• No Surprise on Candidate Choices Following Attacks from Kastama & King • Jeff Bennett & Heather Schiller the Overwhelming Preferences • Shout-Out to Lindsay Smolko for Sharing Full Survey Responses
A mailer from Puyallup City Council candidate Heather Schiller arrived on our doorsteps here in District 2 late last week, and it featured an interesting “candidate comparison” on one side. The first comparison was about Fiscal Responsibility, with Schiller saying she’s “Committed to finding cost-effective solutions without raising taxes” which is music to PV4I ears. On the King side, she says he “Voted to raise taxes by $750 per year for Puyallup families” and cites PV4I as the source.
Throughout the 3 week PV4I effort to get information to Puyallup voters, we never thought to actually add up all the taxes Dennis King and his colleagues on city council increased, so we can’t verify if Schiller’s math is correct. We also didn’t have time to do the math ourselves over the weekend, as we were engaged in the #Puyallup #SignBattle2025 which consisted of adding little signs underneath many of King’s ubiquitous campaign signs, making them read like “Keep Taxes Low … Says The Incumbent Who Raised Taxes To The Literal Max.”
The day after we did that, we found he had moved his signs a few feet away from ours, so in turn, we moved our little signs to follow his. The day after that, he printed up more of his sign add-ons and posted them to block ours from view, something we will investigate as it may violate campaign law. So we moved our little signs back in front of his a couple hours later. Last night, King went around and blocked our signs again, so we’ll get out there this beautiful fall morning, and reveal ours back into view so drivers and pedestrians can enjoy them again.
After silly season ends today, we will try to do the math and see if Heather Schiller’s figure of $750 per year tax increase is accurate. In the meantime, we have final results on our campaign season survey to share. For details on the survey rationale and how results were likely skewed by attacks on PV4I by the incumbent candidates, please click on 2025 Campaign Survey – Partial Results: Tax Questions & Comments Submitted So Far.
We won’t know until after the election if the skewed responses were because most people prefer Bennett and Schiller; or whether the ad hominem attacks PV4I received from incumbent candidates Kastama and King worked to keep their supporters from responding; or if our surveys were off-putting to the supporters of the incumbents; or if our effort to get surveys to 3,800 doors of likely voters in Districts 1 and 2 was outweighed by our online effort which ended up mainly being re-posted by allies of Bennett and Schiller.
Either way, the comments we received, even from supporters of the incumbents, were universally negative regarding the questions we posed on tax increases and expenditures the incumbents imposed over the past 2 years as they lead council as mayor and deputy mayor. To read full comments on the tax and expenditure questions (which we’ve been posting as they were received) click on • District 1 Comments, • District 2 Comments, • District 3 Comments.
District 1 Comments on Candidate Preference – Jeff Bennett vs Jim Kastama
| 2025-10-15 | Kastama has been around too long, and I disagree with … DEI ideas that Bennett has |
| 2025-10-17 | We are being property taxed out of our homes. |
| 2025-10-20 | After seeing the current mayor do these things without public input, or worse yet, ignore public input to go full-on MAGA, I believe Jeff will be a completely transparent and capable person who will listen (he is already listening) to the people. Let’s get him on the Council and repair our city. |
| 2025-10-21 | Jim Kastama is out of touch and does not have Puyallup families best interests in mind. Jeff Bennett is for the people. |
| 2025-10-23 | Jim Kastama is a career politician. He’s never had boots on the ground handling issues that plague our city. Instead, he’s judged from the dias. Kastama has a history of making unilateral decision that go against the citizen’s communicated will. Kastama is more and more straying from his democratic routes to proactively following the current administrations executive orders. Simply, he’s more aligned with MAGA than his dem roots or even a more centrist Republican Party. |
| 2025-10-24 | I’m also very concerned about the language in the City Charter (Comprehensive Plan) concerning minorities and the Puyallup tribe. |
| 2025-10-25 | In all my interactions with Jeff, he has come across as a genuinely caring person. Jim has never come across as genuine. |
| 2025-10-28 | Jeff listens to people. |
| 2025-10-29 | I’m voting for a man of integrity, Jeff Bennett has been a public servant successfully in Puyallup for many years. His passion for community and willingness to involve his constituents is why he gets my vote! |
| 2025-10-31 | I prefer Bennett but really dislike the focus on policing and public safety. |
District 2 Comments on Candidate Preference – Heather Schiller vs Dennis King
| 2025-10-16 | Dennis King does what benefits him and his cronies the most, not what the people who elected him want him to do. |
| 2025-10-16 | I prefer a candidate who is fiscally responsible. NOT big business!! |
| 2025-10-17 | After careful consideration I find King to be a better fit. |
| 2025-10-17 | Heather follows through and listens, DK doesn’t. |
| 2025-10-18 | As a result of the lack of respect shown toward the voters, I am now poised against all incumbents in the council. |
| 2025-10-18 | I don’t support GOP candidates. I especially don’t support candidates that want to increase growth but don’t want to grow the infrastructure. Shaw Road is a prime example. |
| 2025-10-18 | Change is Good Need to get rid of the whole Council. |
| 2025-10-18 | Hard to pick between two evils. |
| 2025-10-19 | Time for some changes… |
| 2025-10-20 | Our incumbent city councilman did not respect the voters and their interests by forcing an un-wanted jail, service cuts, and tax increases on us. |
| 2025-10-20 | We need to get rid of several of our council members who are reaping in financial gains for themselves at the expense of the people who reside here. |
| 2025-10-20 | I have never met King, however, Heather has stop by twice and I challenged her on what she would do. She appears aligned with conservative spending principles and transparency. King seems to have no problem spending tax payer money even when they said no to a new police station he went out and leased a new building. That is not transparency and he went against the will of the votes. |
| 2025-10-20 | Schiller has presented no exceptional case for my vote; however, Dennis King has racked up a laundry list of reasons not to be trusted with his position and offers nothing to the city except right-wing fearmongering and limitless funding to police. I will vote against him specifically. |
