11 File For Liberty Lake Posts

Liberty Lake’s new city now has at least one candidate for each office.

By Friday morning, a total of 11 people had filed for seats in the new city government, although one candidate decided to withdraw his bid for office.

Donn Adams said he pulled out of the race because his wife fell ill. He was seeking a City Council seat.

Filing closed on Friday but candidates have until Wednesday to withdraw from the races.

Mayor candidate Steve Peterson was unopposed by mid-morning Friday. Peterson, 50, moved to Liberty Lake three years ago and he has been impressed by the sense of community. He is a salesman for the New Jersey-based Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

“I want to be part of planning the growth of the city and I want to be sure we protect the things that made us choose Liberty Lake,” Peterson said.

Several other city council candidates have joined the early filers. These were the people who filed for office by 10 a.m. Friday:

Wendy Van Orman, 40, was unopposed for council Position 1. Van Orman was part of Liberty Lake 2000, the group that backed incorporation. She is the office manager for Quality Hardwood Floors.

“After working on this for the last three years I want to make sure that what we talked about, the reasons we had Liberty Lake become a city, actually happens,” she said.

Dennis Paul was the only candidate for Position 2. He could not be reached for comment.

Adams pulled out of the race this week for Position 3 leaving David R. Crump as the lone candidate for the seat. Crump could not be reached by deadline.

There were two candidates for the council’s Position 4. Tim Shea, a 47-year-old Windermere real estate agent, will face Jim Wilson. Wilson could not be reached on Friday.

U.S. Bank manager Tim Bleeker, 34, filed for a City Council Position 5. Living in Liberty Lake for the past seven years has given him a vested interest in the community, he said.

He said he hopes the City Council can work to stem some of the crime that has been happening in the community lately.

Bleeker will face Judi Owens for the seat. Owens, 54, is the head secretary in the maintenance department at the Central Valley School District. She has lived in Liberty Lake for about 8 years.

“It’s my belief that the new city needs some people who are willing to roll up their shirt sleeves and work for a common goal and I’m the kind of person who will do that,” she said.

Brian A. Sayrs , 33, was the only candidate for City Council Position 6. He is a software engineer who was also a member of Liberty Lake 2000.

There was also one candidate for council Position 7. Scott Bernhard, 40, is a project manager for Max J. Kuney Co. and the president of Friends of Pavillion Park.

“I’ve been pretty involved in the community and I just want to continue,” he said.

He hopes the new City Council can improve services, keep taxes low and protect the identity of Liberty Lake.

The primary election will be held by mail-in ballot on Feb. 6. If there are only one or two candidates for a position their names will not appear on the primary ballot. They automatically advance to the general election on April 24.