Spokane Valley City Council Position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Kelly | 7,158 | 46.47% |
| Kristopher Pockell | 5,155 | 33.47% |
| Lisa Miller | 2,298 | 14.92% |
| Adam Smith | 791 | 5.14% |
* 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
Mike Kelly
- Age:
- 61
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, in 1982. Attended Mount Hood Community College and Brigham Young University for a total of two years.
Work experience: Serves as chief financial officer for KT Contracting Company in Salem, Oregon. Owns Millennial Property Management in Keizer, Oregon; Millennial Capital Investors in Spokane Valley; and co-owns vehicle repair shop AMC Holdings in Salem, Oregon. Owns or co-owns real estate holding companies in Spokane Valley; Vancouver, Washington; Leonardtown, Maryland; and several around Keizer, Oregon. Has worked as a financial adviser and investment counselor, a paralegal, business consultant and a certified tax preparer. Once owned an insurance agency and a trucking company.
Political experience: Currently a Republican precinct committee officer. Appointed to the Spokane Valley Planning Commission in March 2024. Unsuccessfully ran for state Senate representing Washington’s 4th Legislative District in 2024.
Family: Married to Kristi Kelly. Has three step-children and six grandchildren.
Fundraising: Has raised more than $11,000 as of July 11, 2025, including a $7,000 personal loan. Top donors include retired Valley residents Marvel Travis and Janet Brown, Spokane attorney Brandon Casey of Casey Law Offices and Ben Lund of Lund’s Carpet Cleaning.
Kristopher Pockell
- Age:
- 38
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Central Valley High School in 2006. Earned a bachelor’s degree in software development in 2018, and a master of business administration degree in 2021, both from Western Governors University.
Work experience: Worked as a machinist at USWP Manufacturing, Mackay manufacturing and Romney Motion before returning to higher education. Spent three years as a software engineer at AssetWorks LLC before joining OpenEye in 2019. Now serves as a software engineering manager for OpenEye. Co-owns and operates Elixir Sauce Company, established in 2021.
Political experience: Ran unsuccessfully for a Spokane Valley Fire District commission seat in 2015, and for a state Representative seat in Washington’s Fourth Legislative District in 2024.
Family: Married to Rebekah Pockell.
Fundraising: Has raised nearly $22,500 including a $5,000 loan himself as of Oct. 1, according to the PDC. Contributors include himself, who have $10,000 to his campaign; Mill Creek resident Paula Grigsby; Washington Realtors Political Action Committee; Neil Muller, vice president of Acrisure Northwest; and Spokane Valley Mayor Pam Haley.
Lisa Miller
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Age: Declined to specify besides “mid-40’s”
Work experience: Worked as administrative hearing officer, civil trial lawyer and arbitrator, the latter for the SEC’s Finance Industry Regulatory Authority and the National Commodities Futures Trading Association. Former graduate level professor of administrative and First Amendment law at the University of Southern California, operates her own hearing officer firm in the Inland Northwest.
Political experience: Served two terms on the neighborhood council for Los Angeles neighborhood Valley Village prior to relocating to Spokane Valley. Former appointed member of Los Angeles County Small Business Commission. Appointed to Spokane Valley Homeless Housing Task Force earlier this year.
Family: Single. Has one daughter.
Fundraising: None as of July 11, 2025..
Adam Smith
- Age:
- 36
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from West Valley High School in 2007. Attended Eastern Washington University majoring in business administration for two years, but did not complete a degree. Attended the District 9 fire academy. Has certifications in wildland firefighting, hazardous chemicals and emergency medical response. Also a certified defensive tactics instructor through the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission.
Political experience: Ran unsuccessfully for Spokane Valley City Council in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Work experience: Owns Smash Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with locations in Spokane Valley, Deer Park and Airway Heights. Worked as a firefighter for Spokane County Fire District 4 for nine years and Spokane County Fire District 10 for two years. Worked for J&J Plumbing for seven years. Has fought MMA on ESPN and around the U.S. and Canada. Coached a team of MMA fighters. Worked in customer service at Best Buy and worked the front desk at the Historic Davenport Hotel.
Family: Single
Fundraising: None as of July 11, 2025.
Complete Coverage
Baumgartner makes rare visit to China as part of bipartisan House delegation
WASHINGTON – A Republican and a Democrat from Washington state met with Premier Li Qiang and other Chinese officials in Beijing on Sunday and Monday, the first delegation of House lawmakers to visit China since 2019.
Government shutdown looms as Senate Democrats reject House GOP bill, Republicans reject Patty Murray’s alternative
WASHINGTON – Congress left town on Friday without passing a bill to fund the government, leaving just two legislative days before a shutdown would begin at the end of the month, after Republicans and Democrats rejected each other’s short-term spending bills.
