Bremerton mayoral candidate sees his city's needs from the ground up

Yahoo

16-07-2025

From "Professor Spaghetti" to a block party barbeque to talk about his campaign, Marwan Cameron wants to be sure his city is fed.
Meals are just one thing the first-time mayoral candidate has made consistent in his service to neighbors and other residents since Cameron arrived in Bremerton 28 years ago. His Olympic College degree led to a master's in business management, and eventually job at the Navy's college office in the shipyard and as an OC instructor. That's where Cameron got the inspiration for an informal program to serve dinner to students struggling to balance life, class work and paying the bills, keeping them on campus with a hot meal in a room at the former library building.
The moment became a revelation that turned into a "steps to success" program that encompassed counseling service, computer lab access and, of course, cheap lunches, and in a sense led Cameron to the decision earlier this year to run for the city's top office against two-term Mayor Greg Wheeler and City Councilman Jeff Coughlin.
"Unless we do something radical and make changes, then we're going to have more of the same," Cameron said during an interview about his mayoral ambitions at his home on Broadway Avenue, not far from OC's campus. "The cost on the back end is people."
Cameron has two top priorities as he campaigns: food security and transportation being accessible to all. The first stems from the involvement that began at the college; the second from his career in the service industry that developed after leaving the education world. Cameron has operated Gather Together Grown Together, a Bremerton-based nonprofit, since 2018. It's a transportation provider, essentially a low-cost taxi service, that contracts with 40 different agencies around Kitsap County to provide rides, mainly for low-income residents or others with multiple needs. Cameron said Gather Together Grow Together's service has expanded since its launch, and not only does the agency offer a lift, employees will also accompany a client through a court proceeding, help navigate child custody arrangements, or drop everything to drive someone to a detox clinic when they decide to get clean. His organization is driven to do so because of the limited nature of public transit, which in Kitsap currently can't accommodate workers on late-night shifts, or students. Pressed for an example, Cameron said he'd work with the business community to understand the needs of employees and employers, possibly mirroring how Kitsap Transit's worker-driver buses function as a partnership to provide transit for shipyard workers at a low cost and cut traffic congestion.
"If I can't get there, I can't help myself and my family," Cameron said, echoing the conundrum he's often heard from working-class residents. "The greatest asset is time, not money."
Cameron's other passion that has developed in recent years is evident when visiting his home studio. A large flat-screen monitor is perched on a wall, with multiple computers and audio equipment filling the room where he records his regular podcast and video show, "The Conduit."
The podcast has featured guests from the community that Cameron will interview with a focus on a political or social issue. He also sees the forum at a public service platform, and offers time for leaders from the Spanish-speaking or Mam-speaking community to share information. Other shows have explained where severe weather shelters may be found, or offered time to Fil-Am groups to highlight their voices. The Conduit also live streams city council meetings or community town halls, drawing Cameron's interest to a Bremerton District 4 council race in 2023, where he finished behind Jane Rebelowski.
"You name it, if you call, I'm there," Cameron said of his willingness to fill gaps in the media landscape with his skills and technical setup. "It's about being of service, filling a void."
The Conduit was particularly active in 2024, as the city government continued debate about a potential camping ban to address encampments that grew around the downtown area, including one coined "Wheelerville" not far from Cameron's home. It was a debate that he was close to in terms of physical proximity, through Gather Together Grow Together's work transporting people in need to shelters, and his volunteerism with Rock the Block, a grassroots effort to meet the needs of homeless people by serving lunches or other direct service.
"We're effective, and we get stuff done," Cameron said of Rock the Block, making a clear distinction from what he saw in the reaction from city government.
Cameron was pointed in comments about the city's reaction to the issue, particularly the lack of response when Rock the Block complained about the prevalence of drug dealers preying on individuals living on the street. He said including those volunteers when potential shelter sites are discussed would be a way to empower neighborhoods and activate cooperation rather than fall back into a "NIMBY" debate, which pushes marginalized residents around.
But Cameron said he also understands concerns in those neighborhoods, particularly their affordability. He said the cost of living in Bremerton has become the consistent theme he's heard while campaigning this summer, and as a member of the city's audit committee he holds the opinion that resources like city-owned property could be used to help spur development. And as a father to a teenage daughter, he knows how real the decisions made by the next leader may be.
