GH Commissioners, Representatives and Senators profiled
Ballots for the General Election have been mailed out
The General Election is less than three weeks away and ballots have been mailed out and will start to show up in your mail on Friday, Oct. 18, with the election deadline at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.
With thanks to Greater Grays Harbor, Inc. for providing this information, The Daily World is profiling the Grays Harbor commissioner races, and state Senate and House races.
County Commissioner Position 1
CHRIS THOMAS
Thomas lives in Montesano where he and his wife have raised a family with two grown children currently attending the University of Washington. He enjoys being involved within his community and loves being outdoors hiking and biking. Thomas was appointed Grays Harbor County Auditor (2018-2019), he has previously worked as an economic analyst and served as a legislative assistant at the Washington state Capitol.
Thomas currently serves as one of our Grays Harbor Public Hospital District Commissioners and also volunteers on the Montesano School Board. He has previously served as a member of the Montesano City Council and chaired both the finance committee and the Grays Harbor Council of Governments.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Economic and job growth with the challenges of affordable housing and childcare. To address this, I would work with a wide range of community groups to identify and support programs that would support affordable housing, childcare, infrastructure development, improve access to education (trades and college), and continue to work to get improved access to high-tech infrastructure.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
One way to address this is to make sure that rural counties and legislators are represented more equally on important legislative committees and in leadership positions. To make sure rural areas are engaged, participating and have a voice by meeting with legislators and testifying at legislative committees.
GEORGIA MILLER
Raised by a family of business owners, Georgia learned the values of hard work, customer service, communication skills, and community involvement. She is a marketing executive, business owner and volunteer. She has served on many boards including Greater Grays Harbor, Inc.. She resides on a farm with her husband, who owns B&B Automotive, and their adopted daughter. She has two grown children and two grandchildren.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Lack of jobs is likely our number one economic issue. I will work towards creating a business-friendly environment by reducing unnecessary regulations and streamlining the permitting process. I propose incentives like property tax abatements, reduced impact fees, or credits for job creation and infrastructure improvements. I will collaborate between the government and private sector to leverage resources for infrastructure projects. I support Investing in vocational training and education to ensure a skilled workforce, ready to meet industry demands, driving job creation and economic growth.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
The Rural Partnership and Prosperity Act allocates grant funding to rural areas where partnerships are formed between multiple municipalities, public and private sector entities. I will actively develop relationships to bring these different entities together as it will better our chances of funding. Strong partnerships will put pressure on our legislators to make Grays Harbor an area of focus.
County Commissioner Position 2
BRIAN BLAKE
Former state representative, 2003-2021; Chaired House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee and worked across the aisle to craft bipartisan solutions.
I’ve worked as a logger and forester, environmental specialist, workforce education leader, and other roles in our traditional economy.
Education: Bachelor of Science — Evergreen State College; Associate of Science — Grays Harbor College
Community service: Board member at Lower Columbia Community Action Program, board member at Coastal Harvest food bank distribution center, Raymond Elks, and member of Eyes In The Woods, member of The William D. Ruckelshaus Center Advisory Board; member of the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
It is my position that the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor is attracting more business to our community. We have land, rail and a deepwater port and a workforce. While our Port is currently growing there is more we can do.
We must continue to invest in infrastructure including transportation, necessary utilities and education. I intend to be an advocate for these investments in Olympia, Washington, D.C and locally.
Currently we have a regulatory system at the state and federal level that frequently is based on politics and not science and law. I intend to continue working to restore confidence in our important environmental laws.
We certainly have challenges here locally and my intention is to be a productive partner with other elected officials, the Port of Grays harbor, Grays Harbor PUD, Grays Harbor College, and the leaders at Greater Grays Harbor. I also intend to increase communication with the Quinault Indian Nation.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
I still have many friends in all four caucuses in the Legislature and bipartisan relationships in our Congressional delegation and intend to call upon these relationships to help Grays Harbor County. In addition, I believe that I will work well with other commissioners across the state. We must find alignment as rural commissioners and work for rural inclusion and equity together.
