Deer Park has grown significantly over the past few years in both population and economy. In 2016, there was a population of 3,848 people, with the average income of just $46,648. Compare that to 2019, where Deer Park had a population of 4,245 with an average income of $48,229. With the exponential growth in the population rate, it is likely that soon there will be more than 5,000 residents; this is a magic number for the city and will bring up some new challenges. Washington State law says once the city reaches 5,000 or more inhabitants, the city council will move from 5 seats to 7. This may present a challenge, as it was relatively difficult to fill the seats that were open this election. One seat ran completely unopposed. Having 2 additional seats to fill begs the question, “who is going to run?”
The job of the city council is essentially to decide where funding goes in the city, and act as the legislative branch to the city government. The only real regulation to be a city councilman is that you have to be a registered voter in the city you are running for at the time of the election.
This is not an immediate issue that will need to be tackled, but it is an inevitable one. In the meantime, the best way to get involved in government is to vote and attend city council meetings. When you vote, be informed. If you think you want to help make some of the decisions, you can always run for city council in 2022.
Sources:
RCW 35A.12
https://www.census.gov/glossary/#term_Populationestimates
