Agnew, Korondy want to get back to issues

Candidates for a Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District commissioner position are tired of dealing with aggressive campaign tactics and want to get back to the issues.

Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District serves about 2,300 ratepayers and deals with challenges ranging from brisk development and limited water rights to water quality issues.

On Nov. 8, voters will decide whether to keep incumbent Commissioner Tom Agnew or vote in John Korondy. If elected, Korondy would become the first city resident on the board, which is governed by three commissioners living outside the city.

Both campaigns veered away from sewer and water topics to address personal issues, several weeks ago.

First, a supporter of incumbent Commissioner Tom Agnew discovered that challenger John Korondy’s educational credentials were overstated in a story published in the Liberty Lake Splash.

The profile piece stated that Korondy, a computer scientist and management consultant, said he graduated from UCLA.

Agnew’s supporter found Korondy never attended UCLA and informed the newspaper. Korondy later said he graduated from De Anza College, a community college in Cupertino, Calif.

In a follow-up story, Korondy supporters pointed out that Agnew had been fined twice for missing deadlines for conflict of interest filings. Officials are required to file those statements annually with the Public Disclosure Commission.

Lori Anderson, a spokesperson for PDC, confirmed that Agnew was fined in 2001 and 2004. She said most officials meet deadlines, but many need reminders. Agnew got past the reminder phase and into the hearing phase, which is less common.

Both Agnew and Korondy said they’re frustrated with the controversy and want to get back to the issues.

“I would like to not have to talk about this anymore, but realize people are kind of fixated on it. The real question is who you want to have as your sewer commissioner,” Agnew said.

Korondy is frustrated with the “assumption” issue, which drained about $400,000 in community resources spent battling two sides of a lawsuit. He wants the city and sewer district to patch things up.

Other priorities for Korondy include protecting water quality, keeping rates reasonable and having the district provide detailed quarterly financial updates.

Agnew, a planning and management consultant, has served as commissioner for six years.

His goals include protecting the river, lake and aquifer and managing limited resources.

He also wants to keep sewer and water rates comparatively low. Angew said developers should pay for development and households shouldn’t subsidize hookup fees.

To learn more about the candidates and their views, visit a community forum on Monday, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Liberty Lake Elementary School.

East Spokane Water District 1

In East Spokane Water District 1, a commissioner race is pitting incumbent Commissioner Josie Zeller against newcomer Ed Peck.

The district serves about 2,500 ratepayers living in Edgecliff and East Spokane.

Zeller, who has served as a commissioner for 12 years, didn’t appear in a previous candidate story in The Spokesman-Review because she was out of town and couldn’t be reached for comment.

If re-elected, Zeller said she’ll work for low water rates and good service for ratepayers.

Zeller, 78, said during her tenure the district has done a good job keeping rates down. She said she helped the district add several wells to better serve ratepayers and worked toward water main improvements that enable the district to serve more people.

“I’ve tried my best over the last 12 years,” Zeller said.

Peck, 67, who owns Secret Garden Greenhouse, said his 37 years in management could benefit the district.

If elected, he would focus on providing service for the lowest possible rates and on aquifer protection.

“I’m not against development at all, but I think it needs to be done moderately.”