Two new commissioners headed for office

RITZVILLE – It’s looking like Adams County will have two new commissioners next year.

As of Monday, Nov. 9, Dan Blankenship had received 64.04% of the vote between himself and incumbent John Marshall for the District No. 1 race. Both men are Republicans living in Ritzville.

“I am pretty grateful, pretty humble, at the level of support the voters showed tonight, and I am excited to get to work for them in January,” Blankenship said following the first count Nov. 3.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Adams County Commissioner, and I am proud of my efforts and the work that has been accomplished,” Marshall said. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

Blankenship said he saw efficient communication and transparency, focusing on strengthening and developing our local community, and addressing challenges for rural communities as priorities to face once he is in office.

“One of the things I think we need, as I talk to department heads, is to do more long-range planning from a budget standpoint, so we know when the department might come to us and say what they will need two or three years down the road, so we can plan ahead if we need to add people or equipment down the road,” Blankenship said Sunday, Nov. 8. “I think we are doing management-by-crisis at this point.”

Blankenship said he saw the need for more communication between the commissioners and the other elected officials.

“Right now, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” Blankenship said. “The commissioners need to make a concerted effort inside and outside the courthouse, to make sure people know what direction they are heading on most or all issues.”

Blankenship, who operated and managed a dryland wheat farming operation in Adams County for more than 40 years, said he saw the agricultural business facing some tough challenges right now.

“Agriculture on this end of the county is static, and dryland wheat is not necessarily growing,” Blankenship said. “Farms are getting bigger, but not necessarily as many people are doing the work. The margins are getting smaller and smaller, so you have to have a bigger operation to make a living. As equipment gets more efficient and the margins get tighter, farms just naturally get bigger with less people involved.”

Blankenship said while he didn’t yet have any ideas how to improve the economics of the county, he was looking forward to researching it once he gets in office, and “rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.”

The race for commissioner in District No. 2 has Jay Weise ahead of Ken Johnson, both Republicans living in Othello, by 72.52% to Johnson’s 26.27% of the vote as of Monday, Nov. 9. The winning candidate will replace retiring Chairman Roger Hartwig of Othello.

“I appreciate everybody’s support,” Weise said Nov. 3. “I look forward to serving the county and doing the best we can.”

“I just wish Jay the best,” Johnson said, adding he didn’t have any other immediate plans. “I will finish up my year that I have on the (Othello) school board, and see where it goes from there.”

Weise, like Blankenship, also sees a need for an increase in communication.

“I will be talking with the elected officials, and be talking with the department heads and getting a better feel of what they’re seeing and needing; and what they’re plans of attack are,” Weise said. “I think it’s very important to have a strategic plan, and the only way we can have a strategic plan is understanding what everybody’s needs are, and how it plays in with everybody else’s.”

Weise said he didn’t have any of his own specific strategic goals in mind.

“I don’t know everything. I’m just sitting there to help everybody put those things together, and help the county come to a common direction,” Weise said Friday, Nov. 6.

He said he saw better communication as a way of deliver a better quality of service to constituents.

“We need to understand how we’re doing business, and do we need to do some things to improve that? Or are we actually doing the best we can at this point? I don’t know that,” Weise said.

One area he wants to investigate once in office is whether the county needs updated equipment and technology to be more efficient.

“I think we’re kind of a little bit behind,” Weise said. “I don’t know that our phone system is where it needs to be, necessarily. I don’t know that our computers are where they need to be, and so I would really like to be able to talk with our Central Services Director, and find out what his plan of attacks are; things that he thinks we need to do to get things up to where they need to be. It really comes down to communication, and talking with everybody and finding out, are there things that we’re lacking? Or things that we’re doing really good and we just need to tweak a little bit? How do you get the county to run as best as it can?”

Weise has experience with budgeting public funds.

“I ran the sheriff’s office budget for quite a few years, and I’ve had my own budget in the office I’m in now,” Weise said of his position as Adams County Emergency Management Director. “I’ve had to deal with state contracts; trying to keep paperwork straight, and trying to make sure you’re meeting the criteria of your contracts. I’ve been a fire commissioner with Fire District No. 5 the past eight years, and dealing with that budget and everything that goes along with that, as well.”

According Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt, there are still about 400 ballots, county-wide, left to count. The next ballot count will be Nov. 12, with the election scheduled to be certified Nov. 24.