Lind candidates speak at community forum

The Lind Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum on Oct. 4 for those on the upcoming General Election ballot in November. The Lind Town Council has one contested position and four uncontested races.

The forum featured Town of Lind Mayor incumbent Jamie Schmunk who is seeking a third term and is running against Council Member Paula Bell.

Incumbent Jim Dworshak is running for Council Position No. 5, Richard Baldwin for Council Position No. 3 and Rosemary Elkington is running for Council Position No. 1. All three candidates spoke briefly during the forum.

Incumbent Kathy White, who is running unopposed for Council Position No. 2 attended the forum but did not speak, nor did she have any questions addressed to her.

Schmunk, Bell, Baldwin and Dworshak introduced themselves and explained to attendees why they were running in the election.

Baldwin explained he has lived in Lind for 14 years and has been attending Town Council meetings for the last 4-5 years. He is running for a Town Council seat because he would like to see some changes and believes he can bring a fresh set of eyes and opinions to the council.

Dworshak, who has lived in Lind since 1993, said he filled Craig Cooper’s seat on the council and is running for a full term. He said his vision is to help grow the Town and make a more livable place for residents of all ages.

Bell said she is a longtime resident and a retired business teacher for the Lind School District and has raised two children who went through the school district.

She is running for mayor because she wants to offer an improved line of communication and trust between the Town’s residents, employees and elected officials. Bell also wants to quell unnecessary spending and will do her best to improve the Town’s atmosphere.

Schmunk said she is seeking a third term because she wants to continue her work and dedication to the community. One example she gave of her work to improve the Town is how she has written numerous grants to fund projects for improving the Town’s infrastructure.

Both mayoral candidates were also asked how they would fund infrastructure projects for the town.

The individual who submitted the question for Bell accused her of being against grant funding for infrastructure projects. Bell explained she has nothing against grant funding though acknowledged it is a hard process for towns to acquire funding. She said she would use available resources to help pay for expertise on projects and would prioritize projects, with the “worst case scenario” and emergency situations being addressed first.

As for how the Town would pay for projects under her leadership, Bell said she apply for grants as well as contact mayors from other municipalities for their guidance on how they solved infrastructure and emergency problems.

Schmunk said she would continue to improve the infrastructure would be to fix the Town’s streets and cited the current FEMA road improvement project as an example of that work. She would also continue attending conferences, which has allowed her to network and collect ideas from other civic leaders.

Bell and Schmunk were asked about their feelings toward Town employees. Schmunk responded saying she feels the Town’s office staff are a talented group of individuals who have different skill sets, work hard and are dedicated to their jobs.

When asked about her thoughts on Public Works staff, Bell acknowledged they are hard workers and it is tough for them to do all of the jobs they are asked to do. She did acknowledge may be some issues among the staff and she would strive to keep the pettiness out of the work day.

Both mayoral candidates were asked about their feelings on hiring two full-time office employees at Lind Town Hall. Bell explained she understands the reason for having two office employees, but there does need to be some adjustments made in the office.

However, Bell said she does not know the full details with the deputy clerk and clerk job descriptions, and feels there could be some overlapping with skills and duties.

Schmunk said in the past, there was one part-time office employee, and as new employees were hired, there was a lot of back flow in work from previous clerks who left the office.

In the last year, staff has worked on infrastructure projects and having two full-time employees would allow one person to catch up on the work while the other to serve the public.

Schmunk added she is happy with the current office staff situation, however, it would be beneficial to have two full-time employees.

Schmunk was asked about the notice regarding Conditional Cancellation from the Cities Insurance of Washington the Town Council received at its Sept. 26 meeting.

The CIAW issued the Town a 180-day notice of conditional cancellation because of employees claiming the office was a hostile work environment. The CIAW board will discuss the matter at its October meeting.

Schmunk acknowledged the Conditional Cancellation notice and she will assist the CIAW in investigating the matter, as well as work with the insurance company to provide training and education for employees and council members.

When Bell was asked about possible hostile work complaints filed, she answered she was unaware of any complaints against her.

Bell was asked why she dropped a lawsuit she previously filed against the Town.

She explained the lawsuit stemmed from Lind staff not shutting off the water during the winter at a building she purchased, which resulted in damage to the property. Bell added she dropped the lawsuit because of family reasons.

Schmunk addressed her emotional state before a council meeting by explaining when she first ran for mayor, she thought Council meetings would be a great time where councilmembers can work together and exchange ideas.

However, Schmunk acknowledged the meetings can be a stressful environment with council members constantly interrupting her and letting small matters take priority and slow down the meeting.

Bell was asked about why she didn’t vote for a grant to help pay for airport improvements in 2005.

She explained she voted not to fund the improvements because she felt the airport did not bring any income to the Town, other than by rentals, and cannot see spending money to help maintain it.

She also voted no because the Town did not have a way to cover the matching funds for the grants at the time.

Schmunk clarified the airport brings in revenue through wheat sales in addition to rental services. The Town receives annual grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation’s aviation department to help pay for improvement projects at the airport.

She added the airport does not cost the Town much money to maintain.

The candidates were asked about their vision for the Town in the next 10 years.

Dworshak believes Lind will become more of a viable entity in the area, and sees growth in the community and more jobs in the future. He also sees the Town becoming more a enjoyable place to live and work for citizens young and old.

Bell said there are infrastructure issues that need to be addressed first and some areas in the town needing attention.

She also hopes new businesses come into the town and more people move to the area, though she acknowledged the Town is already losing good people.

Baldwin said he would like the community to together and everyone agree on ideas to help improve the Town.

Schmunk said she is meeting with companies about bringing more business to the area and would like to see the Town bring in a small manufacturing entity in the future.

She also sees more families moving to Lind and would like to improve the infrastructure to entice more people to the area.

Elkington said she wanted to improve the infrastructure of the Town as well, especially fixing the sewer lines and water lines.

She also noted when she moved to Lind several years ago, everyone got along, but sees that feeling of closeness is slipping away and would like it back.