School Bond Heads Whitman County Ballot

A revamped Pullman school bond could garner the most attention in this month’s primary election as only three races and a handful of smaller levies fill out the Whitman County ballot.

Using a new electronically scanned ballot that improves privacy and tallying speed, voters Sept. 19 will pencil in their opinions of a $10 million Pullman bond and choose two finalists for port commissioner, Pullman mayor and Garfield City Council position No. 2.

Parents and administrators who want to upgrade the city’s elementary schools are hoping the third time will be the charm as they seek to replace Franklin Elementary School while improving Jefferson Elementary.

Franklin money measures lost by wide margins in 1990 and 1991, but a lack of organized opposition and a new way of dealing with the neighborhood school should turn the odds this time, said Pat Wright of Citizens for Pullman Schools.

“We have gotten all the issues out,” Wright said.

Under the current proposal, Franklin would be used for administrative offices and much of its green space would be left for public use.

The new site on Sunny Mead Way near Klemgard Avenue would also have nearly as many students walking to it - 78 - as the 87 the district now figures walk to Franklin, Wright said.

The new Franklin would be built for use in the fall of 1997 and Jefferson students would then be housed in the old Franklin School while work is done on their building.

The 20-year bond would cost taxpayers $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Superintendent Doug Nelson said that is substantially less than the $2.60 per $1,000 taxpayers were asked to pay for the $12.6 million bond question in 1990.

Pullman voters will also start choosing a new mayor to replace Al Halvorson, a former Washington State University soil scientist stepping down after five years to “officially retire” at the age of 75.

The candidates are:

Mitch Chandler, 43, owner of Neill’s Flowers since 1978. This would be Chandler’s first elected office, but he has been president of the Pullman Chamber of Commerce, the Pullman Downtown Association and Pullman High School Booster Club. He chaired the Pullman Planning Commission and the Pullman Transit Commission.

Floyd Larson, 70, a five-year City Council member and former editor of the now-defunct Pullman Herald. Larson has been president of the Pullman Lions Club, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Pullman Senior Citizens Corporation.

Jim Rowland, 52, president of the Whitman County Association of Realtors and chairman of the Ninth Legislative District Democratic Party. Rowland was twice defeated in previous mayoral bids, in 1979 and 1991, and lost to Victor Moore in the 1990 state House of Representatives primary.

In the Port of Whitman County primary, voters will choose from John E. Love, 62, of Garfield, the president of the J.E. Love Co., an agricultural equipment manufacturer; Mary Ann Mitchell, 54, of Colfax, a retired administrative assistant to the port; and Margaret “Maggie” McGreevy, 61, of rural Pullman, who served four years as county commissioner before being defeated by Jim Potts in 1992.

Running for Garfield’s second City Council position are Neal Leon, 48, a heavy equipment operator; Mike Delzer, 34, co-owner of Creations in Space, a manufacturer of bags and pouches for wheelchairs and walkers; and Randy Pinter, 36, office manager of the local McGregor Company fertilizer plant.

Also on the ballot are Garfield well, street, water and garbage truck levies and Oakesdale operations, street and parks levies.

, DataTimes