Detail oriented, good planner, works well with others.

Retired air traffic controller and veteran Wayne Osborne said his skills would be an asset to the people of Auburn should they elect him to the Auburn City Council.

Osborne, pictured here, announced last week his plans to file for Position 7. Incumbent Lynn Norman is not seeking reelection.

The 36-year-long Auburn resident said he has been interested in City government for a long time. For the last three to four years, he has made a point of attending nearly all meetings of the Municipal, Finance, Public Works and Community Development committees.

Sitting through those meetings, he said, has bulked up his knowledge of current events and the City’s plans. It has also firmed up his ideas for what the City needs to do.

“It all started with the stop sign on Main Street and D,” Osborne said. “I didn’t think that stop sign was needed, so I went there and presented to Public Works why it wasn’t needed, and I had a 16-page report on why I didn’t think it should be there. I took all the crash data and everything else and all the responses that the other council members had made, and I made up a long presentation and they basically said, ‘Thank you, we’ve already made our decision.’ I told myself, ‘If you are going to be part of the process, you have to be there at the beginning, not after they’ve already made their decision.’ Because once they’ve made their decision, usually they are not going to go back.”

He said he sometimes wonders how in depth the council members have gone into a particular topic.

“I’m kind of a detail person,” Osborne said. “I’ve been on a staff before in different jobs, also management in different jobs. But they often take the presentation that’s made by staff without asking in-depth questions about why they’ve gone in that particular direction, did they look at other options and what are those other options?”

As for his concerns, he said the City needs to bring in commerce capable of supporting families.

“Our children should have the opportunity to find employment in Auburn,” Osborne said.

The lack of places to shop is another concern.

“Why should our citizens have to leave Auburn for their shopping? If we have more stores, more people will shop locally, increasing the customer base and benefiting all,” Osborne said.

He said that the City needs to pay more attention to repairing streets. Public safety, he said, should be a top priority.

Before his retirement, Osborne was employed at the FAA facility in Auburn and the FAA regional office in Renton. Prior to that, he worked for the Seattle Fire Department and served as a volunteer firefighter in Federal Way. And before that, he served seven years in the Air Force and Navy.

Osborne is a member of the Auburn Planning Commission and the Airport Advisory Board.

“I have prepared myself for running for City Council because I have been attending all these meetings, I have stayed up to date on what is actually going on, unlike other council candidates who don’t attend any of the meetings until just before they run, and they don’t have a good foundation. I think I have the foundation necessary to run for City Council.

“… Auburn is a wonderful city with a great community college, fantastic parks, performing arts, a golf course and its own airport. Most of all, there are caring, concerned citizens who want their city to prosper and make this a great city that we call home,” Osborne said.

The filing period for public office in the state is June.