Ferry County

Thu., Oct. 29, 1998

By John Craig johnc@spokesman.com

Ferry County voters have lots of choices in their entirely vote-by-mail general election that ends Nov. 3.

In addition to spirited races for county offices, voters in Fire District 3 must decide whether to establish a six-year levy of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value to provide emergency medical service.

Here are the candidates:

County Commissioner: First-term incumbent Republican Jim Hall, 52, is a Republic motel owner and former mayor. Democratic challenger Leo Orestad, 59, is retired from 28 years of running the state driver’s licensing office in Republic.

Sheriff: Democrat Hal Slagle, 66, is retired from 28 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office, mostly as a sergeant. First-term incumbent Republican Pete Warner, 51, operates a general store at Malo and previously worked as a U.S. Customs officer.

Auditor: Republican Clydene Bolinger, 55, has worked in the auditor’s office for eight years and is the chief deputy. Democrat Bob Schwartz, 46, came to the county about three years ago from Ellensburg, where he resigned as chief executive of Kittitas Valley Community Hospital. He is now a clerk at a local hardware store.

Assessor: Democrat Kelly Leslie, 36, was appointed assessor June 1. Previously, she spent eight years as the Republic city clerk-treasurer and then operated a bakery and worked as a legal secretary. Republican Bill Quaade, 46, is retired from 20 years in law enforcement in Blaine, Wash., and King County, where he was a detective.

District Court Judge: First-term incumbent Lynda Eaton, 49, has practiced law since 1992 in Leavenworth, Wash., and Republic. Challenger James von Sauer, 48, is a deputy prosecutor who moved to Republic in February after practicing for 20 years in Southern California.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.