I said that I “will also be a candidate for the Pierce County Council position #4,” which with new redistricting represents the areas of University Place, Fircrest and parts of Tacoma. Much of the feedback seems to be based on the assumption that I would leave my position on the University Place City Council. I have no intention of doing so. Having a University Place citizen and business owner on the Pierce County Council is good for the city. Most city council members have “real-life” jobs too, some in business and some in government, and this breadth of knowledge makes them more qualified to serve.
Over the next 4 years the interests of District 4 and University Place are “joined at the hip” because Chambers Bay is in University Place but owned by Pierce County. In 2015 the expected attendance at US Open is 250,000 people, representing a great opportunity for the city, county and state to put their best foot forward. I want to make sure that the city and county governments are prepared, and my experience in business, government and golf course management makes me extremely qualified to help.
I’ve appreciated some of the clever takes on the fact that my announcement came so soon after the previous election, including one that called me Chris Nye The Candidate Guy. If I was a career candidate who was managed by political experts perhaps I would have waited a few months when the political climate would be better, but we don’t have this time or luxury to wait to get focused on making the US Open the single most successful transformational event in the history of University Place and its surrounding communities in Pierce County.
My Grandpa Nye always told me there are three types of people in the world: those who watch things happen, those who wonder what just happened, and those who make things happen. I’m not an experienced politician, but I am a third-generation entrepreneur and a trained Special Forces officer. My gut tells me we don’t have the time to make the US Open the best experience for our guests coming to visit Pierce County unless a sense of urgency makes preparations a priority now.
As I said during the city council campaign and as I will stress throughout this campaign, the goal of local government should be the provision of core services, specifically public safety and infrastructure. The world has said they are coming to visit and they are bringing tourist dollars with them. They’ll also be watching on TV and making decisions about where they want to live, work, shop and play. Imagine the economic engine those decisions can create and how the resultant tax revenue can pay for the core services we need. Now imagine the regret if we aren’t ready.
I’m ready.
