Chris Nye encourages you to please vote in the August 7th Primary Election

It's time!  Remember to turn in your ballot by Tuesday August 7th to vote in the primary election for Pierce County Council Position 4.  I’m running because I like to solve problems.  It’s what I’ve been doing my entire career.  Take a look at your Voters Pamphlet to see how I am uniquely qualified (here is a link to the Pierce County Online Voters Guide).   I’m asking for your VOTE, so together; we can solve today’s problems, for a brighter future.  Thank you for this opportunity.

You are invited to a Pierce County Town Hall Meeting

Tuesday July 24th – 6:00 p.m.
The News Tribune, Baker Room
1950 S State Street, Tacoma

Please join Chris Nye for a Pierce County Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.

If you would like to share your thoughts about our county’s future, this would be an excellent opportunity.

Read about all four candidates for Pierce Council Position 4

For the issues Pierce County faces today, Chris Nye is uniquely qualified to serve.  Four strong candidates would like your vote, and you can read about all of them in their Voters Pamphlet Statements.

A letter to the friends, neighbors & supporters of Chris Nye

Mark Twain once said that “the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”   I’m no Mark Twain but the reports of me leaving University Place City Council have been greatly exaggerated.

In 2012 Pierce County has a new voting district that includes University Place, Fircrest and parts of Tacoma.  I am running for this newly created position.  City Council is a part-time leadership position, and most members have “real-life” jobs too.  Some of those jobs are in business and some are in government, and this breadth of knowledge makes them more qualified to serve.  I intend to serve on both the county council AND the city council.

Good people go to work every day to provide the core services that are rightfully within the scope of local government.   They do what their leaders ask, they do it well, and they deserve to be guided by policies set by innovative people who have the leadership experience necessary to make good decisions.  After winning the 2011 UP Council race, I’ve demonstrated this year that I’m committed to keeping local government focused on the provision of core services, specifically public safety and infrastructure. 

Pierce County is facing a potentially transformational event when the US Open comes to Chambers Bay in 3 years.  The world, as well as Fortune 500 employers, will be watching and making decisions about where they want to live, work, shop, play and conduct business.  I am a third generation entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for the business of golf, preparing me unlike any other candidate to help our region realize long-term economic benefits from the US Open.

I’m asking for your support at the polls and I’m asking you to stand beside me with a financial contribution.  Every amount will make a difference, so please make out those checks to “Friends of Chris Nye.”  If you would like to help with a yard sign, or host a town hall meeting, that would be great too!  You can follow our progress at Vote4Nye.com, and I sincerely thank you for considering an investment today with your checkbook and with your vote in August’s primary election.

Sincerely,

Chris Nye

Comments by Chris Nye about his candidacy

My announcement  that I am running for Pierce County Council has been greeted by some with the feeling that I am abandoning the city of University Place.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

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.

Pierce County Council Position 4 Announcement

University Place City Councilmember Chris Nye has announced that he will also be a candidate for the Pierce County Council position #4 currently held by Tim Farrell, who will not be running in 2012 due to term limits. The district includes University Place as well as Fircrest and parts of Tacoma.

Nye thinks his skills and passion as a fiscally conservative problem solver will serve Pierce County well.  His business and military experience has taught him to do more with less and to understand and execute the mission.  He believes the county’s priorities over the next four years should be to promote public safety and a strong economic base, and to prepare the community for the world stage of the 2015 US Open.

Nye’s first foray into politics was successful, as he won the three-way University Place primary election by a 22% margin and the general election by 26%.  He received the endorsements of The News Tribune, Master Builders Association of Pierce County, Pierce County Deputy Sheriff's Guild, West Pierce Fire Fighters, and the Tacoma Pierce County Association of REALTORS, and hopes to earn their support in 2012.

Nye is the founder of the real estate marketing and listing service MLS4owners.com, a Director of Fircrest Golf Club and Washington REALTORS, and a member of US Congressman Adam Smith's Technology Advisory Council. He has also served as co-chair of University Place’s Traffic Impact Fee committee and a member of the city’s Economic Development Commission, as well as on the Seattle King County REALTORS Board of Directors. At Niagara University he graduated cum laude in Criminology and Political Science, and interned in Washington DC for the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.  After graduation he became an officer in the United States Army, where he commanded a Special Forces Counter Terrorist Team at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

A word from Chris Nye about tonight’s vote count

Thank you so much to everybody who has made this a great experience for me and my family. The final tally isn’t done but early returns appear to show that I will soon be a University Place City Councilmember.

I ran for office because I want to help solve problems that appropriately belong in front of our City Council (let’s make sure we’re working on the right problems!).  This is a non-partisan office, and the organization works best if a group of strong leaders with conviction, energy and ideas understand the objective and work toward a common goal.  I look forward to working with whoever can help to resolve issues, without regard to their political affiliations.  I am grateful that so many voters and organizations across the political spectrum agree with this vision.