RICK HOLE
Grays Harbor County Assessor 2011-2014
Ocean Spray Cranberries 1982 to 2009. Cost analyst, controller, plant manager. $20 million budget, 132 employees. Currently managing a small residential rental business. Graduated from WSU with two degrees, a BA in Business, and a BS in Soil Science. Chairman of GH Chamber of Commerce, President of Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council. Wife, Linda, 39 years.
Education: Bachelor of Science — Evergreen State College; Associate of Science — Grays Harbor College
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Lack of value-added manufacturing jobs. The new Hoquiam wood pellet plant is a step in the right direction. My experience as plant manager at Ocean Spray bringing the Craisins expansion to Markham guides me. We designed the equipment layout, calculated the return of investment, got management to buy in and worked with the workforce development council for training dollars.
Grays Harbor is rich in forestry resources. I believe we can continue to harvest sustainably and diversify into value added components such as structural glulam beams and even windmill blades that use our resources to feed a lower carbon future.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
The annual legislative sendoff is a great way to get legislators to our county. When I was Grays Harbor Chamber president, we also made periodic trips to the Capital and weekly phone calls to meet with the “Coastal Caucus” representing 19th, 24th and 35th districts. I believe it is important to form strong coalitions of like-minded citizens and help direct the legislative agenda to support rural communities.
Legislative District 19 — Senator
SEN. JEFF WILSON
Elected Experience: Current state Senator 2020 and Port of Longview Commissioner 2016
Other Professional Experience: Small business owner
Education: Mark Morris High School; Western Washington University, studied business and history
Community Service: Longview School District Advisory, Planning and Facility Committee; Commission on Salaries of Elected Officials; Past Commodore LYC, County Homeless Housing Task Force; Longview Public Service Group; Past President 23 Club; Police Citizen Award recipient for community safety; Key to the city of Longview and distinguished Extra Mile Award recipient. Along with wife Trisha and their children, Wilson focuses on giving back to our community by raising funds and volunteering for charitable causes.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Economic equity is incredibly important for all the rural districts in the 19th District, the Grays Harbor area being no exception. What my responsibility is, is to seek out such fairness from Olympia through the budget process. Also, by providing specific legislation that could help boost economic opportunities, and success for the needs of Grays Harbor County.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
Relationship building is an asset that your elected servants need to apply with all of the moving parts in Olympia. It’s throughout those working relationships and following through on the work product and diligently, without any hesitation, standing up for what the 19th district needs, is and will continue to be a priority in my office serving the district.
ANDI DAY
A fifth-generation Washingtonian and third-generation resident of the 19th District, I currently live in Seaview with my 13-year-old son. I understand the challenges and opportunities facing our rural communities. Growing up in a commercial fishing family with close ties in oystering and timber, I was a first-generation student at WSU, a college athlete (crew), and have since gained diverse professional experience as an entrepreneur and as a business executive.
Serving in statewide industry leadership roles, representing small businesses, communities, municipalities and tribes throughout the district and state, I have a proven track record of finding solutions, bringing home resources and job creation. I am passionate about building rural economies and resilience, improving education and healthcare, protecting natural resource-based industries, ensuring access to affordable housing, improving infrastructure, protecting basic rights like access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion and IVF, and supporting responsible gun ownership.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Specific to economic challenges, we live in one of the most amazingly beautiful resource rich areas of this state and country, but we sell ourselves and resources short when we don’t take a wider view on our economic development decisions. Working in economic development for the past decade has given me insight and appreciation for the impact on community vitality. Since economic development lives at the intersection of business and government and community, an integrated approach is going to get the best results for the most people.
