County Races Stevens, Pend Oreille, Ferry, Whitman, Lincoln Counties
Jere’s a look at races in outlying Eastern Washington counties:
Stevens County Commission, District 1
Republican Tony Delgado, 71, served six years on the New Jersey Fish and Game Commission, where he operated a fur farm, eight years on the Loon Lake School Board in the 1980s, and is chairman of the Stevens County Federal Lands Advisory Committee.
Now a retired Loon Lake excavation contractor, Delgado wants to press for more federal timber sales, form a lobbying coalition with neighboring counties, enlarge the county fair, and improve county efficiency, starting with the Road Division.
Democrat Kathy Moss, 29, has no political experience, but has volunteered as an emergency medical technician and on several organizations that support children, education and the elderly. She is a teaching assistant at Wellpinit School.
A salutatorian at Mary Walker High School, she studied education at Whitworth College. Moss wants to promote economic development and education, beef up the Sheriff’s Office, let voters decide any tax increase, and resist efforts to “lock up” federal lands.
Stevens County Commission, District 3
Independent Chuck Hayes, 57, is a retired Seattle firefighter and Navy housing manager who has lived in Colville for 10 years.
He has an associate degree in fire command and administration from North Seattle Community College but no political experience. He wants to add deputies, build a jail, put prisoners to work, develop an animal-control plan, attract businesses with financial incentives if necessary, and “take control of our county from the state and federal governments.”
Democrat Nancy Foll, 52, has served 12 years on the Colville City Council and 20 years with the Rural Resources nonprofit social service agency, where she is the family services director. She graduated from Pewaukee (Wis.) High School and attended Santa Monica (Calif.) Community College.
She wants to improve county departments’ cooperation and communication, promote economic development and crime prevention, find new revenue such as better fine collections instead of tax hikes and build a jail.
Republican Malcolm Friedman, 51, served on the Colville City Council from 1977 to 1982 and as mayor for six months before moving outside city limits. A businessman, he owns Woody’s restaurant and various commercial properties, and is the former owner of two supermarkets. A Colville native, he has a bachelor’s degree in German language from the University of Washington. Friedman wants to promote economic development, overhaul the county budget, curb taxes, and improve communications in county offices.
Pend Oreille County Commission, District 1
Incumbent Republican Mike Hanson, 57, is seeking a third term. He graduated from Newport High School, studied industrial technology at Eastern Washington University and since has operated an RV and mobile home court at Diamond Lake. He cites his experience, and vows to keep fighting for property rights and personal liberties. Frugal budgets are another of his priorities. Hanson cites his support of the Martin Hall juvenile detention center and says he supports law enforcement despite criticism from Sheriff Jerry Weeks.
Democrat Michael Quick, 54, graduated from Newport High School, and earned degrees in marketing and communications from the University of Washington. He worked for several ad agencies in Seattle, where he also ran his own agency before returning to the county in 1997.
Quick now is an independent marketing consultant at Diamond Lake. He wants to focus on economic development through technology. He also wants to improve coordination among county departments and among the county and other governments.
Pend Oreille County Commission, District 3
Republican Sam Nicholas, 60, of Ione, retired in 1997 after 30 years as a teacher, coach, counselor, athletic director and vice principal for the Selkirk School District. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from Wichita (Kan.) State University and a master’s in counseling from Whitworth College.
He served 10 years on the Ione City Council in three stints. Nicholas wants to improve morale and cooperation in county departments, develop the economy, and reduce bureaucracy.
Democrat Bob Nichols, 58, operates a garbage-collection company. He moved to the Blueslide area in 1992 after 23 years of managing fleets and equipment for Clark County in Vancouver, Wash. Nichols has an associate degree in liberal arts from Clark College. He was appointed to the Cusick School Board 1 years ago, and is chairman of the county Planning Commission. Nichols wants to organize the county’s purchasing system, network its computers and develop the economy.
Ferry County Commission, District 1
Democrat Connie Fletcher, 41, is the Republic office manager for the Northeast Tri-County Health District and a veteran of two terms on the Republic School Board. A graduate of Republic High School, she attended Eastern Washington University and the University of Idaho. Fletcher wants to get the county’s polarized factions working together by “listening with respect.” She says the county can protect its resource industries and property rights as well as the environment.
Republican Dennis Snook, 57, is a retired Seattle Fire Department battalion chief who moved to a Danville farm 12 years ago. He has an associate degree in fire science and administration from Seattle Community College. He cites his experience and his record of fighting for resource industries and property rights. He also cites his work to get federal disaster assistance and money for an economy-boosting water system at Curlew, and to acquire high-speed telecommunications.
Ferry County Commission, District 3
Republican Mike Blankenship, 51, is a 23-year resident of the Boyds area north of Kettle Falls. A 1967 graduate of Woodland (Wash.) High School, he operates a Kettle Falls muffler shop. A Republican committeeman and a past chairman of the party in Ferry County, Blankenship serves on the Kettle Falls School Board and the Ferry County Weed Board. His top priority is to fight growth management and land-use restrictions. He wants to be “absolutely frugal” with tax money.
Incumbent Democrat Gary Kohler, 58, recently retired from cattle ranching at Inchelium, where he still lives. He had planned not to seek a fourth term, but changed his mind. A graduate of Inchelium High School, Kohler attended Western Washington University and Yakima Valley Community College. He touts his experience as a commissioner and his lack of axes to grind. Kohler favors improving the county’s strained relations with the Colville Confederated Tribes while defending property rights and resource industries.
Whitman County
Most of the big issues, such as who will hold the offices of Superior Court judge and county commissioners, have already been decided.
The city of Pullman is asking for a property tax increase of 30.56 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in order to add three police officers and three employees in the fire department as well as cover other things deemed necessary by the City Council. And the rest of the county communities will vote on special tax levies for small towns.
Lincoln County
Commissioners Bill Graedel and Deral Boleneus are coasting to unopposed re-election.