Voters hear candidates at AOUW Forum

DAYTON–An audience of over 50 people heard the views and information about candidates vying for elective office in Dayton and Columbia County in the upcoming General Election during the American Association of University Women's Candidate Forum last Thursday, October 10, at the Liberty Theater here.

Candidates were allotted time for a statement then the floor was opened to questions.

Three candidates for mayor spoke, including incumbent Zac Weatherford, City Councilwoman Delphine Bailey, and write-in candidate, Cindi John.

The race for Dayton City Council Position 4 includes incumbent Dain Nysoe and challenger Cara James. The second contested City Council race, for position 6, includes incumbent Byron Kaczmarski and Seth Bryan, who is also seeking the seat. Bryan was unable to attend, and Kaczmarski spoke briefly about his experience and qualifications.

Unopposed candidates who spoke included Ryan Rundell, on the ballot for Columbia County Commissioner No. 1; Bob Hutchens, unopposed for Hospital Commissioner No. 1; and Katie Leid, unopposed for School Director No. 4. Each addressed the issues facing their respective entities.

Delphine Bailey

Bailey, a 14-year employee with the County Health Department, has served on Dayton City Council the past eight years, three terms as mayor pro-tem.

"Because of my job and my volunteer roles in the community, I believe that I am very up to date on the issues that affect the City and are important to our residents," Bailey said.

When former Mayor Craig George announced retirement, Bailey self-evaluated her qualifications and leadership qualities, and "decided that I believe I have what it takes to be the next Mayor for the City of Dayton.

"Because of previous work experience and my time on the City Council, I have developed an understanding of state and federal funding, and how to work within a program's scope of practice, while also maintaining a budget," Bailey said.

"People who have complaints, often just want to know that they've been heard," she said, pointing to her experience in customer service.

"Qualities of leadership Bailey says she possesses are confidence, honesty, decisiveness, and the ability to focus on what needs to be accomplished," she said.

City infrastructure such as streets, water lines, parks and city buildings are important to maintain in the face of declining funding, Bailey said.

The Council, Bailey said, has been exploring ways to improve economic growth and affordable housing–not low-income housing–and has formed an Affordable-Housing Commission, to work on the issues and portray Dayton as a place where people would want to raise a family.

Bailey said one of the foremost challenges has been the Waste Water Treatment Plant's configuration and financing, while attempting to meet the requirements mandated by Department of Ecology.

Accomplishments Bailey pointed to include: working with Friends of Dog Park to build the dog park; underground sprinklers at ballfields; the new trash cans in park and along dike; formation of Downtown Tree Committee; completion of S. 1st Street Project, N. Front Street Project, and current work on E. Clay St.; purchase of a new street sweeper, dump truck, and mowers for park and cemetery; and employing a full-time mechanic so maintenance work can be done in house.

"I believe I have the qualifications, determination and character to serve the City as mayor and ask that you would consider me as your next mayor," Bailey concluded.

Bailey she and her husband chose Dayton because they wanted to raise their family in a small community, citing the hospital and school, and river and mountains for recreation.

Served on Project Timothy board, 4-H leader, chairman of Relay For Life, All-Wheels Weekend and Mule Mania volunteer, and a Columbia County Fair superintendent.

Cindi John

John, a three-year resident who lived in the Touchet Valley in her youth, is conducting a write-in campaign for mayor, she said in introductory remarks.

"The reason I want to become mayor is to bring our town back to its fiscal responsibilities," John said. "We need to make our employees accountable for the jobs they do."

John said the Wastewater Treatment Plant has been placed on the "back burner" and "has been brought to the attention of the City Council many, many, many times.

"That needs to be no more," she said. "We need to get that treatment plant fixed, or replaced before anything else in this town goes on. It's very, very vital that that happens."

"No more streets; no more-excuse me-trails; let's not talk about the pool any more," John said. "This should be our main focus-the treatment plant, because if it gets shut down, we're done. We're done."

John stated that the mayor can no longer be part time. "The mayor needs to be present and on top of what's going on in this town," she said. "We can't part-time it any more.

"There's too many things going on for us to be depending on a mayor who's here one day a month...on the phone maybe with their constituents. I have talked to a lot of people in this community and everybody is really unhappy."

Continue support of Main Street businesses is important, John said. "Our businesses want to see a more vital downtown. They want to see less things going out to-excuse me-the Blue Mountain Station. I didn't want to bring that up but it is what the community is talking about."

