At the candidates debate

Around 100 Wahkiakum County residents got a good view of candidates for county commissioner at a candidate forum August 6 at the River Street Meeting Room.

After opening welcomes from the sponsors, the Grays River Grange and the Wahkiakum Food and Farm Network, the candidates gave a summary of their experience and goals and then took questions, first from Rob Stockhouse of the Food and Farm Network, and then from members of the audience.

County Auditor and Chief Elections Officer Diane Tischer presented information about the state’s new Top Two Primary election. The candidates with the two highest tallies in the August 19 primary will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation, she said.

Three candidates are vying for the District 1 position now held by Independent George Trott, who isn’t seeking reelection. They are Democrats Lisa Marsyla and Bill Coons and Republican Wally Wright.

Only two candidates are vying for the District 2 position, Independent Dan Cothren, the incumbent, and Democrat Wayne Flohr.

Background

Cothren told the audience he had lived in Wahkiakum County all his life. He said he is running for a third time because he wants to continue working to stabilize the county’s revenue from state managed trust timber land. He is working with legislators and officials from state agencies and other counties to develop legislation which would compensate the county for timberland that has been locked up as habitat for endangered wildlife. He added he is also working to support recreational and commercial fisheries in the area.

Flohr said he is running for commissioner for many reasons of which the most important is to provide positive leadership, not reactive leadership. “The commission has overspent and not saved for the tough times,” he said. “A lack of guidance has gotten us into the predicament.” (Editor’s note: The county is facing a $1 million revenue shortfall this year, largely because of a $740,000 revenue attribution error by the state Department of Natural Resources, which manages the timber trusts.) Flohr also commented that decisions and budgetary process need to be conducted in public meetings, and that he had sought out DNR personnel to learn about the possible moves to restructure county timber lands.

Marsyla said her long interest in local affairs and a desire to contribute her business management expertise led her to run for office. She is also interested in economic, health care, fisheries and the process for siting a liquefied natural gas plant at Bradwood, Ore. “I’m against it,” she added.

Wright said he had lived in Cathlamet 58 of his 61 years of life. He has served on the Cathlamet Town Council and has been a volunteer fireman since age 16. He has also been involved in the Chamber of Commerce and Lower Columbia Economic Development Council. “I’m a problem solver,” he said. “As a fireman, I’ve been trained to get in front of the problem.” He added that he’s strong on families and wants to make sure the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic remains open.

Coons said he had lived in community for 15 years. He became involved in community affairs soon after moving her. He is a volunteer fireman, and a member of the fair board and the historical society board. He worked in the computer industry before moving here and was in business management. He said he would be a full-time commissioner. Coons also commented he is against the Bradwood Landing LNG plant proposal but would negotiate with the company to protect, in writing, the safety interests of county residents.

After candidates had introduced themselves, Stockhouse asked a randomly selected question of a particular candidate; other candidates were welcome to comment on the question or the response. In the second phase, members of the public asked questions either of a particular candidate or to the group, and all candidates were welcome to respond.

Question topics included:

1. How can the county get its best response from the Bradwood, Ore., Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant proposal?

Coons: The main issue, Coons said, is that county residents are safe. The key is to use the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to require Bradwood Landing to guarantee in writing how the local concerns will be met.

Flohr: He concurred with Coons and added that the issues shouldn’t be dealt with behind doors closed to the public and the press.

2. What is the long term scenario for the county to get its finances back in a stable, healthy condition?

Wright: First, the county should use interest bearing warrants on funds borrowed from reserves to finance its near term revenue needs. Second, by having department heads make permanent, long term cuts in their budget, growth can be controlled. Third, the harvest of timber by the state Department of Natural Resources could also be increased to cover the shortfall until finances are stable.

Cothren: “I wish it were all that easy,” he said. The county’s financial base is already stretched thin, he said; investments are down, and the interest is low; reserves have been spent down or borrowed against in previous years of revenue shortfall. “We have no ability to pay it back. The coffin lid is down.” Cutting high value timber in a depressed market isn’t sound management. The county, however, will get through the crisis in the long term as markets change and management decisions take effect.

Flohr: He said he had met with officials from the Department of Natural Resources, which manages the county timber trust timberland, and with other consultants who reported that the agency is considering three options to help the county to find relief for its sagging timber revenues. The options should have been shared with the public.

