Ferry County Commission Kroupa Vs. Snook: One Is An Artist, The Other A Retired Seattle Fireman
At the north end of Ferry County, Republican Dennis Snook and Democrat Chris Kroupa are competing to replace Democrat Ed Windsor, who is stepping down.
At the south end, two-term incumbent Democrat Gary Kohler is defending his position against Republican David Schumacher.
Kroupa, 48, says he would seek balance in the county’s contentious land-use disputes. He graduated from high school in Curlew, where he operates a pottery studio. Kroupa earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Michigan State University.
He served 1-1/2 years on the Curlew School Board in the mid-1980s. Kroupa and his wife, Nicole, have three school-age children.
His opponent, Dennis Snook, 53, is a retired Seattle Fire Department battalion chief who has lived near Danville for eight years. Snook serves on the county’s Kettle River Advisory Board. He and his wife, Glenda, have three adult children.
“Basically, my platform is economic growth, road improvements and property rights - in that order,” Snook said.
Fellow Republican David Schumacher, 67, describes himself as a “constitutionalist” who wants to challenge federal regulations.
Kohler vs. Schumacher
Schumacher grew up in Western Montana, earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Michigan State University and is a retired businessman.
He and his wife, Evelyn, moved to the Inchelium area 2-1/2 years ago from Enumclaw, Wash. They have three adult children.
His opponent, incumbent Democrat Gary Kohler, 54, wants to continue trying to balance competing interests in the county’s southern district, which is mostly inside the Colville Indian Reservation.
Kohler grazes cattle on the Inchelium-area ranch where he was born. He attended Western Washington University and Yakima Valley Community College.
Kohler and his wife, Joyce, have four children, ages 19 to 31.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: THE JOB Ferry County commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $25,470 annually.