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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Longtime Spokane Valley resident joins Spokane Valley Fire Department board of commissioners

John Guarisco has been named to a seat on the Spokane Valley Fire Department board of commissioners. The term Guarisco was appointed to fill runs until December 2021, but he must run for election in November 2019 in order to retain the position. (Spokane Valley Fire Department / Courtesy photo)
By Nina Culver For The Spokesman-Review

Longtime Spokane Valley resident and previous contender for a Spokane County Commissioner seat John Guarisco has been selected to fill a vacant seat on the Spokane Valley Fire Department board of commissioners.

The seat became vacant in May when longtime Fire Commissioner Joe Dawson stepped down for health reasons. Commissioners asked for applications from community members and conducted five interviews before selecting Guarisco to join their ranks. He was sworn in Monday.

When he was young, Guarisco said he considered becoming a firefighter. “The Y in the road was be a firefighter or go into broadcasting,” he said.

He chose broadcasting and later got into marketing, but the draw of firefighting was always there.

A lifelong Spokane Valley resident, Guarisco said he had contacts with the department over the years that impressed him, once when his restaurant burned down in 1998 and again when a friend had a medical issue in his home and died despite the efforts of paramedics to revive him.

“The older you get the more you truly understand how important public safety is,” he said.

He always thought of the Spokane Valley Fire Department as a shining star among other departments, Guarisco said. “These guys in the department are nailing it for the community,” he said. “I would like to keep that good flavor going.”

Guarisco, who has not previously held an elected position, is perhaps best known for being one of three Republicans selected by the Spokane County Republican Party as candidates to replace outgoing Spokane County Commissioner Shelly O’Quinn in 2017. The remaining two commissioners could not agree on one of the three candidates, so Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Mary Kuney to fill the vacancy.

His goal then and his goal now is to give back to the community even though he works full time and recently got his real estate license, he said. “There’s always time to give back,” he said.

The term Guarisco was appointed to fill runs until December 2021 but he must run for election in November 2019 in order to retain the position.

Guarisco co-owned Luigi’s restaurant in the 1990s before founding Marjoni Marketing in 2004, which merged with MDI Marketing in 2010. He graduated from Central Valley High School and has an associate’s degree in telecommunications and broadcasting from Spokane Falls Community College.

He has served on the board of the directors for the Greater Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce for the past eight years. He received the chamber’s Volunteer of the Year award in 2014 and the Community Caring Award in 2010.

His new role is about being a good steward and fiscally responsible, Guarisco said, but he won’t rule out a ride along with one of the crews. “Now that I’m a fire commissioner why wouldn’t I live out some of my dreams?” he said.