County Commissioner
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Al French (R) | 81,497 | 54.66% |
| Mary Lou Johnson (D) | 67,611 | 45.34% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
The Republican bloc on the County Commission could crack if challenger Mary Lou Johnson can defeat longtime politician Al French. The biggest issue in the campaign thus far has been urban growth boundaries. Johnson, an attorney making her first run at public office, says the county needs to look at developing areas already connected to sewer. She’s also made criminal justice reform a major part of her platform. French, who has served in public office at both the city and county levels, is touting his record of job creation on the West Plains and says urban growth expansion is necessary to incorporate areas in north Spokane County with aging sewer infrastructure. The County Commission is the three-pronged legislative body of the entire county. Four-year term. Position pays $93,000 a year.
The Candidates
Al French
- 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.
Mary Lou Johnson
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 77
- City:
- Spokane, WA
MARY LOU JOHNSON
Education: University of Minnesota, bachelor’s in nursing, 1969; University of Colorado, master’s in community health and nursing, 1970; Gonzaga University, law degree, 1992.
Work experience: Attorney in U.S. District Court, 1993 to 2011; clerk in Court of Appeals, 1992 to 1993; community health nurse and educator, 1971 to 1989; taught at Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education; family nurse practitioner.
Political experience: Smart Justice campaign for criminal justice reform.
Family: Married, two children.
Complete Coverage
Court orders initiative vote
Envision Spokane, the twice-failed initiative seeking to bolster environmental protection and neighborhood and labor rights, will be before voters again, after a decision Thursday by a state appellate court. The ruling reverses a 2013 decision by a Superior Court judge to remove the controversial measure from that year’s general election ballot. The court ordered the city to put the measure on the next available ballot.
Spokane County CEO selection committee includes donors to likely candidate
Two members of the seven-member committee who will help choose the next CEO of Spokane County are campaign contributors to one of the likely candidates for the job, County Commissioner Todd Mielke. The two commissioners who aren’t interested in the job, which pays about $160,000 a year, say they’ve created a fair selection process and chosen strong leaders to help them name a new CEO.
County CEO announces retirement, Mielke a possible candidate for job
Spokane County CEO Marshall Farnell plans to retire this year after more than 40 years working in county government. County Commission Todd Mielke is a possible candidate to replace him.
Plan funding divides STA board
Battle lines were drawn early by transit officials in a four-hour-long meeting Thursday afternoon, but the eventual 6-3 split sending a 10-year, $300 million project to the ballot wasn’t clear until the vote was called and hands were raised. Voters will decide in April if they want to increase sales tax by 0.3 percent to fund a plan that would extend hours and expand service to new areas, as well as fund a trolley-like fixed route between Browne’s Addition and Spokane Community College.
City woos county building director
Spokane County’s building director won’t be helping Spokane City Hall. Randy Vissia told county commissioners Tuesday he was approached last month by officials at the city’s Business and Development Services Division to serve as a consultant on an “as-needed” basis over the next two years. The overture came after the contentious departure of city Planning Director Scott Chesney, whose ouster drew the ire of many of Spokane’s most prominent developers.
STA holding public hearing on 10-year plan
Spokane Transit Authority’s board of directors, under criticism from the business community over downtown loitering, will face its critics on Thursday while also considering a 10-year plan to improve transit service. Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership, is scheduled to present a list of recommendations from business leaders to tame loitering in and near the STA Plaza, 701 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane County Commission candidates at odds over urban growth boundary
The future of a neighborhood in north Spokane County has become one of the most debated topics in this year’s race for County Commission. Al French and his fellow Republican Commissioner Todd Mielke say expanding the urban growth boundary to include the area along U.S. Highway 2 is necessary to protect the Little Spokane River from sewage runoff seeping from aging septic tanks. The extension of the growth boundary, a designation that enables governments to extend services such as sewer lines, would solve a problem before it gets out of control, they said.
Election 2014: Experience at issue in county treasurer race
The candidates fighting for the job of Spokane County treasurer agree on one thing: The post should go to someone who understands investments and government finance. They differ, of course, on why they believe their opponent is less qualified for the job.
Candidates say county commission race about leadership style
The candidates locked in a tight race for the Spokane County Commission say November’s vote is a decision between two distinct leadership styles. Democrat Mary Lou Johnson, making her first attempt at elected office, paints incumbent Republican Al French as a divisive politician unwilling to compromise. French calls Johnson’s promise to create a collaborative approach on the commission a way to bog down decision making, frustrating job growth and leading to wishy-washy outcomes.
Two Spokane County incumbents face strong challenges
Two incumbent Republicans in the Spokane County Courthouse appear to be facing tough challenges from Democratic opponents. GOP County Commissioner Al French was virtually tied with Democratic challenger Mary Lou Johnson, with each scoring 36 percent of the vote in the county’s initial returns Tuesday night for the District 3 seat.
Democrats face dilemma in Spokane County commissioner race
Democrats face a dilemma in next month’s primary election for Spokane County commissioner. That’s because among the candidates they can choose are a Democrat and a high-profile former Democrat who chose to run as an independent.
Growth is key in Spokane County commission race
Republican Spokane County Commissioner Al French is facing a potential rerun of 2010, when he ousted Democrat Bonnie Mager in a close race. This time, Mager has shed her Democratic Party affiliation, choosing to run as an independent.
Q&A: County commission candidates French, Mager and Johnson
County commissioner questions All three candidates for county commissioner were asked the same questions on key issues. Here are their answers.
Finance experience an issue in county treasurer race
Current Spokane County Treasurer Rob Chase learned one lesson in defeating his predecessor, Skip Chilberg, in the 2010 election. “For sure, I’m campaigning. I’m raising money,” said Chase, the 60-year-old self-described constitutionalist who’s facing a primary challenge from two Spokane accountants, Mary Kuney and Amy Biviano.
Airway Heights mayor, others protest county’s fight against casino
A group supporting a proposed Spokane tribal casino and resort rallied in front of the Spokane County Courthouse on Tuesday decrying the spending by county commissioners to fight the project. Ed Clark, part of the consulting team working to advance the casino project, said the Spokane Tribe Economic Project would bring 5,000 jobs and $450 million in investment to the region.
Smart Justice activist Johnson enters Spokane County commissioner race
A leader in the movement to reform criminal justice said she would bring her expertise to the Spokane County Board of Commissioners if voters choose her over two other candidates for the District 3 commissioner seat this year. Mary Lou Johnson, a Democrat and a member of the Smart Justice coalition in Spokane, formally announced her candidacy Thursday at a gathering of supporters.