Sayrs to run for county commissioner
Liberty Lake City Councilman Brian Sayrs announced Thursday he is running for Spokane County commissioner.
Sayrs, a computer software consultant and former Army specialist, is seeking the District 2 seat being vacated by Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin.
He will oppose local promoter Bill Burke in the Democratic primary. Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson and developer lobbyist Mark Richard, both Republicans, are also running for the seat.
“When I thought about all the things we’ve been doing for the past few years, it occurred to me we needed someone with a philosophy of leadership, the experience to back it up and someone who is capable of making decisions in a balanced way,” Sayrs said.
Sayrs said smart growth, job creation and balanced decision-making are priorities of his campaign.
A key component of job growth is financing economic development projects as opposed to economic development organizations, he said, adding that more attention needs to be paid to helping people advance beyond jobs they are overqualified to hold.
“If I can get someone stuck in that entry-level job a new, better job, then I’ve helped two people,” he said.
Sayrs said Spokane County needs to place more emphasis on growth that offers people opportunities to live near their jobs and services rather than segregating housing from commercial areas.
“I’m interested in building communities, not just houses,” he said.
Sayrs was born in Portland and has lived in the Inland Northwest since 1980.
He graduated from Odessa High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from New York’s Regents College after doing extensive coursework at Gonzaga University.
Sayrs’ wife, Michelle, is a pediatrician. The two have a 2-year-old son and are expecting another son this summer.
Sayrs spent four years in the Army and then began his own computer software consulting business.
“After 9-11, the industry got to be very boom-or-bust, so I poured myself into public service,” he said.
Sayrs was part of the Liberty Lake group that advocated for the area to incorporate, and he has been active in town government since.
He also sits on the Spokane Transit Authority Board of Directors and is a charter member of the Liberty Lake Centennial Rotary Club.
Sitting on the STA board and helping build Liberty Lake’s city government have taught Sayrs that regional government, like the county and STA, need to respond to individual communities’ needs – something he pledges to do if elected.
Sayrs will kick off his campaign at 5:30 p.m. today in lower Manito Park.