By Thurston Chronicle staff
The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce welcomed local, legislative and congressional candidates up for election in November to mingle with voters on Wednesday.
The event served as the chamber’s monthly forum. Attendees were invited to connect directly with candidates and engage in one-on-one conversations about the issues affecting local businesses and communities.
Each candidate was given an opportunity to share a short message with their prospective constituents on why they deserved their vote on Nov. 3.
The forum also featured a moderated debate between Thurston County Commission District 5 candidates Emily Clouse and Nic Dunning. That debate will be highlighted in a separate article at thurstonchronicle.com.
Thurston County Sheriff
- Derek Sanders: “I've spent the last four years rebuilding the sheriff's office and revitalizing trust and employment with policing across not just Thurston County but the entire state of Washington. I am planting seeds that are going to outgrow me in terms of future growth and future employment and getting young people excited about being cops again.”
- Kevin Burton-Crow: “I'm a 20-year retired military veteran. I have two advanced academic degrees in criminal justice and one in public administration. I'm a member of several local community organizations, and I've been with the sheriff's office since 2014, where I currently serve as a special victims detective. I'm running this campaign, not asking fo blind trust, but for an opportunity to build verifiable transparency, and I look forward to earning your vote.”
Thurston County Clerk
- Nicole Miller: “I bring over 30 years of public service to the race, and I have over 20 of those in supervision and program management. I have a plan to work directly with the commissioners to reopen the clerk's office because the clerk's office needs to be open to the public full time, and I will do that. And I'm committed to the community to make sure that the Thurston County Clerk's Office works for everybody.”
- Garrett Cady: “Sixth generation Thurston County resident … and I'm currently serving as deputy clerk at the Thurston County Clerk's office, recruited by our office staff and supported by our leadership team, and endorsed by our current clerk. The next county clerk has to be able to understand the job and the challenges that we face. As we've heard, the budget has impacted us all. But through constant deliberation with the county commissioners and the budget team, we're happy to announce the restoration of in-person services this month by (Sept. 21). It has been a nightmare for folks, limiting their access to justice, and so to continue that progress, leading this office into the future, I am the only candidate that works at the clerk's office and has a relationship with our office staff.”
Thurston County Assessor
- JJ Olson: “I have 11 years inside the Assessor's Office, holding almost every single job in the office, and I have a finance degree from here, Saint Martin's University. So I have the experience inside the office and the education to lead us into the future.”
- Lynda Nashed Zeman: “I am running for Thurston County Assessor to ensure that your office stays committed to service with excellence, that the appraisals and values are consistent, the way that you expect things to go in the office, and to lead through difficult times of budget and resources, and make sure that our team is provided with those things. I have an education from the International Association of Assessing Officers. I hold a regional leadership position with that organization. I am ready to lead on day one. I worked in the office for three years. I currently work in the county commission. I have a real unique understanding of community and how the county works, and I would appreciate your vote and support.”
Thurston County Auditor
- Tillie Naputi-Pullar: “I am running unopposed, but I do need your support, and I do need your vote this upcoming November election.”
Speaking as the current Thurston County Elections Manager, Naputi-Pullar spent her remaining time reminding voters to check their voter registration and to return ballots to an official ballot drop box, rather than the mail, to ensure it gets received.
Thurston County Commissioner, District 3
- Tye Menser: “I'm running unopposed. I hope that reflects something positive about the work I do, or maybe no one else wants this job. My priorities have been environmental protection and criminal justice reform, and I'm proud to serve you on the State Building Code Council, the Salmon Recovery Council, and as acting chair of the State Sentencing Guideline Commission. I know you don't have a choice in this race, but I would nonetheless appreciate your vote.”
Thurston County Treasurer
- Jeff Gadman: “I just want to let y'all know, my main job is to safeguard public money. I have never lost or misplaced a single dollar you have sent to local government. I will continue to work on legislation to help make the laws around property taxes make sense. This helps reduce the cost to government, helps reduce costs to you. I'm going to continue to actively manage my investment pool to help reduce your property tax burden. And like Ty (Menser) said, I know you don't have a choice, but I would really appreciate your vote.”
Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney
Christy Peters: “I have been serving the people of Thurston County as a prosecuting attorney for over three decades, so I have been preparing for this role for over 30 years. I've currently been serving you as the chief of staff, or the number two,for the last 16 years. I know the most important issues that people have been asking me about are keeping our community safe and keeping our data and information transparent. And I will commit to continuing that for the citizens of Thurston County.”
Thurston County Public Utility District Commissioner District 1
- Jim Campbell: “I was appointed a year ago for an opening. I'm running to retain the position. I have 20 years of experience in public water, both investor-owned and (the) last 8 years of PUD. So I really, really understand how that works and how we can help people in the future.”
