A pair of political newcomers, Sean P. Kelly and Bill Woodcock, have thrown their hats into the ring for the seat vacated by Dana Parnello on the Maple Valley City Council.

Sean P. Kelley                      Bill Woodcock

Neither, however, are new to Maple Valley.

Kelly, 36, has lived here most of his life with the exception of moving to Black Diamond briefly. He is a 1993 graduate of Tahoma High and currently works for the Tahoma School District.

Woodcock moved to Maple Valley with hi s family in 1995. Since then he has run his own businesses here.

“I’ve always planned to run for City Council,” Woodcock said. “This city has been good to me. This city has enriched my life in ways I could not have imagined in 1995. This is another way to give back, to affect change in our community.”

Both men have been heavily involved with organizations in the city.

Woodcock is a long time member of the Maple Valley Rotary as well as the board of the Maple Valley-Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Planning Commission and the city’s Legacy Site Advisory Committee.

In addition to his day job working with kids, Kelly is active in public safety issues as a member of the Emergency Oversight Committee, the Public Oversight Committee for the Maple Valley Police Department, the Citizens Advisory Board for the fire department, as well as his latest volunteer position as vice chair of the city’s Parks Commission Advisory Committee.

Kelly said he wanted to run because he thinks the City Council needs to address some key issues such as public safety, traffic, entertainment for youth and families as well as economic development.

“My biggest concern is that I don’t want Maple Valley, SR 169 and Kent-Kangley to turn into the South Hill of Puyallup,” Kelly said. “Then we have the Black Diamond development coming in and that’s going to create a lot of traffic over the next several years.”

And while the city received mitigation fees from YarrowBay for its proposed Black Diamond developments, Kelly said, that’s just enough to get started.

The city also needs to be more business friendly, Kelly said, and he thinks the way to make that happen is evaluate current zoning to see if it can be revised to make it easier for new business to come to Maple Valley.

“Now, do I want a ton of businesses? No, but, we need a strong tax base,” Kelly said. “I think the council is starting to move that way. They’re working really hard and I want to see that continue.”

Kelly said public safety is critical to him and that “we need to keep the positive support for law enforcement and the fire department.”

That’s easier here, Kelly noted, because both Maple Valley police and fire departments are involved in community events as well as offer a number of outreach and educational events for residents.

For Woodcock, there are three major issues that pushed him to pursue his political aspirations.

“First, fiscal responsibility,” Woodcock said. “I felt last year was a huge step in the wrong direction. I believe that our city is overstaffed for a city of our size… that’s not a good use of our money.”

Woodcock also expressed concern that the city didn’t evaluate other ways to pay for increased staffing for the Maple Valley Police Department other than doubling the utility tax.

Second, he wants to see the city focus more on customer service.

“Our residents are customers,” he said. “I hear so many stories about people calling the city for information and they don’t get a call back.”

And finally, Woodcock said, he wants to bring a new perspective to council.

“For a long time, one way or another, we’ve had four votes that always win,” he said. “We need independent voices. We need people who can get up the next morning and roll up their sleeves and get back to work after they’ve disagreed.”

Woodcock also believes it’s important for the council members and staff to be able to work together but to build on that beyond the walls of City Hall.

“We need to cultivate more effective relationships,” Woodcock said. “That means we have to sit across the table and work together when we disagree. The city needs to be able to work with community leaders better.”

Something Woodcock and Kelly agree on is bringing a YMCA to the city.

Woodcock introduced YMCA representatives to city officials earlier this year. Since then the two entities have been in early discussions.

Both men are dads.

Kelly has an infant son, Carson, who was born April 28, while Woodcock has a daughter, Amanda, who will be a freshman at the University of Washington in the fall and a son, Billy, who is 12.

For families in Maple Valley, the YMCA would be a good thing, Kelly said, because at least half of the 1,800 students who attend Tahoma High don’t play sports or participate in some of the other extracurricular activities.

“The other 50 percent of the students need something positive to do,” Kelly said. “That’s why a YMCA would be an outstanding addition to the city of Maple Valley. It gets families involved.”

Ultimately running for council is about making Maple Valley better.

“I still want to keep a small town feel in Maple Valley where everybody feels safe and wants to be involved in the community,” Kelly said.

Woodcock said he won’t be a career councilman and won’t try to stay on the council if he can’t help affect change.

“I want us to get back to basics, to remember who our customers are… to build and rebuild those bridges to make this community a better place,” Woodcock said.