Gary Cook files for the mayor position in Ritzville

Age: 63

Spouse: Chris

Children: Darci, John, Michael and Lisa

Current employment: United States Department of Agriculture – National Resources Conservation Service

After 12 years of serving as a Ritzville City Councilmember, Gary Cook has filed for the position of Mayor of Ritzville. He is running unopposed in the Nov. 3 General Election, and will be filling the position currently held by Linda Kadlec.

Cook explained when Kadlec made the decision to step down as mayor after this term; she looked to the council first for a suitable replacement. As a longtime member of the council, Cook said he is at a point where he wants to continue to serve, and the position of mayor seems like a natural next step for him.

Prior to serving on the Ritzville City Council, Cook spent eight years on the Whitman Conservation District Board in Colfax, and before that served on active duty for two years with the Air Force and eight years in the Reserves.

Cook and his wife Chris are both planning to retire in the upcoming year, and the position of mayor would allow him to focus on the needs of the city while still maintaining an active role in the community.

He plans to establish a weekly work schedule to remain consistent and available for Ritzville residents to visit City Hall and express concerns or ideas.

During the 12 years Cook has served on the council, he said multiple major projects have been completed. These projects include redoing the sewer, completing Well No. 9, expanding water and sewer lines under I-90 with the addition of Love’s, and working on projects through the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB).

The city continues to work on improving water and sewer lines through the Public Works department, but Cook said the large projects have been completed. The council will continue to work on comprehensive plans for the improvement of the city, even as the large projects come to fruition.

“With a good, strong infrastructure in place, what I see for myself (as mayor) is to put community involvement first,” Cook said.

Cook sees his future role as mayor as a type of marketing role to assist the city with increasing volunteerism and community involvement.

His goal is to have various entities in the community partner together to help improve the overall functionality and appeal of the city.

In his short term plans to increase community involvement, Cook is hoping to attend public meetings of local organizations and groups to begin a discussion of how community groups can partner with each other. Cook said he believes having one or more individuals share ideas brought about by other organizations could lead to an opportunity for the groups to unite around a project or work towards a common goal.

Cook is also focused on the preservation of the downtown buildings and ensuring the history and potential for business expansion is not lost.

He also wants to create a kiosk or use signage near the I-90 area businesses to promote the downtown district and encourage travelers to come further into the town.

The city facilities and public properties could be better utilized, Cook said, and while he is focused on assisting with promotion of these resources, he is also hoping to increase community outreach.

Cook said one of his main priorities is to work on engaging the younger generation of residents to become more involved and offer more opportunities for children.

With groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4-H, Cook believes there is a way to work with these organizations to create more activities and opportunities for the younger generation. He is also looking for ways to better utilize facilities that youth primarily use, such as the skate park.

Cook is also looking for ways to help the public engage with the Ritzville City Council. This would benefit the council by providing accurate information to the public, while simultaneously addressing questions or concerns of residents.

One of the ways Cook hopes to achieve a more transparent city government is to install a camera in the chambers that would allow the public to view the meetings from the comfort of their own home.

Cook said currently the audience is sparse at council meetings, and potentially offering for residents to watch the proceedings of the meeting could be a way to engage a larger amount of the public.

Cook views his role as an opportunity to continue his career in the public service industry, and help establish a strong and trustworthy relationship between the city and it’s residents.

He said his main goal is to leave things better than he found them, and he is looking forward to working with the community to achieve that goal over the next four years.

“What my passion is for this job is to make the community a better place,” Cook said. “Make it a place where people want to live, and where people want to move to. We don’t have to expand, but we have to have a quality of life for the people who are here.”