Profiles of candidates for Spokane County commissioner, District 3
Candidates
Job description: This Spokane County office is part of a three-member board that serves as the executive of county operations. Commissioners decide on budgets, land use, staffing, county utilities and other matters.
District 3 includes southwest and west Spokane County and portions of the city of Spokane, including parts of the South Hill and North Side. Only voters in the district vote in the primary election. The office appears on the countywide ballot in the general election.
Al French
Republican, 63, married, has one adult daughter
Education: Bachelor’s degree in architecture, minor in business finance, University of Idaho, 1977.
Work experience: Architect, 1977 to present; real estate broker and developer, property manager, 1986 to present; U.S. Marine, 1969 to 1972, sergeant.
Political experience: Spokane County commissioner, 2011 to present; Spokane City Council member, 2002 through 2009; Nevada-Lidgerwood Neighborhood Council president; Northeast Community Center Association, board president; Spokane Transit Authority board chair.
Bonnie Mager, 63
Independent, 63, married, has three adult children
Education: Associate degree in fashion design, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, 1972.
Work experience: Neighborhood Alliance of Spokane County, co-founder and executive director, 2000 to 2006; Washington Environmental Council, Eastern Washington regional coordinator, 1994 to 2002; Citizens for Clean Air, executive director, 1990 to 1994; food broker, 1988 to 1990.
Political experience: Spokane County commissioner, 2007-2011; Spokane County Solid Waste Advisory Committee, Spokane Regional Health District board, Spokane Transit Authority board.
Mary Lou Johnson, 67
Democrat, 67, married, has two adult children
Education: University of Minnesota, bachelor’s in nursing, 1969; University of Colorado, master’s in community health and nursing, 1970; Gonzaga University, law degree, 1992.
Work experience: Attorney in U.S. District Court, 1993 to 2011; clerk in Court of Appeals, 1992 to 1993; community health nurse and educator, 1971 to 1989; taught at Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education; family nurse practitioner.
Political experience: This is Johnson’s first run for elective office.