Brady, Scott seek commission seat

Wahkiakum County voters have a choice of two candidates for election to the District 3 position on the county board of commissioners.

Incumbent Blair Brady has three years of experience, having won election to fill an unexpired vacant term. Challenging him is Lori Scott, a retired business woman.

Blair Brady

Incumbent Blair Brady had a long road to reach the position on the board of commissioners he now holds.

Four years ago, he challenged the incumbent commissioner, the late Mark Linquist, who was fighting cancer, and lost a tied election by a coin flip. The commissioners appointed Tom Doumit to replace Linquist, and Brady challenged Doumit in the election to fill the unexpired term and won.

Brady is retired from a 20 year career as a millwright and electrical technician for Georgia Pacifc; he also operated a bar and restaurant for some time.

Brady said he is running for the position because he has the time and wants to perform good service for the community.

"I thought it was a challenge I was up to," he said. "I could respond to people's needs and help them out."

In his three years on the board, Brady has taken the lead in labor mangement relations and, representing the county, has become a member of the Washington State Association of Counties, where he is on the legislative steering committee, which designs and advocates legislation for counties. He represents the county on the Department of Ecology Water Inventory Resource Area (WIRA) board which is drafting guidelines for water use in the basins of Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties, and he has represented the county on the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board. He has been elected to lead the Community Action Program (CAP) board of directors; the agency channels funds and efforts into a variety of eldercare and other social programs in the two counties. "We're trying to bring more services into Wahkiakum County," he said.

Also in his three years, Brady said he has learned that "things take much longer to accomplish" than expected. There are also limits on how commissioners can talk with each other so that they don't violate state meeting law.

Brady identifies a variety of issues which he feels need attention:

--Economics is a major issue, he said. "We're becoming a bedroom community," he said, which isn't bad in itself but indicates a decline in the traditional natural resource based industries.

However, Brady is working with members of Congress to create legislation that would help counties finance the purchase of timberland, which could be used to fund county services on a sustained yield basis.

--Development puts pressure on the desire to maintain and preserve the county's rural lifestyle.

--Brady wants to support the continued development of Johnson Park at Rosburg. A state court of appeals decision recently gave full ownership to the county, and a community association has formed to manage the facility.

--The county two years ago reduced staff and programs because of declining revenues and is in better shape than many other counties to face the decline of state and federal revenue, he said. "We're in good shape if we hold the line and are financially prudent," he said.

Brady said he is a property rights advocate who listens to the people and tries to represent their interests. "In my mind, I'm obligated to represent the will of the people," he said. He said he tries to build relationships with different officials and agencies so that they can communicate and negotiate.

Brady has been generous, turning $30,000 of his salary over to community agencies, supporting groups such as St. James Family Center, the county fair, Johnson Park and the Westend's senior meals program.

Lori Scott

After running real estate and hardware businesses in Naselle and western Wahkiakum County for 30 years, Lori Scott retired four years ago.

She needed something to do. A friend suggested she run for county commissioner. The idea intrigued her, but she went in a different direction, becoming a certified mediator and starting a new business, Pacific Mediation. She said she does a lot of volunteer and paid work in the areas of domestic relations, landlord/tenant disputes and consumer complaints. This year, the idea of serving on the county commission came back, and she decided to go for it. She had the time, and she began attending meetings and learning about issues.

"It's a good time in my life," she said. "I could do a lot, helping people with their projects and their stumbling blocks.

"The more I got involved, the more important it is to let people know they have a choice in representation."

Scott identifies a variety of issues which she feels need attention:

--"I would seek information before making decisions," she said, explaining that she feels Brady wants the commission to act before it has all the information necessary to make a good decision. "That bothers me," she said.

Brady identifies a variety of issues which he feels need attention, the proposed ordinance to regulate application of biosolids in the county. Brady, reacting to comments from Grays River Valley residents, was ready to adopt it, even though the prosecuting attorney said there were problems with it and the state Department of Ecology has threatened to sue over constitutionalty issues. Now, however, the commission has tabled the ordinance to try to negotiate an agreement with Ecology.

"The issues need focus, not a lawsuit," she said. "We can't be too quick to ban; we have to think through the issues. A lawsuit will shift the focus away from the real issues.

"The commissioners need to have their ducks in a row before any real decision making."

She added that the county needs to be careful in how it addresses property rights issues so that people are treated fairly. Earlier this year, some of the people who rejected a proposed national heritage area cited fears that governmental agencies would regulate what they do on their own property; later some of the same people opposed the application for a permit to apply biosolids on a neighbor's Grays River farm and wanted state and county government to regulate or forbid the operation.

--Her major goal, she said, is to see the county's trust timberland become the major source of revenue it once was for the county. I think there's potential," she said, adding that the rate of return is very low.

"The state owes the county a fiduciary responsibility, and I don't believe they're doing the best they can. That one will be a real priority for me."

--She would like to support economic development by being as supportive of businesses as possible and making sure permitting is as easy as possible. "I want to be business friendly and not restrict growth," she said. "I want to help people's projects move forward."

Scott has served in other areas of public office. She was a member of the Naselle/Grays River Valley School District around 1990-1994, and, as she owns land in both Pacific and Wahkiakum counties, on the pacific County board of adjustment.

She is no longer involved in the real estate business and let her license expire.