| 2025-10-21 | I’ve talked with Heather & agree with her stance on issues that affect our community. BUT I would vote for a slug if they were running against King (no offense to Heather or the slug). |
| 2025-10-22 | I don’t know much about her so I cannot endorse her. I want a more fiscally responsible republican in the role. Our taxes seem to increase every year with no benefit. |
| 2025-10-23 | Heather chaired the City’s 20 year (comprehensive) plan that aligned with the standards set by Washington State & Pierce County. Recognizing the importance of the Puyallup Tribe’s history, the critical nature of basic democratic values in the way this city chooses to operate for all its citizens. The city council passed a set of amendments to the charter that takes our community back to the racist ways of the mid 20th century. We must stop looking backward as the Council seems to prefer and really plan for the future. |
| 2025-10-25 | Time for a Change! what’s next more hidden added fees? |
| 2025-10-28 | Her previous experience working in collaborative organizations gives me confidence that she will consider voters opinions and needs. |
| 2025-10-28 | I would like to see community connection vs business promotion like I see with Dennis King. I feel like he is only in this to promote his personal business. He is constantly promoting real estate & businesses – half of the time NOT EVEN IN Puyallup rather in Tehalleh or Tacoma. He isn’t an honest participant at council meetings, he plays on his device and avoids eye contact when he isn’t interested – it’s rude for his constituents! I’m tired of being used as a citizen!! I would like a leader who actually cares about Puyallup and the people who live and work here. It’s a diverse community that deserves equal representation. |
| 2025-10-28 | Heather has the opportunity to gain the public’s trust by lining up actions with her public statements. |
District 3 Comments on Candidate Preference – Lindsay Smolko vs Mark Crosby
As an all-volunteer organization that only got underway with this project on October 10th, PV4I barely had time and money to distribute surveys to likely voters in Districts 1 and 2 where incumbents who raised taxes were up for re-election. We weren’t able to distribute surveys in District 3, so the only responses we received were from 6 people online, including candidate Lindsay Smolko herself, and she said under the candidate preference question that “You’re more than welcome to share my survey responses, and I welcome anyone to contact me to share their thoughts and questions.” We didn’t receive any other relevant candidate preference comments, so we’re just going to give a big shout-out to Lindsay Smolko for being the only candidate in the city who added comments to their survey responses. Here they are, and you can read more comments on the tax increase and expenditure questions following the links after Smolko’s comments:
Do you agree with all, some, or none of the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts for a rented police station, and more to come for jail renovations? Smolko: Elected officials are responsible to do what is BEST for their community–based not on their own greed or personal wishes, but on the voters’ responses and a diversity of voices from all stakeholder groups. The current council seems to have forgotten who they work for–it’s not themselves.
Do you agree with all, some, or none of Puyallup City Council’s actions creating the new tax district without voter approval, and whether city council should control decisions of the tax district, and their vote to impose a .1% sales tax increase within city limits? Smolko: Voters should have a voice at the table, to put it mildly.
Do you agree with all, some, or none of the utility fee increases, expenditures, and bill frequency decisions Puyallup City Council made over the last 2 years? Smolko: I am one of the two District 3 candidates, and it’s not with any intention that I haven’t publicly posted my thoughts on these issues. Here are my thoughts: The tax changes and utility fee increases can have several impacts on the average resident…1) Financial Burden: Increasing utility rates mean we will pay more for essential services. This increases monthly household expenses, which can strain budgets, especially for seniors, low-income families, or those on fixed incomes. And in the most uncertain of economic times I have experienced in my adulthood, I’m greatly concerned about these effects on all of us. 2) Altered Payment Schedules: Moving from bi-monthly to monthly payments can make budgeting more challenging for some of us, as they need to plan for smaller, more frequent bills. 3) Higher Overall Costs: The combined increase in utility costs and new taxes or fees can lead to a MAJOR rise in monthly living expenses, reducing disposable income and potentially affecting affordability. 4) Impact of Local Projects: Spending sewer and stormwater fees on projects like the festival street—especially when they JUST did this recently—may lead all of us to question whether our taxes dollars are used efficiently and if future projects are financially justified. 5) Transparency and Trust: I realize that uncertainty about support or opposition to new taxes like the Transportation Tax District can create concern regarding transparency and accountability in local government decision-making. Overall, these changes could result in higher living costs for residents, increased financial strain, and I have concerns about how tax revenues are allocated and managed by current city officials, who hear but blatantly ignore their constituents. I’m going to work my butt off to problem solve with as many stakeholder voices as I can find and hear.
For comments from ALL respondents REGARDING THE TAX AND SPEND ISSUES, click • District 1 Comments, • District 2 Comments, • District 3 Comments.
A big thank-you to everyone who completed the survey for District 1, District 2, and District 3! Click on those and scroll down to read all the comments.
Please consider a donation of any amount, and invite your friends to like our Facebook page. Sponsored by Puyallup Voters for Integrity, PO Box 42, Puyallup WA 98371. No candidate or party contributes to, authorizes or controls this Political Action Committee which is registered at the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission. 2025 campaign season contributors over the $100 threshold so far include Chris Chisholm, PV4I Treasurer. When facts are presented, we want them to be accurate. If you find any errors, please email us with original-source evidence for correction.
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