Three candidates — Seamus McVey, Seth Morrisey and Marcus Runkle — hope to fill the Ward 3 and 4 seat vacated after Dana Phillips’ decision not to seek reelection. Phillips has served on the council since 2010.

“I’ve been watching the City Council for the past couple of years, especially through the pandemic and I’ve seen some struggles happening,” Runkle said. “It seemed like now it would be a good time to step up.”

Runkle, a financing consultant, is the parent of two and co-founder of Runkle Consulting, which provides human resources and accounting services. His top priorities are housing, child care and youth opportunities, and small business development, he said in a September interview. He serves on the Lower Columbia Q Center’s board of directors, which connects members of the LGBTQ community to resources and supports.

As a city councilor, Runkle said he would continue to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion at every level of the city. “As tourism is the major driver of our local economy and so important to the small businesses of Seaside, we must be a place that is welcoming for all the diverse folks that visit our area,” Runkle said.

A Seaside High School graduate, Morrisey studied business at Lane Community College and then at Portland State University. He is co-founder and president of Morrisey Productions and Oregon Web Solutions.

Morrisey served two terms on the Seaside City Council, opting not to run for reelection in the fall of 2020 to spend more time with his family,

At the start of the pandemic, Morrisey found himself at odds with Mayor Jay Barber and members of the council after the closure. In March 2020, as the city enacted an emergency ordinance to close the beach, hotels and short-term rentals, Morrisey said the problems were caused by the government’s response to COVID-19, not the virus. “I’m concerned that the cure has now become far worse than the disease,” he said.

At the time, Barber responded that he “completely disagreed with Morrisey’s premise.”

Looking back, Morrisey said he believed the original decision by the City Council to temporarily close hotels and vacation rentals during spring break was a good one.

But the decision to close the beaches, waterways and city parks was made without a vote of the council. If the city wanted to stop tourists from coming to Seaside, Morrisey said, the city should have closed the city temporarily to nonresidents similar to what Cannon Beach did.

Closing outdoor spaces was “actually detrimental to the health of our community,” he said, depriving people of fresh air and sunlight — vital to a strong immune system.

McVey came to his first candidacy following a unique path.

After a discharge from the military, ended up on the streets of Portland in the late 1990s. He faced felony arrests for incidents that he says were a result of self-defense and subsequent inadequate legal representation.

While incarcerated, he began the road to recovery, with a mentor on the outside and participation in a 12-step recovery program.

More than 20 years later, in August, his lawyer told him that all his previous felony incidents have been expunged from his record. “I never thought it would happen,” he said.

Going forward, he said, it will be a game-changer in his life.

McVey facilitates a recovery clinic for people struggling with addiction, mental illness and homelessness. In 2016 he took a public stand in opposition to a proposed ban on “itinerant merchants.” He was a resonant voice at the city’s homelessness task force in 2021 in advance of the homeless camping ordinance enacted in June, speaking on behalf of the homeless population.

“We’re all people,” McVey said at a November 2021 City Council meeting. “You don’t know how we got there. I’m lucky enough to be off the streets now. But I’ll be hanged if I’m going to let somebody try to treat others in the position I was as filth and garbage not deserving of a place to lay down, not deserving of the basic human dignity and respect that we would all want for ourselves.”

Runkle said the city’s policy on homeless camping is the first of multiple steps needed to address the overarching issue of housing. He would like to invest and strengthen partnerships that work. “The issue is larger than simply addressing the homelessness in our community.”

Morrisey’s approach starts with treating those who are without housing with dignity and respect. “With that being said, allowing anyone to take over public spaces and set up makeshift dwellings should not be allowed,” Morrisey said.

“Tent cities” are problematic because they lack adequate services and can cause major safety, health and environmental issues, added Morrisey.

The recent homeless policy enacted by the City Council was good in the sense that it was a necessary legal step to clear out the camp on city property between 10th and 11th streets, Morrisey said. “However, living in a tent is not a permanent solution and folks need additional services to transition into a job and permanent dwelling.”

Not only is compassion needed, Morrisey said, but also accountability.

If elected, increasing the amount of workforce housing is at the top of Morrisey’s to-do list.

“As a current Seaside planning commissioner and a member of the Clatsop County Housing Study Committee I have the knowledge and experience to help facilitate this,” Morrisey said.

Morrisey said the City Council has the authority to remove roadblocks and create incentives for developers to bring more workforce housing into our community.

Another important issue is the economy and cost-of-living, Morrisey said.

While many of these factors are dependent on policies from the state and federal government, there are fiscally responsible things Seaside can do on a local level to prevent the need for additional fees, sewer rate or water rate increases.

McVey also hopes to address the need for more workforce and low-income housing. “We can lift the people who wash our dishes and clean hotel rooms while also respecting the bottom line of the business owners. We just need the will and the ability to see where the path is to better meet the needs of all involved.”

Runkle said the city must work to promote development of both affordable and low-income housing for residents, both of which have virtually no available inventory in Clatsop County. He advocated a proactive City Council initiating conversations with small business owners to strategically plan for the future.

“No one is an expert in every situation, so I promise to encourage collaborative efforts to address these areas by expanding City Council’s work to bring concerned citizens and experts to the table to address our most pressing issues,” Runkle said.