Al French
A candidate for County Commissioner District 3, Spokane County in the 2010 Washington General Election
Party: Republican
Age: 73
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
Verner or not, garbage summit is a go
Next week’s regional Solid Waste Summit will occur with or without Spokane participation, County Commission Chairman Al French announced Friday. The two-day gathering of local government officials throughout the county is intended to outline a new framework for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System, which is owned and controlled by the city of Spokane.
Clark: Bruised Bonnie bemoaning rough and tumble
Aw, Bonnie. Say it ain’t so. How disappointing to learn that former Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager has been spending her post-election days trying to wreck her laudable legacy.
Mager accuses successor French of libel
Former Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager on Tuesday announced a Public Disclosure Commission complaint accusing her successor, Al French, of libel. With exhibits, Mager’s complaint is 107 pages long and covers many of the issues in her race against French. However, Mager’s cover letter focuses on a barrage of e-mails in the week before the Nov. 2 general election.
Mager levels libel charge against French
Former Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager Tuesday announced a Public Disclosure Commission complaint accusing her successor, Al French, of libel.
City, county plan waste summit
Spokane County commissioners slogged through garbage issues for three hours Tuesday on their way to a Solid Waste Summit. They authorized Chairman Al French to join Spokane Mayor Mary Verner in sending invitations to the Feb. 2-3 summit at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley.
Canine appeal dominates commissioner’s first meeting
New Spokane County Commissioner Al French was tested in doggy court Tuesday during his debut meeting. He cut to the chase in an appeal on behalf of Chaos and Henry, a pair of mastiff-St. Bernard mutts accused of mauling a moose.
Equipment, legalities create ballot-counting bottlenecks
Washington’s election system has many virtues, but speed isn’t one of them. Only 40.6 percent of last month’s Spokane County general election ballots were counted on election night.
City of Spokane weighs development taxes
Potential taxes on new development approved two years ago would finally be collected under a proposal being considered by the Spokane City Council. The taxes are one-time “impact fees” paid by developers of homes, businesses and other projects that are expected to generate additional traffic demands on city services. The fees would have to be paid before building permits could be issued.
Mager concedes race to French
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.