Politics & Government

Perrow to Run for Gig Harbor City Council

Gig Harbor Parks Commission member Michael Perrow announced that he will run for a seat on the City Council Position 6.

Gig Harbor Parks Commission member Michael Perrow announced that he will run for a seat on the City Council this November.

He is currently running unopposed since councilman Paul Conan of Position 6 will not be seeking his third term.

Perrow has lived in Gig Harbor for more than 30 years, where he attended Discovery Elementary School and Goodman Middle School and graduated from Peninsula High School in 1995. He attended Gonzaga University and earned his Bachelors of Business Administration in 1999.

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Perrow, who owns Mixed Goods, Inc., and manages commercial and residential real estate, is known for his community involvement including the Gig Harbor Parks Commission for the past six years.

"Parks are something I'm passionate about," he said. "The city has come out strong to acquire additional properties in the past decade. A lot of those haven't been fully developed so I'd like to see the efforts continued to complete some of those projects as well as acquire other properties that come along. "

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With his business administration background, he hopes to be an asset in generating economic development for the future of Gig Harbor.

"Some of the city regulations don't necessarily encourage development in the downtown," he said. "Opening up development is always tricky because it should done in a way that preserves the unique quality of life that we have here in the harbor and the cultural heritage. "

Despite the challenges, he credited the Pierce County Economic Development Board, state Sen. Derek Kilmer and the for bringing Metagenics to town.

"Metagenics were thinking about leaving and taking a few hundred jobs with them to either California or Utah," he said. "(Instead) everyone was able to come together, and they were able to expand their current operations and actually bring in new jobs from California. They're now looking to expand even further.

"By looking at how regulations can be eased, I think that there's opportunities to provide good working jobs here in the Harbor," Perrow added. "The trick of all of this is to preserving the character, heritage and quality of life that we like so much in Gig Harbor."

With the slow economic recovery, he said his biggest concern was "taking care of what you have before you reach out to do other things." As the city takes on new projects, the council must make sure public safety, roads and utilities are taken care of in a timely fashion to avoid paying more money down the road, he said.

Perrow, who lives in Gig Harbor with his wife, Kelly, a math teacher at , already has supporters backing his campaign, including Councilman Conan, who announced his decision to endorse Perrow.

"He is an excellent candidate. He has great experience with the City on the Parks Commission, and he knows the City and the people well."

Conan was first elected in 2003 and has served two four-year terms on the council. 

"I have enjoyed my time on the council but I feel it is time to free up my schedule to pursue other things," said Conan, who is a firefighter in Kent. "I enjoy international mission work, and I hope to be able to do more trips as my time allows."

Other seats that are opening up this year are Jim Franich (Position 4) and Ken Malich (Position 5).


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