"Can she live here in four years?"
The Kitsap Sun asked the following three questions of each candidate in Bremerton's mayoral primary. Answers are below.
The Bremerton City Council is currently debating the effectiveness of the city Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program, which offers tax incentives for residential construction. Do you believe the MFTE has been effective in encouraging development and/or creating affordable housing in Bremerton? Would you support continuing the program as is, making changes to it or potentially pausing it?
The Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program in Bremerton hasn't delivered on what the public was promised. It's helped developers build luxury apartments, but it hasn't meaningfully addressed our affordable housing crisis. Mayor Wheeler and some city council members, like Jeff Coughlin, continue to frame this as smart growth, but for whom? Growth without affordability just displaces our working-class families, elders, and young people. Developers have received tax breaks while the public gets little in return. Meanwhile, people who grew up here can't afford to live here anymore.
I do not support continuing the MFTE in its current form. In fact, I don't believe developers should be receiving tax breaks at all — especially when the housing they build is out of reach for most Bremertonians. If we're going to offer tax incentives, they should go to residents who create truly affordable housing, like those building ADUs for low-income tenants. Any future version of this program must require real affordability — 100% of units, deeply below market rate. If we're giving up public dollars, those dollars must serve the public good — not pad developer profits. This isn't just a policy failure — it's a failure of priorities. As mayor, I'll make sure we put Bremerton residents first.
The city enacted ordinances to crack down on public camping and encampments, in reaction to a growing issue with homelessness in recent years. No plan has yet been announced for a new emergency shelter in the city, despite more than a year of discussion and different sites being identified. How should the city play a role in assuring the availability of shelter beds in the future, and addressing the visible homelessness still observed in some areas of Bremerton?
The city's response to homelessness has focused more on hiding the problem than solving it. Ordinances targeting public camping are enforced, but where were folks supposed to go? Predators openly sell drugs, and instead of action, we get finger-pointing between the mayor and city council. COVID exposed how deep our homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises run. Experts warned it would get worse — and they were right — but instead of planning ahead, our leadership prioritized everything else.
We need a real investment — not another failed experiment like Wheelerville in Jeff Coughlin's district. As mayor, I'll prioritize public safety for all of our residents and work endlessly to slow and decrease homelessness through housing, shelters, transportation, healthcare access and utilizing and supporting all of our service providers, especially grassroots. I'll continue to work with nonprofits, churches, mental health providers, and housing advocates to build a full response: safe transitional housing, long-term options, mobile outreach, hygiene access, storage, and case management. It is unfathomable that residents, businesses and mostly the unhoused are suffering while mere blocks away, those who celebrate at Quincy Square. That is not America. That is not Bremerton. We need economic growth and prosperity for all of us.
The Downtown Bremerton Association is currently surveying constituents to gather feedback and ideas to help fill vacant storefronts around the city. How would you, if elected mayor, encourage development with specific policies that would help businesses open and grow?
The fact that the Downtown Bremerton Association is surveying the public to fill empty storefronts shows how disconnected our city leadership has been. We've seen tax breaks for developers and plenty of ribbon cuttings, but not enough support for the small businesses that keep Bremerton alive. Meanwhile, downtown and key corridors across the city sit half-empty, and rent is out of reach for local entrepreneurs trying to get started.
As mayor, I'll push for policies that directly support our people. That starts with exploring creating a small business incubator that offers short-term leases, reduced rent in city-owned buildings, and startup grants. I'll work with landlords to allow temporary pop-ups in empty spaces and simplify the permitting process, which right now is a maze. New 'business' developments seeking tax incentives will be required to include affordable retail space for local businesses — not just chains or outside investors.
If we want a vibrant economy, we need to invest in the people who are already here. The city should be a partner — not a barrier — to business growth. Under my leadership, Bremerton will finally put local business first.
For more: Watch the League of Women Voters-Kitsap's interview with Marwan Cameron, part of its 2025 primary election coverage.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bremerton candidate sees residents needs in mayoral campaign