John said community conversation needs to take place to "find out what makes Dayton work" and to find small industries that create jobs. "We can do things like that," John said. "We can bring businesses like that here.

"I love this town," she said. "I grew up here. I worked at the [Green] Giant. I grew up on Whiskey Creek. I grew up fishing in the Touchet."

She and husband Tom John moved to Dayton three years ago, bought property and are active in the Eagles Aerie. Formerly of Iowa, John was a Scouting Den Mother, Sunday School teacher, and foster parent.

Zac Weatherford

"I feel that I'm the best candidate to be mayor," he said, noting that he has served on the council since 2016.

Weatherford has served on the personnel, public safety, and chair of finance committee. Earlier this year, he was nominated as mayor pro tem, and after former Mayor Craig George resigned, the City Council appointed him to fill the remainder of the term.

"I've been appointed mayor for about five months," he said. "I've been constantly trying to wrap my head around it, learn and connect with other entities that are around town and try to figure out what the problems are in the community and come up with options to fix those."

Weatherford said he's 34 years old, and he and wife Melissa move to Dayton in 2007 with their family. Work experience included jobs with City Lumber for many years, and also for Quality Roofing for about 10 years. He is currently employed at Washington State Penitentiary as a correctional officer on temporary assignment in the engineer's office.

"I know what it takes to get a hard job done, and I know what it takes to put in a hard day's work," Weatherford said.

"I think that Dayton's already great. I think that we have great assets. We have good schools, we have clean parks, we have a hospital, and those assets are what makes Dayton a city," he said. "And if you don't take care of those, if you don't maintain those, then you won't have a very good city.

Interagency cooperation, Weatherford believes, is necessary to maintain and improve Dayton.

"I don't want to be mayor to make a bunch of big changes, or to make it grow to be the size of Walla Walla," he said. "I have a passion to solve problems and to help people, and that's what I want to do."

Weatherford said he appreciates everybody focusing on the mayor race, and its importance, but he stated that the City Council is the body that makes the decisions. "The real power for change is in the majority vote of the City Council members," he said.

Weatherford said choosing to run for mayor was hard because his term is expiring, and "I decided to put all my eggs in one basket" by deciding to run.

He remembered Craig George's mentorship, and pledged to continue to do "great things for the City" in the same way. "I want to focus on our complete Main Street," Weatherford said. "I believe our Main Street should run from Patit Creek Restaurant to Blue Mountain Station.

He also emphasized attention to youth issues. "They are our future," he said.

"Even if I'm not elected mayor, I will continue to serve this community," Weatherford pledged. "Even if you don't vote for me, please vote."

Questions

John was asked how many City Council meeting she has attended and she answered one, noting that the meeting she attended "ended up being a fan club for [recently hired City Planner] Meagan Bailey," John said. Also, a citizen who voiced a complaint was "heckled" by the Council after the woman left the meeting, John said.

All candidates were asked about prioritizing street repair work, specifically non-arterial streets, and Weatherford explained that streets are a "constant" concern, expensive, and the emphasis is ensuring underground utilities are good before paving over them. Bailey agreed, adding that she has "fought tirelessly" for attention to non-arterials. John agreed with Weatherford and Bailey about ensuring utilities are in good repair before paving.

Regarding the defunct pool, which has been out of commission for two years, Bailey acknowledged the decision was difficult, and that either repair or replacement will cost $2.5 million. John supports getting the pool restored or replaced, but is skeptical about the Friends of the Community Center's plans to include other purposes for the pool facility. Weatherford said the City can't afford to repair or replace the pool, and that operations in 2017 cost $80,000 while revenues were under $30,000. "I continue to talk to them and keep informed," he said. "Anybody who is concerned about this should reach out to this group, and help by volunteering."

Questioned about the Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, John reiterated that the project has been "continually been put on the back burner."

Bailey disagreed, explaining the processes and meetings that have been held. "They [DOE] have extended that date because they know that what they were requiring was not able to be accomplished," Bailey said. She attested attending numerous and said it isn't because the City is "putting it on the back burner."

Weatherford said the project has been in the forefront, and the City is currently in negotiations with the Washington Water Trust and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), and DOE will not "file consequences" due to changes in leadership [at DOE] that have "opened up new options for us so we can build something or fix our plant in order to meet their requirements," he said.

The final question was to John regarding what prompted her to run for mayor. John replied that she was asked to run. "I was asked to run," she replied.

