Questions for candidates

Candidates for two positions on the Wahkiakum County board of commissioners took questions from the public at a forum at the Skamokawa Grange on Monday night.

Citizens focused many of their remarks on the county’s budgetary problems, the proposed Bradwood Landing liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal and maintaining county funded services.

Citizens also expressed strong support for the WSU Cooperative Extension Program, which, commissioners have said in reacting to their revenue shortfall, isn’t a state-mandated program and won’t be funded in the 2009 county budget.

Responding to an invitation to address the crowd of around 60 people, Extension Agent Carrie Kennedy informed the crowd that Extension personnel haven’t given up on getting the funding for 2009, and they will have a meeting at the Skamokawa Grange next Monday, 5-7 p.m. to discuss funding proposals.

The evening, however, got off with Barb Westwick representing Congressman Brian Baird. She read a letter from Baird addressing a variety of issues. Then commission candidates Lisa Marsyla, Wally Wright, Wayne Flohr and Dan Cothren described their backgrounds and plans should they be elected. Marsyla and Wright are running for the District 1 position on the board, and Flohr and Cothren are running for the District 2 position.

Marsyla, running as a Democrat, told the audience county government could benefit from accounting background and business experience. Besides her business background, she has been active in community organizations and auditor for Wahkiakum PUD.

Wright, running as a Republican, is a member of the Cathlamet Town Council, and a longtime volunteer in the Cathlamet Fire Department.

“In our fire training, we’re taught to head off problems, to get in front of the curve,” he said. “I am a doer, a leader and a listener. I can work for solutions and not be part of the problem.”

Democrat Wayne Flohr, a mental health counselor now in private practice, said he hopes to provide leadership on the county commission. His work in mental health has taught him the importance of making hard decisions with ramifications for the future.

County commissioners have failed to make good budgetary and financial decisions, he said, and now officials are having to lay off employees and cut programs to meet the revenue shortfall. There has been a crisis in leadership, he said, for commissioners have been in a reactionary mode, not a proactive mode.

“We will survive,” he said. “We need to think out of the box. I will work smarter.”

Dan Cothren, who is completing his second term in office and who runs as an Independent, said he originally ran for office to work on the county’s timber management issues, and he’s seeking a third term to complete that work.

The county has 12,900 acres of trust timberland managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Normally the agency cuts around 6 million board feet a year which provide $1.5 to $2 million a year, which is a significant portion of the revenue that funds most courthouse services. Because of a decline in the timber market and a DNR accounting error, the county will receive closer to $650,000 this year. The shortage, combined with reductions in revenues from state sales taxes and real estate excise taxes, has led to the county’s revenue shortfall.

Cothren said he hoped to boost county revenue by working with the DNR to find a way to harvest 3,000 acres which have been locked up for habitat for marbled murrelets, an endangered species. However, it became apparent a couple years ago that the habitat wouldn’t become available for logging, so he has started working with state officials, legislators, and commissioners from other timber trust counties for legislation that would compensate counties for locked up habitat and purchase other timberland for future harvests. That legislation should be addressed in 2009 or 2010 legislative sessions, he said.

County finances

Candidates were asked their ideas on improving county finances and how to address the revenue shortfalls.

Marsyla said she doesn’t yet have a good answer. “We as a community need to work toward revenue enhancement,” she said. “In budgeting, the county needs to prioritize services.”

Wright said he had talked with former county officials who suggest the commissioners can borrow more from their reserves, as they have already done this year. Also, he said he had been told the county could sell more timber to get out of the revenue squeeze. There are also some taxes commissioners can impose that will generate a small amount of revenue.

Flohr commented that the county has few options for new revenue other than borrowing from reserves and diverting money from the County Road Fund.

Cothren said the county has to work on the legislation for habitat compensation,and in the meantime, commissioners have a responsibility to set budgets at responsible levels.

The county has already borrowed heavily from reserves, and without new revenues, it won’t have a way to repay the loans, he said. Cutting more trees now isn’t the answer, either, for it takes the DNR months to prepare sales, and the timber price is very low.

Economic development

Candidates also responded to related questions about economic development. All expressed support for the county’s relationship with the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council.

Marsyla said she supports current efforts. “I think the first thing is to provide a strong, stable government so business could exist in the county,” he added.

Wright said he has been the town council’s representative on the economic development council and has been pressing for a publicly owned business incubator. There are businesses or small manufacturers who would move here if they had a facility, he said.

Flohr suggested efforts focus on development of biodiesel fuel and power generation, production of plastic lumber, and creation of local tax breaks to encourage new business.

Cothren said he supports efforts to boost small business and farms. The forest products industry is already chipping limbs and chunks left after logging to be converted into biodiesel.

Extension

The board of commissioners announced a few weeks ago, when it ordered reductions in force, that it also wouldn’t fund WSU Cooperative Extension in 2009. Candidates responded to questions on that issue.

Flohr said that the county’s contribution to the Extension budget was $33,000, and he felt sure the county could find that much for 2009. Extension also brings in money and is a key component in operation and funding of the county fair, he added.

Cothren said he likes the Extension program, but it didn’t rate as high a priority as public safety, and that’s the reason the board cut it.

“These are darn tough decisions,” he said. “If you think it doesn’t hurt, it does.”