Three of five Medical Lake City City Council incumbents face challengers
This year, three of the five open Medical Lake City Council seats are contested. Council Positions 2, 4 and 5 each have three candidates.
The unusual rise in participation in the town’s elections this year has been attributed to many things. Some said the state of national politics has encouraged younger people to involve themselves in local politics. Others said their voices aren’t being heard by the current city leaders. .
Candidates Arthur Burton and John Paikuli are running unopposed.
Council Position No. 2
Monica C. Manza
Age: 56.
Political experience: Manza is the president of the Fox Ridge Homeowners Association.
Work experience: She worked for the Department of Social and Health Services for 20 years. She also has worked for nursing homes and schools.
Education: She graduated from St. Placid High School in Olympia in 1979, and spent two years at Fort Steilacoom Community College before attending Eastern Washington University and completing a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology in 1984. She returned to EWU to complete a master’s in speech pathology in 1992.
Family: Married with two stepchildren.
Priorities: Manza wants to clean up the parks and trails and create a safe environment for the city. She said the city should consider creating its own police department again and expand the fire department. She believes citizens of Medical Lake are ready to see change and says the city has been stagnant for a while. The town is “considered a bedroom community,” and she believes it could benefit from modernization and the promotion of business growth.
John Merrick
Age: 45.
Political experience: None.
Military experience: Merrick served in the U.S. Navy from 1990 to 1998.
Work experience: Served the Medical Lake Fire Department from 2003 to 2015 and has been working as a paramedic through American Medical Response since 2004.
Education: He graduated from Medical Lake High School in 1990. He completed a criminal justice program with an emphasis on juvenile detention at Linn-Benton Community College in 1999 and a paramedic program through Spokane Community College in 2008. He also participated in leadership classes through the National Fire Academy.
Family: Married. Has two school-age children.
Priorities: Merrick’s top priority is revitalizing the business atmosphere in Medical Lake. His approach would target and aid current businesses as well as bring in new businesses.
Elizabeth Rosenbeck
Age: 54.
Political experience: Rosenbeck served one year on the Medical Lake City Council. Served on the Parks and Recreation, Finance and Public Safety committees of Medical Lake.
Military experience: Served in the Air Force as a Morse systems operator from 1981 to 1987.
Work experience: She has been a project coordinator for 15 years and has worked for many firms, including CH2M Hill, OAC Services and FL Smidt.
Education: She graduated from Coronado High School in Nevada in 1981 and received a bachelor’s in organizational management from Whitworth University in 2007.
Family: She has 17-year-old twins.
Priorities: Her top priority is to install a nonvolunteer fire department and EMT system.
Council Position No. 4
Destiny Stein
Stein, an incumbent member of the council, did not respond to several requests seeking information.
Tony Harbolt
Age: 51.
Political experience: None.
Military experience: Harbolt served in the U.S. Army for six years and was part of the Army National Guard.
Work experience: He has spent the last nine of his 20 years in law enforcement at the Washington Department of Corrections Center. He is a safety officer for the Airway Heights Correction Center. He also has been a volunteer EMT, Civil Service Commission secretary, Little League coach and board member, Substance Abuse Coalition member, and a Critical Incident Stress Management Team volunteer with the corrections department.
Education: He graduated from Indian Creek High School in Indiana in 1984. He received an associate degree in Criminal Justice from Spokane Community College in 2015.
Family: He and his wife Carolyn have been married 28 years and have two adult sons.
Priorities: Harbolt proposes in-depth analyses of the current law enforcement and fire department systems in Medical Lake. These audits would address the fiscal options and the needs and opinions of the Medical Lake community. He also emphasizes enforcing the city ordinances in place, concerning issues like winter parking and noise complaints. Harbolt says the city should repair the walking path around Medical Lake. Some areas of asphalt need repaving and additional lights should be installed to increase safety.
Don Kennedy
Age: 66.
Political experience: Kennedy serves on the board of the Bluewaters Bluegrass Festival in Medical Lake and the board of trustees for Riverview Retirement Community. He served as president of Central Lutheran Church. He participates in the Reimagine Medical Lake Committee.
Military experience: None.
Work experience: From 1976 until retirement in 2015, he worked with foreign credit entities including Northwest Farm Credit Services, which he still does some work for. He said he is, for the most part, retired.
Education: He graduated from Auburn High School in Washington in 1968. He received a bachelor’s degree in geology in 1973 and a master’s in geology in 1979, both at Eastern Washington University. He received a law degree from Gonzaga University in 1991. His law degree specializes in oil, gas and natural resources.
Family: Married for 44 years with two sons and five grandchildren
Priorities: Kennedy believes Medical Lake taxpayers “get stuck with the bill too often.” He is concerned with the regulatory outreach by the state and other entities into small cities like Medical Lake. He also believes community involvement in the city has dwindled. He does not have a plan for issues concerning the fire and police departments yet because he needs to learn more about the city’s financial situation.
Council Position No. 5
Gary J. Plumlee
Age: 29.
Political experience: None.
Military experience: Plumlee served four years in the Marine Corps.
Work experience: Plumlee worked at the Davenport Hotel for five years before serving in the Marine Corps. He contracted for the U.S. State Department assessing high-threat security in Baghdad.
Education: He graduated from North Central High School in 2005 and received an Associate of Arts from SFCC in 2017. .
Family: He is married and his first child was born this summer.
Priorities: Plumlee wants to revitalize the core of downtown Medical Lake. The lack of business is hurting the town, he said. He believes the size of Medical Lake merits its own police department.
Michael Deeley
Age: 39.
Political experience: None.
Military experience: Deeley was in the Air Force for nine years.
Work experience: He has worked at the sorting plant and as a carrier and clerk for the Post Office.
Education: He graduated from Elkhart Central High School in Indiana in 1996. He received a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 2001.
Family: He and his wife have an 18-year-old son.
Priorities: Deeley wants to balance the city budget and ensure Medical Lake receives the money owed to them by the state. His priority is to support education and schools in Medical Lake. Deeley aims to beautify the city by remodeling or tearing down unused buildings in downtown Medical Lake.
Theodore E. Olson
Age: 68.
Political experience: Active in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.
Military experience: Served two years in the U.S. Navy.
Work experience: Worked for the Department of Social and Health Services for 21 years as well as the Consolidated Support Services. He was an equipment operator and a licensed wastewater treatment operator. He is a substitute bus driver.
Education: Graduated from Walla Walla High School in 1967 and went to Walla Walla Community College.
Family: He and his wife have eight children, 16 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Priorities: Olson wants to make sure the main road is inviting to visitors by cleaning up the lots lining it. He wants new businesses to be attracted to Medical Lake as a venue. He also would like to re-evaluate issues concerning the city’s fire and police department.