Olander won’t seek re-election

Liberty Lake council member Neal Olander has announced he will not seek re-election in November. “There’s just too much stuff going on,” he said.

Olander, a software engineer, served on the Liberty Lake Planning Commission before being appointed to the council in May 2007 to fill the seat emptied by the resignation of Dennis Paul, who moved outside the city limits.

He was encouraged by the recent turnout of eight applicants for a council seat left vacant by the resignation of Brian Sayrs. “There’s a lot of good candidates,” he said. “I encourage those people who applied for the opening to run.”

While on the council Olander has been a champion for a large community park on the north side of Interstate 90. He said he’s not worried that his departure will impact that fight. “In the end, things work out,” he said.