company to help with the conservation efforts, and Yarden Weidenfeld, his senior policy adviser, to help and expects the hundreds of jobs from Davita to be a positive thing for Federal Way, in terms of jobs for that area.

While Honda said she’d like to see Weyerhaeuser return — her husband works there — she said a Fortune 500 company that will bring back the 6,000 employees that Weyerhaeuser used to employ would be good for Federal way. She does want to protect the property and ensure the Bonsai and Rhododendron Species gardens don’t have to worry about losing their lease, but ultimately said the property is not city owned.

Greene said he would make sure there will be “no industrialization of Weyerhaeuser, period.” He said he would spend up to $3 million in legal fees to do that and then he’d send the bill to Ferrell, Honda and the other six council members who let the deal go through without proper restrictions. Then? He’d maybe put “a college campus or two” on the property.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Public safety is the first responsibility of anyone who is elected, Honda said. Because her son is a police officer, she said she’s aware of the hard work that goes into the job and believes the city should hire more officers. But, the city needs more revenue to do so, she pointed out. Honda would also like to focus on gangs. She said the city not only has gangs in Federal Way, but that gang members are living here as well.

Ferrell mentioned he was a prosecutor for 19 years in King County and has the endorsement of the police department.

He said while Honda addresses the need for focusing on gang violence, it’s already being done. At his direction, the city took the lead in a regional gang violence task force.

Ferrell said King County didn’t have a formalized gang structure and often receive the spillover effects. He said identifying the high impact offenders will aid in getting gangs out of Federal Way.

Greene believes the city should increase its police force but also focus on the importance of child rearing, education and ethics and civics. He said if the city concentrates on those factors, “we’ll be on the right road.”

To watch the entire primary election forum, go to the Federal Way Mirror’s Facebook page.