“These are the options I’ve been working on with them,” Cothren commented. “We’ll announce them as soon as the details are worked out.”

Marsyla: For the past few years, county spending has surpassed revenues. “We need to look at it,” she said.

Coons: We need stability from long range planning.

3. The Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic is trying to raise $200,000 through a fee solicitation fund drive. What should be done to maintain the clinic?

Marsyla: "I think it's very important to us as a county; we need to look really closely at its finances. The advisory group has done a good job. The fee is a good idea. If it doesn't work, we need to look for funds. We need to make a conscientious decision and see if we can combine clinic services with Health and Human Services. If not, we need to make it financially attractive."

Wright: "The clinic is a number one priority. Government can tax to generate the revenue. The volunteer fee is a good idea."

Coons: Noting that he was one of the first to make the fee payment, Coons said he supported the idea. "We should all pay; we'll get the benefit back somehow. This is just to get money in the bank. We need to get on a long term track to stability."

Flohr: "We need to make a decision to fund or not fund the clinic. I can't see any reason to get rid of it, to sell it for a quick buck. We have spent $1 million on it so far, spinning it off isn't worth it."

Cothren: "I feel the county took on too much. County government has no business in running a clinic. That should be done by professional people."

4. What can the county do to support the proposal to build a business park?

Cothren: "With our financial situation, I don't know how we could put money into it. We've looked at it in the past. I've been concentrating on other issues, timber and fishing."

Flohr: The concept has been around a while, he said, but there hasn't been money for it. "That doesn't end the conversation. There is money out there."

Coons: "You have to have a place for businesses to locate. We need to do what we can to get funding for it."

Wright: "I'm in favor of it. We've been trying to get other businesses to come to the county for some time. It's depressing that businesses wouldn't come here because of a lack of a building."

5. We've heard the Elochoman Salmon Hatchery is closing (a meeting was held the following Tuesday at which Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife personnel explained the salmon recovery plan that includes the closure). How can we maintain commercial and recreational fishing?

Flohr: Flohr said he had contacted Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to learn about the situation and was told the department is reopening the Beaver Creek Hatchery and planning to beef up the Deep River net pen program to offset the closure. "We've got to form good working relationships with officials to get things done," he said.

Cothren: Cothren said he had attended a meeting on department plans for Grays River and was upset by their plans to kill off hatchery fish in the Grays and Elochoman. He has put in a call to the department's regional manager to learn more about the program. "What they did say is they'd increase production on Deep River so the commercials could move in off the main stem. That won't go--not on my watch."

From this point, candidates took questions from the audience. Questions covered support of agricultural business, unfunded federal mandates, zoning, property assessments, emergency management, Bradwood Landing, and so on. Some excerpts:

Zoning: Cothren said he doesn't want to be involved in zoning that would lock up farmland that someone had planned to sell for retirement funds.

"The community needs to make known what it wants," Wright said. "Without zoning to protect you, you're pretty much stuck. Developers should pay the bill for impacts."

Coons, a real estate agent, said the market has determined land use. "The issue is how we value farm land," he said.

"Zoning is a two-edged sword," Marsyla said. "You don't want bad things next door to you, but you don't want someone telling you what you can do with your property, so it's a difficult situation."

Property assessments: Coons said he is unhappy with the current assessment process, which follows a four-year cycle. "Assessed value should reflect the current value, not what it might sell for in two years. We need to be very conservative on how we value property."

Marsyla said the commission and citizens need to lobby the legislature to pass a law similar to California's in which assessment is set by the purchase price of property.

Assessor Sulema Zerr joined the discussion and commented that she and her office are tightly restricted in how assessments are done. "Annual assessments are coming but the county doesn't have the money to buy the equipment to do the job. If they cut our budget, I won't be able to do the work. I ran on a platform of lowering your taxes, but I'm here to tell you that there's nothing I can do."

"Our assessments are pushing value forward; I've been overtaxed for two years," Coons said. "This has got to stop!"

Wright said he would support funding to allow annual assessments so that increases aren't so great.

"I won't comment on the performance of another elected official," Cothren said. "The bottom line is you'll have to go to the state level."

"I agree with you, Dan," Flohr said. "As a county commissioner, it's my responsibility to push the point and lobby for the money."