We should be thoughtful and discerning and always look for the triple-win or triple bottom line growth in order to increase resiliency. It isn’t enough to simply say that something is going to create new jobs: I want to know what kind of jobs — will it support small businesses? Will people from our community be hired? Are there opportunities for training, education, advancement? Where will the profit margin go? Will it be siphoned out of our economy? How will our natural resources be impacted? Our other natural resource-based industries? Will it contribute to the overall community health? Will it improve the quality of life for our residents? What will it look like in 10 years, 20 years?
I’m a big believer in industry integration and visionary leadership. The decisions we make now are going to determine if our children are able to live, work and raise their families here, and be able to not just play and recreate in nature, but work in nature; fishing, logging, farming and oysters.
In terms of addressing challenges, we have many hard-working talented people with amazing ideas that need more support, more opportunities, more resources, and better representation. I’d like to help with that.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
In several ways. The most obvious difference is that I would actually be in the room and at the table where decisions are being made, not just a meaningless no vote in the minority. I have a proven track- record in Olympia that shows I can work with others, across the aisle and across the room to get results. Another thing that is different about me is the way that I interact with people and build strong relationships. Bullying, badgering and fear-mongering might be good for getting views and clicks, but it is not effective when it comes to getting results for constituents.
I believe in working hard to get results and representing my communities with integrity. I’m a pragmatic problem solver dedicated to serving the communities where I grew up, where my folks live, where my grandparents lived and where my son is growing up. Being from here and having had statewide business and leadership roles makes me uniquely qualified to be a voice for rural issues and especially our natural resource-based industries. Most importantly I genuinely care for and respect the people in the 19th. I want to listen to and serve my friends, family, colleagues and neighbors to provide better representation and better results as a way of giving back to the communities that have given me so much.
Legislative District 19 House Position 1
REP. JIM WALSH
I came to the Harbor as a young man when my wife and I bought an old house on Broadway Hill in Aberdeen. We brought along two small businesses. My family has been deeply involved in the Harbor community for decades. All five of my children graduated from Aberdeen High School. For the past eight years, I’ve represented the Harbor in the state Legislature. I enjoy it and would like to continue.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
The greatest economic challenge facing the Harbor is the condition of our transportation infrastructure and our streets. I’ll continue to shepherd the state funding I got for the East Aberdeen Mobility Project to keep traffic moving more efficiently through the county. But there’s more. We also need to do more to move homeless addicts off of our streets and public spaces. I’ll continue to support — with money and strategy — coordinated-entry shelter for addicts. And I’ll continue to improve law enforcement’s ability to enforce the law, statewide.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
Rural communities need strong voices in Olympia and D.C. For too long, legislators in both capitals justified their ineffectiveness by making the “go along to get along” argument. That doesn’t work. Legislators need to press. Hard. My recent success in funding the East Aberdeen overpass when our federal rep’s couldn’t and in restoring police pursuits in Washington proves that pressing hard works.
MIKE COVERDALE
I was raised in Westport and at graduation was accepted into the Army Warrant Officer Helicopter program. I moved home in 1991 to raise my family near my parents and grandparents. Small business owner, past president Chamber of Commerce, past Kiwanis Scholarship Chair, past Westport Planning Commission, past Fire District 3 Commissioner and current chair of the County Board of Adjustments.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
Grays Harbor County has one of the highest unemployment rates statewide due in part to the lack of support from our representatives in Olympia. Federal funding programs have been available but due to partisan negligence, little has been done to bring investment to Grays Harbor.
One example, for over a decade the state has invested in developing mass timber. Grays Harbor has massive third and fourth generation tree farms that are the exact resource needed in the production of mass timber and a port to ship it from but there has been zero effort from Jim Walsh to bring that investment to Grays Harbor.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
Two thirds of the Legislators in Olympia are from urban districts and have no idea what rural challenges we face. Unless we have representation that can educate them in a respectful and professional manner we will continue to be left out of the legislative process. I have spent 30 years negotiating agreements between parties with differing interests and will take that experience to Olympia.
