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closeKen Asplund to run for city council
First-time run motivated by Gig Harbor roots
Ken Asplund will take his first shot at public office this fall, running for Gig Harbor Council Position 3.
“People have asked me over the years to run, and I kind of blew it off,” said Asplund, 49. “I thought about it and thought, ‘Why not help the community and preserve the town?’ I’ve been interested in higher-level politics for years.”
Preserving the Gig Harbor Asplund remembers from his childhood is central to his campaign. He was born and raised in Gig Harbor, moved to Tacoma in 1992 and made his way back to the harbor in 2002.
“After not living here a few years, I really appreciate it now that I’m back,” he said.
The Asplunds live in downtown Gig Harbor next to Eddon Boat — a building that shows the true character of the Maritime City, Asplund said.
“I’m glad it was able to be preserved,” he said.
Asplund’s idea of Gig Harbor preservation is minimal development to the downtown core. And while he understands development can’t be stopped completely, he believes any building must be “appropriate for the area.”
If elected, Asplund also would want to see an increase in communication between developers and the city.
“I’d really like to promote getting developers to come to the city before they spend money on plans,” he said.
Instead of developers spending money only to be shot down, Asplund wants the city to be proactive with future developers.
“We (the city) should promote coming to us first with a plan, even if it’s on a napkin,” he said.
In his spare time, Asplund enjoys boating with his family.
“My wife and I love to boat,” he said. “We have a boat tied in front of our house, and we go out just about every night every summer.”
The family is working on a larger boat that will be able to transport them all the way to the San Juan islands.
The Asplunds have six children, one grandchild and a pet dachshund.
Asplund graduated from Peninsula High School in 1978 and started in the painting business fresh out of high school. Thirty years later, he’s currently an estimator and project manager for Tacoma-based Saxon Painting.
Asplund’s father was a painting contractor at the Skansie Brothers shipyard in the early 1940s.