Maple Valley’s new City Councilman Dana Parnello see potential in city

Published 6:19 pm Friday, February 19, 2010

Dana Parnello saw Maple Valley’s potential when he moved to the Puget Sound region from Colorado in 1999.

In 2003, Parnello moved with his family to Maple Valley, which suited him perfectly because “I am not a big city boy, I am not a small town kind of guy.”

Parnello now has the opportunity to take his love for the perfectly sized city of Maple Valley and channel it into service on the City Council. He was appointed Feb. 11 to fill the seat vacated by Laure Iddings on Jan. 1.

Living in Fort Collins, Colo., Parnello said, “were the formative years that led me to want to live in a town that is just the right size.”

“I continue to see the potential and I don’t think we’ve even come close to realizing our potential,” Parnello said. “I strongly believe that everybody does have the opportunity to have a say. Having moved to Maple Valley (in 2003), I started to become familiar with some of the issues just looking at the local paper and speaking with folks.”

When an opportunity arose to join the Planning Commission, Parnello applied, and was initially appointed as an alternate in 2007.

“If we have something to offer, I feel we should be obligated to do so, get involved and get engaged,” he said. “I don’t like whiners, I don’t like complainers. I like people who get engaged and make a difference.”

Parnello, who has two daughters, Annalise who is 12 years old, and Emma, 9, wants to be a good role model for his children and he thinks it’s critical they see him actively involved in the community so that they will model that behavior in their own lives.

Parnello had served as the vice chair of the Planning Commission after Layne Barnes was elected to the City Council in 2007 then stepped up to chair after Erin Weaver won a seat on the council in November.

“When you look at the history of the Planning Commission … there has been a precedence set for the progression from the commission to the City Council,” he said. “As chair of the Planning Commission, I wondered if (the vacant seat) was something I should consider. Then some people contacted me and said I should apply.”

Initially, Parnello was flattered by the encouragement, but wasn’t sure if it was simply flattery, but when he realized the suggestions were serious and sincere he decided to consider it.

“I thought, ‘There could be a really strong connection in having broad representation for the city here,’” he said. “One element of my having been selected is that I will be a good fit with the other members. I don’t think a good council is a group of seven people who all think the same way. We need a variety of viewpoints, a diversity of experience and skills … in order to represent 23,000 people.”

Parnello believes he can examine complex issues and get answers for difficult questions, something that will be critical as the city refines its identity and develops a town center, as well as create opportunities for economic development.

“The important thing is to look at the existing council priorities and recognize that much of the work plan is both urgent and important,” he said. “If you look at any council packet there is a huge breadth of issues every week that the council is dealing with.”

On his radar is Summit Place, also known as the donut hole, a 156-acre property owned by King County that Kirkland-based developer YarrowBay intends to purchase and develop. Negotiations between the county and YarrowBay continue as a Saturday deadline to complete the purchase and sale agreement looms.

“It’s easy to lose sight of the larger goal,” he said. “We don’t represent the donut hole, we don’t represent Four Corners, we represent the city as a whole and we need to look at the whole package.”

Summit Place is a complex issue, Parnello said, and it is important for the city to understand its role in the process because “it’s going to have a huge impact on our city, so, hopefully we can handle it well.”

Parnello is also interested in moving the Four Corners subarea plan forward, a document which will serve as a blueprint for economic development in that part of town, with particular emphasis in resolving the sticking points of its northwest quadrant.

Helping the city move toward creating a town center that residents can get to on foot or by bicycle, for example, is “one area where I have given quite a bit of thought.”

“I have had quite a few conversations with friends, family and neighbors about where Maple Valley is lacking,” he said. “If we could get to a point where we have (a downtown or town center) then I would say we’re successful. If we wait until we have a perfect downtown village and we can do everything all at once, we’ll never do anything.”

In his application, Parnello said, the town center vision could not “be pursued without economic stability.”

“We must secure our economic health at a level consistent with that which our community desires,” his application stated. “We must determine if the future of Maple Valley involves providing the services afforded a bedroom community or those of a community with a diverse revenue stream. The call for services is loud. The cry for maintaining that which we already know is a common refrain. We must stay in tune with community needs and wants and doggedly pursue them.”

Parnello is an outdoor enthusiast who loves cycling and goes on backpacking trips at least once a year with his family and has channeled his passion into a job as a product and research testing manager for REI.

He is a co-leader of his daughter’s Girl Scout troop and has participated in a handful of triathlons among other pursuits. Parnello, a native of the Bay Area, has a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy analysis from University of California-Davis and a master’s degree in recreation administration from the University of Northern Colorado.

“I am a guy who has a bunch of woodworking tools who occasionally makes something,” he said. “I enjoy tinkering in the shop, whether it’s on bicycles or wood.”

His interest in building applies to the community as well as to furniture.

“This is an investment. This is a commitment that you’ve made,” he said. “I’m just a dad living in a community that sees some opportunities for the city and wants to be involved in making them happen. If I can be a part of it then that’s pretty exciting.”