Liberty Lake mayor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Brickner (N) | 2,033 | 56.95% |
| Steve Peterson | 1,537 | 43.05% |
* 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.
The Candidates
Shane Brickner
- Party:
- No party
- Age:
- 49
- City:
- Liberty Lake, WA
Education: Graduated from Shadle Park High School in Spokane in 1993. Received a degree in interdisciplinary studies, with an emphasis on criminology and education, from Eastern Washington University in 1998.
Work experience: Works as a national sales manager for Cordant Health Systems, a toxicology lab with offices in Spokane. Previously worked in sales for other toxicology lab companies. Served as a volunteer police officer in Liberty Lake for the past 12 years.
Political experience: Elected to Liberty Lake City Council in 2011 in first run for political office. Ran unopposed for the seat in 2015.
Family: Married to Jamie Brickner. Has three children.
His words: “I like to plan. I like to make sure we do things the right way. We kind of tend to have a very quick approach with things in the city, very reactive vs. proactive. That’s a big focus for me. I want to create a mindset in this community, and it’s something I’ve always believed in, that this is about we, not me.”
His pitch: Brickner applauds his opponent, Mayor Steve Peterson, for his passion, but says Liberty Lake needs more long-term plans to be able to support the growth that will occur over the next two decades. That includes a specific plan for pedestrian access in town and for neighborhood streets, beyond just the major roads in the city of roughly 11,000 people. During his eight years on the City Council, Brickner said he’s reached out to local residents and business owners about their issues and believes more transparency at City Hall will help boost voter confidence in decisions being made by the government.
Steve Peterson
- Age:
- 74
- City:
- Liberty Lake, Washington
Education: Graduated from Mount Rainier High School in Des Moines, Washington, in 1968. Graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1973.
Work experience: Retired. Worked for 35 years in pharmaceutical, commercial and retail sales.
Political experience: First elected mayor of Liberty Lake in 2001, and served until 2007. Was defeated in the 2007 election by Wendy Van Orman. Re-elected as mayor in 2011, and ran unopposed in 2015. Lost to Shane Brickner in 2019.
Family: Married to Charmaine Peterson since 1996. Has three adult children.
Campaign financing: Raised $17,700 as of Oct. 12. Contributors include himself (about $7,400), Brownstone Homes LLC ($1,000), Baker Construction & Development Inc. ($1,000).
Complete Coverage
Shane Brickner defeats Steve Peterson to become Liberty Lake’s third mayor
Peterson has served as mayor for all but four years of the city’s existence. Brickner, 44, will take office in January and said his goal is to craft more comprehensive growth plans for the burgeoning city and increase collaboration between his office and city lawmakers.
Challenger Shane Brickner leading incumbent Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson
City Councilman Shane Brickner held a 207-vote lead on Steve Peterson, who’s held the office of Liberty Lake mayor for all but four years of the city’s existence, after votes were tallied Tuesday.
Longtime Liberty Lake mayor faces city councilman in re-election race as town continues to grow
Mayor Steve Peterson said Liberty Lake needs to continue to think big about its services and offerings to the population, which is expected to grow more than 60% over the next two decades. City Councilman Shane Brickner said Liberty Lake would do well to create more long-term, detailed plans about how it will deal with that boom.