Legislative District 19 House Position 2
No submission as of deadline for JOEL MCENTIRE and TERRY CHAPMAN
Legislative District 19 — Senator
REP. MIKE CHAPMAN
Police officer, sergeant and U.S. Customs Inspector (1991-2000)
Clallam County Commissioner (2001-2016)
State Representative (2017-current)
Chair House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (2021-current)
Endorsed by the Association of Washington Business in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022 (House campaigns) and in 2024 for my State Senate Campaign.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
As your state Representative I know there are a number of concerns we all face. The first is affordable housing. We also need to continue to make major investments in our infrastructure. Additionally, I plan to work to continue to see improvement in our rural economy with family wage jobs. Finally, it is imperative that we fund education and healthcare services including job skills training programs at the high school and community college level.
As such I have been working across the aisle on these very issues in my time in the House of Representatives to deliver results including new funding for basic and higher education, affordable housing projects, and improving the childcare system to match the needs of working families. As the Chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, I helped secure $150 million to remove fish passage barriers and protect our salmon populations while making our infrastructure more resilient. I worked to enact small business tax cuts and the working families tax credit directly benefiting rural Washington.
Serving on the Transportation Committee I obtained funding for new bridges and other transportation improvements to make our roads and bridges safer and more resilient for the communities of the 24th District. Finally, I have worked on policies to help attract more family wage jobs to the region and delivered $135 million toward workforce training. If elected to the state Senate I will continue to build on my experience of delivering bipartisan solutions to the issues we face to benefit our community.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
As Chair of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee I have done just that. Not a single policy passed the committee this past legislative session that wasn’t bipartisan and that didn’t take the rural economy and lifestyle into consideration before adoption. I believe we need to find more bipartisan solutions to the challenges we face and as chair I have a proven track record of delivering bipartisan legislation to directly benefit rural Washington.
Some specific areas we can find bipartisan solutions include additional education, infrastructure and healthcare funding. Along with job skills training funding to help create an atmosphere in order to experience a rural economic boom with family wage jobs and more affordable housing projects.
MARCIA KELBON
Kelbon is a 43-year peninsula resident, chemical engineer and attorney. She worked as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy, as a patent attorney helping new and growing businesses protect their inventions, and as an executive in a biotech company, guiding it from start-up to create over 250 jobs. Kelbon is a fire commissioner in Quilcene and lives on a tree farm. Kelbon currently serves as one of our Grays Harbor Public Hospital District Commissioners and also volunteers on the Montesano School Board. He has previously served as a member of the Montesano City council and chaired both the Finance committee and the Grays Harbor Council of Governments.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
We do not have enough jobs that pay true living wages. Tourism contributes to the economy but many of its jobs pay inadequately. Working-age residents struggle to support families. As a Senator I will work to protect our remaining timber industry. I will work to attract new industry through temporary tax incentives, modification of regulatory barriers, and offering help with negotiation of arrangements. As a patent attorney, I particularly want to attract innovative companies in forestry, light manufacturing, and tech. Thriving workers are also critical to our growing number of retirees.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
Too many of our laws are passed based on what works best in the I-5 corridor. Our needs in rural areas often differ due to greater commute distances, less public transit, less tech and heavy manufacturing business, larger lots, timber economy, etc. As a Senator I will push back on legislation that does not make sense for rural citizens, whatever their protected class or tribal status may be.
Legislative District 24 House Position 1
MATT ROBERSON
I was born and raised in Pierce County before attending college and law school as a first-generation college student. In 2013, I married my best friend, Arielle, while finishing law school. Since 2016, we have lived in Clallam County where I serve as a deputy prosecutor. In 2022, we were blessed with the birth of our daughter. I’m in this race to fight for a better Washington for our children.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
The way this state and many local governments approach development. Expensive and uncertain development processes, molasses-like permit review periods, and complicated regulations discourage investment and growth into Grays Harbor. The challenge impacts not just development in industry, but in the construction of badly needed housing units. As a result, less family wage jobs, less housing units, and a lack of opportunity. I think we can best address it by streamlining the development process, reducing costs, uncertainty, and compliance burdens, and encouraging greater investment.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
It starts with abandoning the one size fits all approach currently relied upon in Olympia. I would support targeted investment into rural housing development and infrastructure, removal of barriers to grants and other funding that hinder access for rural communities and businesses, and advocate for policies that recognize the differences between I-5 and our district.
