PHOTO BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

Fife Councilmember Rob Cerqui is running as a Democrat for a seat on the state legislature.

Fife council member hopes to serve in Olympia

By Meghan Erkkinen

Fife City Councilmember Rob Cerqui, now a candidate for the state legislature, comes from a long line of farmers. He is a fourth-generation Puyallup Valley farmer. With his parents, Cerqui now runs the last remaining commercial farm in Fife, where they grow a variety of vegetables.

Cerqui started getting more involved in farm work when he was in junior high, working before and after school and in the summer. He attended Puyallup High School and graduated in 1992, and then went to Pierce College and the University of Washington-Tacoma (UWT). He graduated from UWT in 1996 and went back to work on his family farm.

Growing up in Fife, Cerqui had the opportunity to see the city rapidly transition from farmland to more industrial uses. It was for this reason that he became interested in politics and political lobbying.

“It changed a lot quicker than I thought it would,” Cerqui said. “If we’re going to have balance, let’s try to be smarter about it.”

In 1996, he began serving on the King-Pierce County Farm Bureau, which lobbied the government on various agricultural and farm-related issues. Also that year, he began serving on the local Farm Service Agency Board. In 2003, Cerqui ran for the city council and won. He was re-elected for a second term last year and now serves as Mayor Pro Tem for the city.

In his work in Fife, Cerqui has focused much of his attention on issues surrounding growth, such as growth management, transportation, and protecting citizens from negative effects of growth. He has also dealt with such issues as accommodating for the growth of the Port of Tacoma, addressing regional transportation issues and working with the Puyallup Tribe.

“There’s so much I’m working on in Fife that are state issues,” Cerqui said. His desire to tackle some of the bigger issues is ultimately what led him to run for the state legislature.

Eight years ago, fellow Democrats encouraged him to run for a 25th Legisla-tive District seat, and again this election season, he was encouraged to run. This time, he took the offer and started his campaign.

“It’s really not about me,” Cerqui said. “I feel like someone needs to be a voice for these people and these issues.”

The issues Cerqui is most concerned about are jobs and the economy, health care, transportation and growth management.

Cerqui would like to see more investment in the 25th district, to encourage jobs to stay, and more employers to come to the area. He is especially interested in the sector of green jobs, which he said could continue to expand and grow the local economy.

On transportation, the extension of State Route 167 into the Port of Tacoma is an important issue for him.

“The reality of it is the port is growing and we need a way to get the trucks to their destinations,” Cerqui said.

He would also like to see more funding in light rail and local colleges so residents can stay in the area for higher education. Cerqui would also like to see Olympia put pressure on insurance companies to offer more options to citizens. And he is very aware of the challenges that lie ahead.

“It’s going to be tough, this next budget cycle,” he said. “It’s a balancing act, but we can’t afford not to do it…We have to protect the most vulnerable.”

And on a subject a little closer home, Cerqui would like to work to make sure growth occurs in the state only with the proper infrastructure.

“(I will) work to make sure we’re getting all we can out of development,” he said, adding that he would like to see developers held accountable for potential negative effects of growth.

Cerqui’s term on the city council will not end until the end of 2011. He said he would like to continue to serve Fife locally, but will wait until after the election to determine whether he will be able to continue to serve on the council, should he be elected to the legislature.

Fore more information on Cerqui, visit www.robcerqui.com.

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