Not for himself, but for his community.

His goal in taking office as a city councilman in 2002 was to make Marysville a place where residents could live, work and play.

“People were tired of eating and shopping out of Marysville,” he said.

There has been growth when it comes to living and playing. But his goal now is to focus on bringing family wage jobs here so people can made a decent-living, too. By living where they work, quality of life will improve as commute times lessen and freeway gridlock is reduced.

Marysville and Arlington both are working on getting tenants for the planned industrial center between the two cities from 128th to 164th.

“There’s one-thousand acres there,” Nehring said. “You can’t find that land mass anywhere else between the Canadian border and Olympia.”

He said investors from New York, Chicago and even China have shown interest, but they end up going elsewhere because state laws aren’t the friendliest when it comes to attracting business.

“They go to other states,” he said.

So, for the third year, in an effort to make development more attractive, Nehring is working with the legislature on a bill that would give businesses a break if they settled here.

Nehring said even though he works a lot of evenings and weekends he wants to continue the job as mayor to see through the many initiatives he has been involved in.

“I want to see Marysville be all it can be,” he said. “It’s poised to go to the next level.”

Nehring has lived here for 22 years. For 17 of them he worked in the private sector as manager of a paper products company and in media advertising.

He quit that career when he became mayor.

Another area Nehring said has improved under his leadership is transportation. Work to widen State Avenue from 116th to 136th will start soon. Also, 51st Street has been extended to give the city another north-south venue. The mayor has put a lot of work into getting an interchange at Highway 529 that would finally give the city access over the railroad tracks.

“A good portion of this term” has been spent on that. “Were in there,” he said of it being in the state budget.

One area he is concerned about traffic is in Lakewood. The master plan for that area includes commercial and multifamily housing, and the market is strong for both there. The rural way of life is disappearing fast.

“That plan was made long before I took office,” he said.

Still another area he has worked to improve is pride in the community. Awards have been given out for homes and businesses that have improved their appearance. The recent Clean Sweep encouraged all community members to pick up. Parks and Recreation has put together the new Spray Park and fixed up  the Bayview Trail, which will one day connect to the Centennial Trail.

Nehring has been active in having the city offer free or low-cost activities for residents, including music and movies in the park.

Even though Marysville is a town of more than 60,000, those events help it keep that “small town feel,” he said.

The mayor also is big on water. He wants the city to be self-sufficient when it comes to that precious commodity. He says it’s worth the investment because citizens will be less in the future if it controls its water instead of having to rely on others.

A campaign kickoff reception for Nehring will take place from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Holiday Inn Express banquet room, 8606 36th Ave. NE. Chancellor Bob Drewel, Marysville City Council Member Kamille Norton, Snohomish County Council Member Ken Klein and Sheriff Ty Trenery are hosting. Nehring will speak of his vision for the city starting at 6 p.m. Guest speakers also will address those in attendance. Beverages and finger food will be available. RSVP to nehringj@comcast.net.

Nehring and his wife, Mari-anne, have two sons, Nate, 20, and Nick, 14, and a daughter, Kristin, 17. The younger two go to Marysville Getchell High School. He said his family supports his re-election bid.

“The kids help doorbell,” he said.

Unlike some politicians, Nehring said he enjoys doorbelling. When he first ran for mayor, he doorbelled 11,000 homes in five months.

“It’s hard work, but very rewarding talking to people in the different neighborhoods about their different issues.”