ADAM BERNBAUM
Bernbaum grew up in rural Washington and currently lives in Port Angeles. He has a Political Science BA from the University of Washington and Political Science Ph.D from George Mason University. He worked as a policy analyst on substance use and criminal justice issues before working for U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer as an organizer and Sen. Kevin Van De Wege as a legislative assistant.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
I believe that the lack of affordable housing is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor. The cost of housing and the property tax burden has increased significantly over the last several years. The lack of affordable housing hurts young families and senior citizens, employers and employees. If elected, I’ll fight to expand the Housing Trust Fund and establish a rural infrastructure fund to make Grays Harbor County more competitive for affordable housing development. I’ll also call for a cost audit of the building code to reduce inefficient regulations.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
I would establish regular meetings with elected and community leaders from rural Washington to provide updates on legislation that could affect rural communities and to learn about emerging issues that the legislature may not otherwise address. I would also fight for state dollars to support rural hospitals and schools, which are treated unfairly in our current funding model.
Legislative District 24 House Position 2
TERRY ROBERTS — no submission as of deadline
REP. STEVE THARINGER
I have lived on the Olympic Peninsula for over 45 years. I started out as a subcontractor. Then I was a partner in a small wood manufacturing business. I served as a Clallam County Commissioner from 2000-2012 and have represented the 24th District since 2012 in the Legislature. I have served on numerous local and state boards dealing with natural resources, health care and economic development. I am a member of the Sequim Sunrise Rotary and a certified mediator.
Q: What do you feel is the greatest economic challenge facing Grays Harbor?
It would be nice if there was just one thing we could do to improve the economy of Grays Harbor, but I don’t think there is a silver bullet, more like silver buckshot, multiple issues to work on. A full spectrum of housing from shelters to help the unhoused, public supportive housing to the full range of workforce housing is fundamental to economic success for the community.
Childcare and early learning facilities are important, so families have safe, enriching places for their children to be, to minimize the conflict between work and care for their children. During my time in the Legislature, as the Capital Budget Chair in the House, we have been making investments in childcare and early learning facilities in Grays Harbor. Workforce training is also important, the community college and high schools through Career and Technical Education can play a major role in developing skills for the workplace. Unions through their apprenticeship programs also can develop needed skills.
Grays Harbor has infrastructure needs, rail and road separation projects, the levy projects to help mitigate flooding and diminish flood insurance costs both of which the state has made investments in. The key to being able to address these challenges is working together at the local, state and federal level which we have been doing. I hope to have the opportunity to continue in this effort.
Q: How would you propose to increase rural inclusion and equity among legislative decisions?
Washington is a very diverse state both geographically, climatically and population wise. Washington state by the end of the decade will have close to 8 million people. So striking the balance of needs across our state is a political challenge. The budgets are the tools where that balance takes place.
As chair of the Capital Budget in the House, I start in the first week of session working with my Republican counterparts, who are mostly from rural districts, as I am, to develop a budget that addresses needs across the state. We work to make sure that areas of the state that need extra assistance for school construction, libraries, community centers and other infrastructure, get what they need.
I think the same is true in the Operating Budget, where rural health facilities, for example, get extra funding. Grays Harbor County gets $1.62 back for every revenue dollar it sends to the state. King County, on the other hand, gets 65 cents back for every dollar it sends to the state. If elected, I will continue to work for the support we need on the Peninsula.