Kelly, Pockell take different positions on policing, housing in Spokane Valley council race
The candidates to replace longtime Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins have different takes on how the city should grow and how to keep it safe.
Incumbent, familiar candidates advance to general election in two Spokane Valley City Council races
Initial results in the only two Spokane Valley City Council races on the primary ballot this year indicate more than a few familiar faces will advance to the general election this November.
Voters decide tax asks Tuesday and who advances in a number of local elections
Tuesday is the last chance for Washington voters to help winnow candidates in local elections.
U.S. leaders are older than ever. Could a WA lawmaker’s proposal restore trust in a Congress that rewards seniority?
WASHINGTON – Sen. Patty Murray waited three decades to become the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, one of the most sought-after roles in Congress and one that gives undeniable benefits to the Washington state voters who first sent her to D.C. in 1992.
Four experienced candidates are vying to be the sole guaranteed new face on Spokane Valley City Council
Incumbent Rod Higgins, the longest-serving member of the council, opted not to run for reelection to Position 1 earlier this year due to his age and a desire to get fresh perspectives and voices on the council.
Spokane Valley voters to decide if additional law enforcement is worth paying more in sales tax
Primary ballots were dropped in the mail in Spokane County on Wednesday, which means the Spokane Valley City Council’s yearslong effort to strengthen public safety will soon be in the hands of the city’s residents.
Northwest Republicans could be decisive votes on megabill that would add over $3 trillion to U.S. debt
As Republicans haggled in closed-door meetings and on the House floor on Wednesday, the holdouts included Rep. Russ Fulcher, a fiscal conservative who represents North Idaho, and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside, who met with Trump, Vance and other officials at the White House on Wednesday morning to discuss the bill’s impact on Medicaid and other health care programs.
‘Ambivalence’ or ‘strategic ambiguity’? Washington congressmen have different takes on Trump’s approach to Israel-Iran war
WASHINGTON – As a candidate, President Donald Trump promised to end wars around the world – or at least end U.S. involvement in them – but the war between Israel and Iran that began last week has prompted a more complicated response from the American leader.
With filing week over, election season in Spokane County asks if voters want to shake up their cities
Medical Lake residents will be asked whether to re-elect a mayor determined to see the city grow and further developed, or a former mayor worried growth is outpacing the city’s capacity to pay for it and could start to price out current residents.
Contests for Spokane Valley City Council shaping up (and other updates for candidate filing week)
While a couple days remain for interested candidates to throw their hats in the ring, it’s already clear the Spokane Valley City Council will look a little different next year.
GOP chair files for Central Valley School Board as candidate filing week starts
Four years ago, after Rob Linebarger and Pam Orebaugh emerged as the top two candidates in a primary election for a Central Valley School Board seat, Linebarger stepped aside, saying Orebaugh was the better choice, especially compared to a write-in candidate they opposed.
Baumgartner, Crapo and other NW lawmakers weigh in on Trump’s first 100 days of deportations
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans won control of the House, Senate and White House in 2024 on a campaign promise to conduct “mass deportations” unlike the United States has ever seen.
Returning from the Middle East, Michael Baumgartner reflects on Iraq’s progress since he left in 2008
WASHINGTON – When Rep. Adam Smith asked his counterpart from across the Cascades to join him on a trip to Iraq, the Democrat from Bellevue got a response he hadn’t often heard before.
Northwest lawmakers react to Trump’s address to Congress
WASHINGTON – In an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s swift actions to remake the federal government in his image, provoking cheers from his fellow Republicans and loud protests from Democrats.
What can Democrats do about Trump and Musk’s policy blitz? Here’s what Washington lawmakers say
WASHINGTON – Less than a month into their new administration, President Donald Trump and his billionaire deputy Elon Musk have unleashed a dizzying set of policy changes by fiat, flexing the power of the executive branch and in some cases steamrolling the legislative branch with virtually no public pushback from Republicans in Congress.
Democrats keep winning in Washington but there’s division over the reasons why
Shasti Conrad thinks the way Democrats went about winning Washington elections last year is a formula for success nationwide.
State Rep. Mike Volz leads list of choices for Spokane County treasurer, but final pick has more steps
State Rep. Mike Volz is – so far – the top-rated choice of the Spokane County Republican Party to be the next county treasurer.
Who will replace Michael Baumgartner? Spokane County GOP releases names, questionnaires for potential new Spokane County treasurer
The candidates being considered for a nomination to be Spokane County’s next treasurer include a pair of treasurer’s office employees, some previous contenders for public office and a few political newcomers.