Friday, March 29, 2024

County Commissioner Race likely close, voters should stay informed

Posted

From 2008 through 2016, Chelan County commissioner candidates raised between ten to fifty thousand dollars per race, margins of victories ranged from one to several thousand votes, and winners were all registered republicans. Then, in 2018, commissioner race spending soared, and margins tightened. District 2 candidates Bob Bugert and Shon Smith reported spending a collective $106,755, leading to Bugert narrowly inching ahead of Smith by 510 votes, a one percent margin. He became the first commissioner of Chelan County in recent history who had not run as a republican. Precincts within Leavenworth (precincts 110, 120, 122-129, 210, and 220) tallied 2,336 votes for Bugert and 1,661 for Smith, a margin of 675 — a small number in absolutes, but meaningful to the overall race.

Bugert is retiring and in less than two weeks voters will choose between Leavenworth City Councilwoman Anne Hessburg, independent, and Wok About Grill owner Shon Smith, republican, for his replacement. With a comparable $101,000 raised so far, the final count will likely again be close. And especially in Leavenworth, where our small margins may have an outsized impact on tipping elections countywide, every vote will count.

Hessburg brings an entire career of local public service leadership and Smith a similarly long history of local business executive experience. Hessburg, born in Oregon, raised in Wenatchee, and a resident of Leavenworth since 2007, paid her way through college as a wildland firefighter. She then worked for Chelan County community development, spent ten years on Leavenworth’s Planning Commission, and was elected to City Council in 2019. Smith was born in Edmonds, moved to Cashmere in 1974 when he was four, and has lived in Cashmere ever since. He opened Wok About Grill in Wenatchee in 1997, and after twenty years of growth, opened a Leavenworth location in 2014. Smith also sits on several local business boards.

Despite thinning electoral margins for the position, both candidates have run very respectful campaigns with messaging and priorities that remain extremely consistent with their respective experiences. Hessburg, who majored in communications, will prioritize collaborative leadership and honest dialogue. She will also prioritize “restoring confidence” in the community development department, mostly through more clear and consistent communication and regulation. Smith, who majored in business, plans to “run the county like a business.” And, consistent with being a longtime Cashmere resident, he plans to prioritize “keeping rural, rural” and “letting the cities be cities.”

The Chelan County Board of Commissioners has three positions, one for each district, and has two categories of power: county budget and county legislation. According to Bugert, the county’s annual operating budget, which is mostly funded by a small portion of county property taxes, is forty to fifty million dollars. In setting the budget, commissioners are responsible for which departments and projects get funded, and by how much, which greatly affects the fate of certain projects such as the West Cashmere bridge. County legislation includes amending, creating, and executing codes such as last year’s short-term rental code. Unanimity is preferred, but budget and legislative measures can pass with a simple majority vote. “We serve as the legislative body...we also serve as the executive body,” Bugert reflected. A commissioner position is powerful.

On Tuesday, October 18, at Mountain Springs Lodge in Plain, during one of the last community candidate forums, both Hessburg and Smith appeared keenly aware of the power they may soon yield and the issues most important to voters: short-term rental code changes, community development department dysfunction, and future growth management. Candidates agreed on a set of facts: the short-term rental code was created with great effort and collaboration but will need review in the near future; the community development department needs more consistency and efficiency, which starts with the director; and growth will come but should be managed according to the needs of residents.

The difference in candidate responses during the forum represented less contradiction, and more so a difference in focus. When asked about short- term rentals, for instance, Hessburg submitted that the STR code language may be over complicated and would like to see some changes but emphasized that changes and enforcement should be executed consistently across all codes. Smith named three explicit plans: to review the code after one year in office, to run twenty-four-hour enforcement during peak seasons, and to let the market decide the STR cap rather than code.

And though both candidates recognized that the community development director position has been “a revolving door” and contributes to the department’s inefficiencies and inconsistencies, Hessburg emphasized finding a more local director who understands local needs and desires, whereas Smith emphasized finding a director with the ability to handle the inevitable political and economic pressures of development in Chelan County. Hessburg provided additional goals for community development: decrease lawsuits resulting from incorrect land use decisions and implement measurable accountability milestones for the community development staff that demonstrate meaningful progress in course correction and better public service.

As for growth, Hessburg would like to see an increase in the diversity of housing options, ultimately increasing supply and affordability. And “to keep rural, rural,” Smith plans to keep county areas as big lots, and support struggling farm and orchard owners when possible.

With few specific policy differences between the candidates, many voter decisions may come down to values and culture. Hessburg’s campaign primarily centered around her history of public service leadership, desire for collaborative and communicative leadership incorporating all voices, and her interest in “making data- driven decisions.” Smith persistently spotlighted his business-mindset and typically began forums by laying out the four Cs of his values: “I’m a Christian, Conservative, Constitutionalist, Capitalist.”

Both candidates remain confident going into the final weeks before election day. Hessburg’s campaign has raised seventy thousand dollars so far, compared to Smith’s thirty thousand; however, accounting for several thousand dollars’ worth of materials Smith has saved from his last bid, the proportional difference is similar enough to 2018 to expect similar result margins (in other words, if this election matters to you, you should probably go vote).

The recent increase in campaign spending and decrease in margins reflect growing diversity within the county, but in particular in District 2, the Cascade School District, and Leavenworth subregions. Chelan County and nearly all its precincts have consistently voted heavily republican for both presidential and commissioner races since at least the 1990s. However, beginning in 2012, a noticeable shift began within the precincts of Cascade SD (precincts 110- 129, 210, 220) and Leavenworth, a portion of Cascade, while Cashmere SD (precincts 131- 136, 310, 320, 330) changed little.

Leavenworth split nearly evenly between the republican and non-republican candidates for the 2012 general presidential election, but in 2016 the balance shifted in favor of non-republicans by 50.2%, then 2018 to 52.5%, and in 2020 Leavenworth voted 56.2% non- republican. Cascade SD crossed into non-republican majority slightly later, in 2018’s county commissioner race, while Cashmere’s non-republican votes remained in the mid-30% range throughout. The margin in countywide presidential results has closed from 42% non-republican to 46%, with an absolute increase of about 6,200 votes. Cascade SD contributed approximately 1,250 of the absolute non-republican voter increase, about 20%.

According to USAFacts. org, which uses census data, Chelan county’s population has actually grown slightly slower than Washington state’s as a whole since 2012, at 8% versus 12%, respectively (the entire US grew about 5%). In other words, growth is occurring everywhere, and not specifically much faster in Chelan County, even though it may feel that way. However, the growth occurring in Chelan County seems to be disproportionately more non-republican voters, even more so within Cascade SD, and to an even greater degree within Leavenworth.

The final count on November 8 will reflect voters’ preferences on local issues, for instance with short-term rentals and community development. But it will also reflect shifts in broader demographic and cultural values. The race will likely be tight. To make a difference, stay informed, engage, contribute, and vote. There are no more community candidate forums, but both candidates are easily accessible for questions via the contact information provided on voter pamphlets. This is still a relatively small county, so call; and they will answer.

To reach Hessburg: (206) 465- 1754 | anne@annehessburgforcommissioner.com

For Smith: (509) 264-3800 | smith4commissioner@nwi.net To access or verify all the calculations and data collected from the county, you can temporarily view them at this link: Chelan County Voting Data by Precinct and Region.



 

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here