Memorial Service Set For Commissioner

Stevens County Commissioner Allan Mack, who died Friday, will be honored in a public memorial service tonight at 7.

The service will be in the Colville High School gymnasium.

Mack will be eulogized by his three adult children, and friends and colleagues. Douglas County Commissioner Jay Weber will represent the Washington State Association of Counties, of which Mack was vice president.

Mack, 61, died from post-surgical complications and an ongoing kidney ailment. He was starting his eighth year as commissioner.

Stevens County Republican Party leaders are soliciting candidates for appointment to Mack’s unexpired term. Candidates must live in the northern part of the county, including Colville but not Kettle Falls.

Because Mack was a Republican, the two surviving commissioners must choose his replacement from a list of three nominees submitted by the party. If the commissioners can’t agree on a selection, the decision will pass to Gov. Mike Lowry.

Stevens County GOP Chairman Greg Simon, a Colville High School teacher, said party leaders plan to choose their nominees April 16. So far, he said, two men have openly expressed interest in the appointment: former county commissioner John Hodde, a Colville insurance agent; and Fred Lotze, a farmer. , DataTimes