For our Fall 2020 Voters Guide, we emailed Whitman County Commissioner candidates a set of 12 questions on professional experience, local priorities and general issues. We have included those questions and the unedited responses. We have also provided links to candidate websites, campaign funding reports and other local media coverage when available.
Commissioners serve four-year terms on the three-person board of county commissioners, which oversees the county government administration. Commissioners set county policy and approve department budgets, zoning changes and other decisions. They also make of the county Board of Health and the Board of Equalization. The position will pay $74,430 next year.
CANDIDATE BACKGROUND
Website/Social media: Facebook page (2012)
PDC campaign funding reports: Kinzer, 2020
Notable donors:
Fellow county commissioners Art Swannack and Michael Largent, County Auditor Sandy Jamison, Whitman County Republicans
Running against: Tom Handy, Independent
Recent media coverage or debate replays:
League of Women Voters of Pullman: A 40-minute live debate from Oct. 17
Northwest Public Broadcasting: Live debate in partnership with Whitman County Watch and The Civic Scoop: Pullman, Sept. 24
Lewiston Tribune: Whitman County race pits 2-term incumbent vs. political newcomer
Daily Evergreen: County candidates debate on COVID-19 response, small business assistance
Whitman County Gazette: Contested race for county commissioner
QUESTIONNAIRE
How would you describe your current occupation or job title(s)?
I am currently the Whitman County Dist. 2 County Commissioner and I also continue to farm after hours and on weekends.
What other memberships or community affiliations would you like to share with voters?
My home Church is the Evangelical Free Church on Airport Road and I am a Pullman Chamber of Commerce member. I am also a member of three agriculture related cooperatives and the Grange.
What, if any, charities, political campaigns or nonprofits have you donated money or volunteer hours to in the past year?
My 90 year old Mother has had some difficult health challenges over the past couple of years. My spare time and resources are currently directed to helping my Mom.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
I am most proud of being part of the County Team that mitigated the Hawkins Project debacle near the Washington – Idaho state line (which took 7 years) and have improved services, infrastructure and the fiscal position of the County.
What is your vision for Whitman County, and are there other counties or agencies you would like to emulate?
My vision for Whitman County would be to have no debt and have all of the departments fully staffed to be able to provide services and maintain our infrastructure at optimum levels.
Are there specific issues or projects that would benefit from increased collaboration between county and Pullman city officials? How would you approach those efforts?
I believe the County and Pullman could each save money by coordinating resources so as to be more efficient at providing services and maintaining infrastructure. Some of that is currently being done but I believe it could be expanded.
With COVID-19 impacting county revenue, what is your philosophy for approaching budget reductions or negotiating with department heads on spending cuts? Are there services you would prioritize?
Budget reductions and spending cuts need to be strategic. Across the board cuts can be devastating. We would be looking at non-essential services to be scaled back or cut and then determine where we could strategically use furloughs to reduce expenses before making any layoffs.
What aspect of county infrastructure (other than roads and bridges) will play the largest role in the future of the county and what are your plans to support or improve that infrastructure?
Other than roads and bridges we need to get broadband internet to all the citizens in the county. We (the County Commissioners) were able to direct 1 million dollars of .09 funds (that can only be used for economic development) to the Port to support fiber to the rural towns in Whitman County.
An appointed citizen commission has set the pay for all county elected officials since 2005. Salaries for most elected officials have nearly doubled in those 15 years. Do you support the continued use of the salary commission? Why or why not?
I fully support having a salary commission determine the salaries of elected officials. It used to be that the County Commissioners determined the salaries which put them in a no-win situation.
Do you support the county enacting policies to address climate change or promote environmental sustainability? If so, what steps would you take?
I am all for addressing climate change with technology. When technology makes it less expensive and more efficient to operate a low carbon or no carbon vehicle (or machinery) than running what we currently have, then the adoption will be quick and painless. Enacting policies requires policing and usually very expensive fixes puts the county in an adversarial position which would be very counterproductive.
What do you consider to be the greatest areas of opportunity for expanding recreation and tourism in the county?
Agroturism has tremendous potential in Whitman County. My Wife and I hosted a half day with the Japanese students from Japan. We let each one of them drive a hillside combine on a hill. They got to watch farm machinery in action and interact with our sheep, cattle and horses. We fed them food that was produced on the farm also. They rated their visit to the farm the highlight of the entire tour in the US.
If you could wave a magic wand and instantly change one thing about Whitman County, what would it be and why?
Political animosity is tearing our social fabric apart. When campaign signs are being destroyed and wearing a MAGA hat elicits a response of “F___ YOU” and a middle finger, then we are in trouble. We as a society have lost our “civility” which is a cornerstone of any civilized society. If I could wave a magic wand — I would require people that disagree with each other on issues to have at least 15 minutes of calm civil discourse with each other in order to understand each other’s position better. We can agree to disagree but keep it civil.