The top political stories of 2014 were: Council passage of the Performing Arts and Conference Center; state Rep. Roger Freeman’s passing; Jim Ferrell’s first year as mayor; former school board President Tony Moore’s legal problems; former school Superintendent Rob Neu’s departure for Oklahoma City; and the Council appointment of new Councilwoman Lydia Assefa-Dawson.

Who and what will be the top political stories and newsmakers of 2015?

This should be an exciting year for Council candidates as the city is considering several new policy directions, some of which are likely to be controversial.

Much of what happens this year will set the stage for national, state and local races in 2016 and 2017. The legislative seat previously held by Freeman will be the headliner. Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Democrat Carol Gregory to fill the seat and the race will be hotly contested by Republicans.

Many expect Democrat Martin Moore to switch parties and become a Republican in order to challenge for the job. Moore has already demonstrated that he is very ambitious and is a young man in a hurry. He could be a major newsmaker for 2015.

The City Council seats currently held by Bob Celski, Susan Honda, Lydia Assefa-Dawson and Dini Duclos are all up for election. Celski’s name has come up as a possible candidate for the legislative seat, but running to retain his Council position seems more probable. Honda and Assefa-Dawson both are likely to run.

Duclos has said on several occasions that she would not seek another term and she did face some health issues. But lately she has been acting more like a candidate and would probably like to see the Performing Arts and Conference Center completed. If Celski wins another term on the Council, then watch him for higher office in the future.

The local races may also test the interest of potential candidates for mayor in 2017 as several names have reached the speculation phase.

However, the most important election may be one made by only five voters. The school board will decide who our next superintendent will be.

Frequently, after turmoil, an inexperienced board, such as this one, tends to lean toward playing it safe and that might favor acting Superintendent Sally McLean. McLean is smart, well liked and knows the business.

In addition to the school district, many have speculated about possible staff changes at other levels of government in the community. Watch closely.

Other questions for 2015: will Ferrell be as active in his second year as he was in his first? Or will he start to settle into the job and start matching planning and action together? His new Economic Development Director Tim Johnson has announced a very broad economic agenda that has several potentially controversial components.

Its highlights suggest the supporters of the Performing Arts and Conference Center have bigger plans for implementing more of their goals. It also suggests that Deputy Mayor Jeanne Burbidge may be playing a bigger role behind the scenes in formulating city direction. And since the Greater Federal Way Chamber of Commerce represents business interests in town, new CEO Becca Martin’s leadership could make a significant impact.

Ferrell, Johnson, Burbidge and Martin could be four big newsmakers in 2015.

A major decision confronting the community is which southern route will Sound Transit use for its Federal Way extension, Interstate 5 or Highway 99? Which route will be best suited for Federal Way 50 years from now when more of our residents are likely to both live and work here rather then commute to Seattle or Tacoma? Which one will encourage economic development and jobs more easily? And, what will happen to the Weyerhaeuser facility?

The city legislative and economic agendas seem more focused on arts, culture and tourism rather than supporting business efforts toward sustainable job growth.

This raises questions about City Hall’s  commitment to the poor and homeless. Regional cooperation on a day center for the homeless is a good sound bite, but what will the city actually do?

You could have already bought a really impressive shelter for the homeless with the $8.2 million the city spent on the former Target location.

Last year, the City Council passed a moratorium on development for part of the downtown and purchased the former Target location because they didn’t like what a private sector developer was planning in either location.

We still don’t know the whole story and these may have been good moves. But candidates for City Council may want to ask, shouldn’t the city be supporting business rather than delaying or competing with it?

Could this be the year that we find out if the city is serious about a college in downtown? Although they have changed the wording to “branch campus of a major university.” Doesn’t the branch of the University of Washington, 20 minutes away, meet that qualification? Is state government really willing to financially support another college in this area? And if so, how many years will it take for approval?

Most importantly, what should be the city’s priorities? There are a lot of questions to be asked. Now is the time to influence the direction of your city. There are a lot of people trying to direct the city in a manner that helps their interests.

But do they represent you? If not, you need to let your elected officials and candidates know what your priorities are. This is a very important year. Will you get involved or sit on the sideline?

Some of these people will be the newsmakers of 2015. Some won’t and there are always new issues to capture the public’s attention.

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is a former mayor of Auburn: bjroegner@comcast.net.