Incumbents Face Challenge In Council Race

Cheney

Three incumbent City Council members in Cheney are facing strong challenges in this fall’s general election.

In the Position 1 race, incumbent Curt Huff, 53, an Eastern Washington University vice president, is facing longtime businessman Oliver McCord, 59.

The two are friends and their campaign has taken on an easy demeanor.

“I can’t think of a bad thing to say about him,” Huff said of his opponent. “If he gets elected, he’ll have my total support.” McCord said, “We are running a friendly campaign.”

McCord moved to Cheney 20 years ago to run an independent insurance agency. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

He served on the City Council from 1979 through 1985, but resigned his position when he bought the insurance agency, which he was previously managing. The agency at the time was carrying policies for the city of Cheney. Now, the city no longer buys insurance through the McCord Agency.

McCord has served as a board member and president of the Cheney Chamber of Commerce.

He said the city needs more representation for businesses and EWU should try to attract more students to the Cheney campus.

Huff is finishing his first term on the City Council. He is an associate vice president for university and auxiliary services at EWU. In that position, he oversees the Pence Student Union Building, the EWU police department, housing, the bookstore, food services and the athletic facility.

Currently, Huff is renegotiating a lease for the Seattle Seahawks summer training camp.

Huff graduated from EWU in 1971 with a degree in business finance and has spent his career at the university.

He said he wants to take a conservative approach to solving a $300,000 revenue shortfall expected next year. The state auditor has told the city to reduce its tax on Cheney City Light customers from 12 percent to 6 percent.

Huff said he would prefer a combination of budget cuts and a transfer of part of the tax burden to water, sewer and garbage bills.

“I think the taxpayers should get a break on it,” he said.

In the Position 2 race, incumbent Marliss Gregerson, 56, is seeking a second term against Mike McKeehan, 53, a fourth-grade teacher at Reid Laboratory School.

Gregerson is a bookkeeper for the Cheney School District, currently working at the high school. She has lived in Cheney for 18 years.

Her race against McKeehan is taking on a neighborly tone. The two live just four blocks apart and Gregerson said she saw McKeehan’s children go through high school.

Gregerson said she is not eager to raise taxes on water, sewer and garbage to make up for the reduction of electrical utility taxes.

“I think there’s a lot of number crunching that needs to be done,” she said.

Education is in McKeehan’s blood. He grew up in Cheney as the son of a mathematics professor at the university. His mother taught math at the high school. His oldest daughter plans to become a teacher.

McKeehan is a Cheney high school graduate and holds three college degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Washington.

He has the distinction of running in every Bloomsday race in Spokane.

He said he believes Cheney businesses could create a university business district, but that will require stronger Cheney campus programs and more students living in Cheney.

McKeehan said he believes the city should begin investing money in streets and sidewalk repairs because those improvements are needed now and will only get more costly in coming years.

He has been on the city planning commission for eight years.

In the Position 3 race, incumbent William Shaw, 56, is seeking a second term against Annette Hendricks, 42.

Shaw is a Spokane native and graduate of Rogers High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from EWU in 1973 and started working for the university even while he was taking classes.

Now, he is the chief financial officer. He moved to Cheney in 1981.

He said he is running because he wanted to give something back to the community.

Shaw said he would be an asset on the City Council because of his experience with budget issues.

Hendricks is running because she believes Cheney needs a facelift.

“The city is run down,” she said. She also said she didn’t want Shaw to run unopposed.

Cheney needs more businesses and a stronger tax base to pay for improvements, Hendricks said.

Hendricks grew up in Spokane. She served in the Navy until 1995, retiring as a chief petty officer. Now, she is attending classes at EWU, hoping to earn a master’s degree in physical therapy. She has lived in Cheney for two years.

Hendricks said her career in the Navy gave her strong administrative experience and an appreciation for diversity that will help her on the City Council.

“I have great perspective to offer the community,” she said.

, DataTimes