John pointed out that she has degrees in social work and human resources, and has spearheaded many projects, just not in Dayton. "I don't have all the knowledge that they have because they've been in City Hall for the last nine months," she said. "I'm not privy to a lot of their knowledge, and when I've asked questions, I've been stonewalled. Yes, I do think I'm qualified to be mayor."

Candidates Dain Nysoe and Cara James took the stage.

Cara James

James said she is a 47-year-old divorced mother, and her family has lived in Dayton over 30 years. She is employed at the Dayton Chronicle doing layout and graphic design and presently involved in TVAC's upcoming production of "Mary Poppins."

She pointed out that she was recently appointed to Civil Service Commission and is looking forward to working with Sheriff's Department to serve Columbia County.

She has been focused on raising children, who are all grown and productive members of society. "That journey has left me with an understanding of just how much our world has changed," James said.

"In order for this community to thrive, as a successful, small population, we have to take care of, and support, every member of this community," she said. "The Dayton City Council should speak for all members of this community. I believe, if I am elected, I can bring a broader perspective to the table, and better assist our entire community in respecting our differences, giving a voice to those out there who are unheard. It is crucial that the citizens who live in Dayton, in our community, be represented by our City Council, and I would like to represent the citizens in our community. Thank you."

Dain Nysoe

Nysoe thanked those attending for coming to "hear and see the candidates who are offering themselves as a tool in which we can continue to improve the city of Dayton."

Nysoe said he was raised in Dayton, went to school here, then "went away for about 30 years. I came back about 12 years ago and have been serving on the City Council for the past eight years."

Listening to comments and statements about the City's Wastewater Treatment Plant Project, pool, streets and infrastructure concerns, Nysoe pointed out that "All of that costs money; a great deal of money."

He said an estimate to completely refurbish all the streets in Dayton comes to $8 to $12 million. "It would require a bond issue and the burden would be placed on the backs of the citizens of Dayton-not the County-but the citizens of Dayton," Nysoe said.

Unfortunately, a fact residents must face is the dwindling tax base. "We want new streets, pool, wastewater treatment plant, and want to do it with a limited tax base. If you don't expand the tax base," Nysoe said, "that means the rates for utilities are going to go sky high, which means some people are going to move out of Dayton. That's not our objective."

Objective is to increase population and tax base so utilities are lower and some of the infrastructure being talked about can be afforded, he said.

During questioning, James, who said she would bring a "broader perspective" and "represent all voices," was asked for examples. James said her experiences are different that those of current council members, and that she's experienced different mental health issues, raised a child with disabilities, as a parent in this community with a disabled child "was very frustrated" with the lack of resources and felt "that no one would listen."

My son had several mental health issues, struggled finding the right fit. Relocate for his success

"Those are the things and the opinions that I would like to bring to the City Council," James said.

"We have to take care of our infrastructure, which is also our citizens," she said.

Responding to a question about Main Street trees, James said the trees' roots have caused problems, and the trees are messy. Finding suitable replacements will be difficult, she said.

Nysoe responded with information that arborists have found no evidence of roots invading building basements. "We will continue to work with arborists," he said. "Delphine is on the tree committee, which is looking at replacements for trees that are dying or are nuisance. "I think everyone agrees that we want to maintain a tree-lined Main Street in Dayton," Nysoe said. "Hopefully we can continue to do that in the future."

Regarding increasing the tax base, Nysoe recalled the 1960s, when Dayton boomed with families of construction work on Little Goose Dam. "We need as a community to advertise, to promote and to actively improve or increase our ability to expand economic development," he said. "We need people to come in and build homes."

The City and county has property, and there are vacant lots which could be utilized by developers to build "affordable housing-not low-income-but affordable housing," he said.

The community needs to balance affordable housing for seniors with housing for younger families who don't want a "fixer-upper," he said. "It can be done. We've got an aggressive city planner, and the City Council looks forward to working with her to address some of those issues."

James agreed with Nysoe, pointing out the City's population and median income (2,489 and $40,000 a year). We have to make projects that are sustainable by this community to broaden the tax base. That's going to take some out-of-the-box thinking," she said, suggesting ag-related businesses, or a farming or children's museum. "There are several things we could do to increase tax base but we definitely need to stop having tunnel vision," James said.

Asked what projects in Dayton they would support, James said "There are many cogs in every community, every cog is important. Hardest part is making sure they all work together."

Nysoe said the Wastewater Treatment Plant would be his top priority, with the pool second, and streets and infrastructure third.