Al French
A candidate for County Commissioner District 3, Spokane County in the 2010 Washington General Election
Party: Republican
Age: 72
City: Spokane, Washington
Education: Graduated from Western High School in Las Vegas. Majored in architecture and minored in business finance at the University of Idaho.
Political experience: Has served three terms as a Spokane County commissioner. Served two terms on the Spokane City Council from 2002 to 2009. Served as the Nevada-Lidgerwood Neighborhood Council president from 1995 to 2001.
Work experience: Served in the Marine Corps from 1969 to 1972. Worked as an officer candidate school instructor in Quantico, Virginia. Has been an architect and developer in Spokane since 1977. Spent much of his career designing retail buildings.
Family: Married to Rosalie French. Has a daughter and a grandson.
Fundraising: Has raised nearly $140,000 as of Oct. 9, including more than $20,000 he's given himself via in-kind contributions. Prominent donors include a long list of contractors, home builders and political action committees representing the development industry. French also has donations from Amazon, Avista, Avista Corporation CEO Dennis Vermillion, Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins, Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and Gretchen McDevitt, a former board member of the Spokane County Republican Party and wife of former U.S. District Attorney for Eastern Washington Jim McDevitt.
Contact information
Race Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Al French (R) | 82,364 | 50.77% |
| Bonnie Mager (D) | 79,877 | 49.23% |
Related Coverage
Commissioner Mager concedes defeat
Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager conceded defeat Wednesday in her bid for a second term. The election is to be certified Friday, and the latest results show challenger Al French with 50.8 percent of the vote to Mager’s 49.2 percent.
E-mail, signs accuse Mager falsely
An anonymous e-mail that began circulating this week falsely accuses Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager of cheating on her taxes. Her election opponent, former Spokane City Councilman Al French, denied any knowledge of the e-mail Thursday afternoon.
French, Mager issue accusations on ethics
County Commissioner Bonnie Mager and her general election challenger, former Spokane City Councilman Al French, peppered each other Tuesday with allegations of unethical conduct. As in a similar exchange earlier this month, French fired first and Mager blasted back.
Youth forum evokes best in politicians
Seen the new attack ad on Chris Marr? I won’t repeat any of it, other than to note that it formally marked the moment when the local election season went from discouraging to scumbaggy. As it always does. This is the wearying season for people who follow politics. Things get stupider and meaner as they become more important. But on Thursday night – while Patty Murray and Dino Rossi slugged it out at KSPS – there was another event on the Spokane political calendar that offered a reminder of the other, sometimes invisible political world.
Spokane County Commission, Position 3
Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager and her re-election challenger, former Spokane City Councilman Al French, seem to have mixed up their political party playbooks.
Mager fires back at French
County Commissioner Bonnie Mager said Friday that her election challenger, Al French, was hypocritical when he accused her of wanting to make tax increases easier. “I think somebody who actually authored a new tax is a little out of line to try to throw mud at me for just wanting the county to have what he already enjoyed in the city,” Mager said.
Mager, French debate raceway, waste
The “only candidate who has created jobs” will face the “only fiscal conservative” in a prerecorded county commission debate tonight at 7 on KSPS-TV. Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager will cite her opposition to the purchase of the Spokane County Raceway as evidence of her ability to pinch a penny.
GOP platform proves vexing in Spokane County
Much of the county Republican Party’s platform reflects longtime GOP values: Limited government. Gun rights. Lower taxes. An end to abortion. But some of the platform’s 120 policy statements make more-surprising calls, for, among other things: An end to no-fault divorce. A return to the gold standard. Tax incentives for the shoe and textile industry. U.S. withdrawal from the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.
French hangs on for general election
A final vote count in last month’s primary election, to be certified today, didn’t turn around any races or trigger an automatic recount. Republican county commissioner candidate Al French retained a narrow lead Tuesday over Republican Jeff Holy and will advance to the Nov. 2 general election. French will face incumbent Democrat Bonnie Mager.
Mager runner-up vote count continues
The race for second place in last week’s primary for Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager’s position remained too close to call Monday. Jeff Holy shaved five votes off Al French’s lead for runner-up when 4,544 more ballots were counted. They were separated by 153 votes, 4,887 to 4,734, but more ballots are to be counted today and Wednesday.