‘I am a proud Democrat’: New Spokane County Democrats chair looks to reunite party

The Spokane County Democrats on Saturday selected a West Plains water commissioner as its next chair – the third person to lead the party in as many months amid interparty and legal conflicts.

Precinct officers overwhelmingly supported Steven McCray II to become the new chair after McCray and fellow chair nominee, Jackson Deese, voiced their visions for uniting the party, securing its finances and mediating future disagreements Saturday morning at the downtown Spokane Public Library. The officers voted 48-24 in favor of McCray.

McCray, 46, is an elected water commissioner for the Four Lakes Water District and last year ran unsuccessfully against Republican state Rep. Mike Volz for his position. McCray said he works part-time at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane as a substance abuse prevention intern.

“Right now, our party is under attack at all levels,” McCray told the nearly 50 people Saturday who attended in person and the several others who watched virtually. “Our democracy is under attack at all levels. The opposition has no problem in breaking the law, violating the constitution, sending ICE into our communities, sending in National Guard. And they are violating every rule and norm of our country right now, and we need people that are willing to stand up, and I’m willing to stand up and I have stood up.”

McCray takes over for acting Chair Matthew Sorey, who is facing a DUI charge after a Washington State Patrol trooper pulled him over Sept. 7. Sorey’s blood alcohol content was 0.14 at the time of his arrest, according to court documents.

As vice chair, Sorey, 25, assumed chair duties after Naida Spencer announced her resignation as chair Sept. 10.

Spencer wrote in her resignation letter that she had unwillingly become the center of interparty conflict and felt stepping down was necessary for the party to move forward.

McCray told The Spokesman-Review after Saturday’s meeting that repairing the party’s reputation is one of his priorities.

“Unfortunately, the last few months we’ve taken some damage from things that have gone on in the press and we need to work on that,” he said.

Sorey, whose vice chair term runs through 2026, told The Spokesman-Review Saturday that his DUI arrest “had nothing to do with my decision to not run” for chair.

He said serving as vice chair and chair was a huge commitment and he wants to spend time working on campaigns. He was campaign manager for Zack Zappone, who won re-election last week to his Spokane City Council seat.

Sorey said he wants to work on a campaign next year and didn’t want to have a “conflict of interest” working on a campaign and serving as chair of the Democratic Party.

“I feel like I got my experience as chair, and it is a lot for somebody who works full time,” Sorey said.

He said he was thankful for the opportunity and that McCray and Deese stepped up to run, and now he can focus on his vice chair role.

“I’m thankful for all the people that stepped up in the office,” Sorey said. “There’s a lot of great folks that volunteer in the office that I’ve cultivated really strong relationships with, so I’m very, very thankful for that.”

Deese, a 24-year-old legislative assistant to Zappone, told The Spokesman-Review he still plans to be involved with the Spokane County Democrats and was excited to support McCray.

“I’ve been a Democrat since I was 11 years old watching Barack Obama run for re-election,” Deese told precinct officers. “That’s not going to change anytime soon.”

He said his youth and the fact many of the precinct officers didn’t know him well because of his short time with the organization may have worked against him Saturday.

“I believed in my vision for it, but I understand why people had their hesitations about me,” Deese said. “I get it, and maybe I’ll run again in the future.”

Deese graduated from Mead High School and then the University of Washington before moving back to the Spokane area. He said Democrats have struggled locally and nationally and that the party needs to “get back on track” by finding an identity.

“I think we need to band together to get a plan together and execute that plan,” Deese said.

Meanwhile, McCray has chaired multiple committees within the Democratic Party. He’s a precinct committee officer in the 6th Legislative District.

He recently graduated from Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a minor in psychology, he said. McCray founded the EWU Student Democrats.

He was recently re-elected to the Four Lakes Water District commission.

One precinct officer questioned Saturday whether McCray met residency requirements to be Four Lakes Water District commissioner.

McCray, who filed for divorce in June, moved out of the Four Lakes residence he shared with his wife and into a Spokane house in June, according to court documents.

McCray responded to the precinct officer’s question that his home, voter registration and mail addresses are still at Four Lakes. He said that’s where he goes home most nights as well.

When the officer pressed McCray again, citing the court filing that he moved out of the Four Lakes residence and into a Spokane home, McCray again said his home, voter registration and mail address are still in Four Lakes.

McCray told The Spokesman-Review after Saturday’s meeting that he has already spoken with water district officials and intends to resign immediately after he is sworn into his water commission position in January. He said he filed to run for the position in the spring while living in Four Lakes and then moved to Spokane in June, the month after the deadline for candidates to remove their name from the ballot.

He said he’s been living at his Spokane residence, and recently signed a lease there, but he said he wasn’t using that as his permanent address because of his “fluid” situation. He said he and his girlfriend just purchased a home in Cheney, so that is expected to be his new permanent home.

McCray said he’s “fully within the requirements of the law.”

He said he was, “caught off guard that he was pulling my divorce decree,” when asked by The Spokesman-Review why he didn’t clarify the situation at Saturday’s meeting.

McCray told attendees his main goal as the Spokane County Democrat’s chair is to address ongoing money issues.

“We have to secure ourselves financially if we want to do anything this next year,” McCray said.

He said the organization had $3,900 and the party spends about $3,000 a month just to “keep the lights on” at its office on Washington Street and Boone Avenue, just north of downtown.

“That’s rather frightening and has me very worried,” he said of the “dire” financial situation.

McCray said the party is locked into a lease at its Washington Street office for at least another two years, and the idea of breaking the lease will create “severely bad press” for the party. So, he said the plan is to “suck it up” and continue paying the lease until it expires. He said he would then love to explore other options, like moving into a labor union building.

“They are our greatest ally in the community,” he said.

The county Democratic Party has two primary fundraisers each year, but McCray suggested hosting additional, smaller fundraisers all over the county. He said the current fundraisers are primarily in Spokane, which neglects the smaller towns within Spokane County.

“There’s a great opportunity for us to have a much bigger footprint in these communities,” he said.

One precinct officer asked the two chair nominees how they would mediate interparty conflict given the party’s recent tensions.

“I’m well aware of the interpersonal conflicts that have gone on in this party and it’s very unfortunate,” McCray said. “When conflicts happen in the shadows, it creates an opportunity for them to just get larger and larger.”

He said if people are unable to resolve issues through discussions, the issue needs to go to the party’s grievance committee.

“I’ve never been afraid to reach out to somebody when I have a problem with them,” McCray said.

He called the Spokane County Democrats a “bottom-up organization,” and as chair, he would represent the precinct officers and county voters alike. Any issues within the party would be put to a vote.

“As a democratic organization, the best way to unite people is by giving everybody in the organization a vote and a choice in the direction that we go,” he said.

Some precinct officers expressed concern about the many responsibilities of the chair and the susceptibility to “burn out.”

McCray said he will rely on others to help him.

“The chair’s primary job should be finding the right people to do the jobs and letting them go to work, and then finding the money to support the office,” he said.

He said he started his master’s degree program, but already made arrangements to put his education and job at the VA on hold to focus on his party leadership role.

“This will be my top priority,” he said. “I will take it as a full-time job.”

McCray told the newspaper he’s willing to fight for his beliefs and stand up for his party.

“I am a proud Democrat,” he said.