Campbell’s challenger, Troy Kirby, did not attend the event.
Thurston County Public Utility Commissioner District 3
- Chris Pettit: “(I’m) running on 20 years-plus of water and environmental resource management experience, including running local government utilities. I'm emphasizing affordability and the cost of service. We've seen rates rise 25 to 35%. That's just in the water industry, not before you get to wastewater and utilities elsewhere. Additionally, cost of construction, full cost recovery has increased over the last 20 years. Second is transparency, the ability to access your utility, know exactly what is going into rate setting, know what's going into operations and maintenance, and how safe and reliable drinking water is being provided. Third is resiliency. We continue to see impacts from water scarcity. We continue to see drought. We continue to see water quality impacts. I get to see it every day in my day job. So, (I’m) looking to continue to provide safe and reliable drinking water to folks in the area.”
Pettit’s challenger, Jeff Curry, did not attend the event.
Legislative District 22 State Representative Position 2
- Lisa Parshley: “I'm a veterinarian. I also served seven years on Olympia City Council, and currently I am vice chair of Capital Budget. I've been on Healthcare and Wellness, and I was on Local Government, but I’ll hopefully be switching to something as crazy as even adding a second budget committee, because as all of us know, we are facing a budget crisis in the state and in the United States, and I weirdly love this stuff. I was seven years on Finance in the city, I was the finance chair. If we're going to make this community sustainable, affordable, we have to fix this, and we have to do it in a way that we're not putting it on the backs of the average person.”
- Jamie Keenan-deVargas: “I am running for state house against the corporate thought incumbent in the second seat of the big 22. And, check the Voice Voters Guide or either of our websites, I'm the only candidate in this race that has solid substantive platform planks to actually address the affordability crisis, including a plank that is exempting all small businesses from B&O taxes.”
Legislative District 35 State Representative Position 1
- Dan Griffey: “I proudly serve my constituents of the 35th legislative district. It's a district that covers from Silverdale all the way to Rochester in the south. I am running for re-election. Look forward to your support.”
- Jim Pierson: “Seven years Army Special Forces, 30 years here in Washington State as a project manager. I knock every door, far left, the far right, and I believe we can find creative solutions with everybody at the table.”
Legislative District 35 State Representative Position 2
- Travis Couture: “I'm the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee. That's our state budget. Happy to serve the people of the 35th in Washington state, and let's create a more affordable and safe Washington to live in.”
Couture’s challenger, Maria Littlesun, did not attend the event.
Legislative District 35 State Senator
- Drew MacEwen: “(I’m) the deputy leader for the Senate Republicans, and folks, we got to get some balance back in Olympia. If you think things are expensive, taxes are out of control. There's a reason that's happening. It's because we don't have that balance. We need to get that back and bring some common sense.”
- Carolina Mejia: “I'm running for state senate in the 35th district. I'm also a current Thurston County Commissioner and have been proud to serve for all of you in that role since 2021, I am running because it is time to bring change through the 35th district. It is time to bring that investment back.”
Legislative District 20 Representative Position 1
- Andy Zahn: “My platform is all about rural revitalization, and I believe that the state needs to invest in our rural communities. We need to build new parks so that our rural communities can take full advantage of Washington's robust $22.5 billion outdoor recreation industry. We need to invest in boosting the production of industrial hemp and the many products that can be produced from that, such as biodegradable plastic and paper and all manner of different products can be produced from industrial hemp. And then I want to expand public transit in rural communities throughout the 20-posted district and Washington, and build affordable housing, prevent suburban sprawl, fight back against data centers and artificial intelligence.”
The incumbent Rep. Peter Abbarno did not attend the event.
Legislative District 20 Representative Position 2
- Ed Orcutt: “I've been serving in Southwest Washington for 25 years now, 14 of that in the 20th district. I'm ranking on the House Finance Committee, which deals with tax policy. I'm working for more affordability and more responsible budgets, and for you to have the freedom to do what you do best — to hire people, to put products and services out there for the people to utilize at an affordable rate.”
Orcutt’s challenger, Evan Jones, did not attend the event.
Legislative District 19 Representative Position 1
- Kevin Moynihan: “I'm running to bring accountability, accessibility, results, and progress back to rural Washington. We've gone too long with not seeing any results, anything coming back, and I think it's time for change. So I greatly appreciate your support.”
Moynihan’s opponent, incumbent Rep. Jim Walsh, did not attend the event.
Washington State Supreme Court Position 5
- A representative from Dave Larson’s campaign spoke Thursday on his behalf: “He has 41 years of legal experience, 23 as a trial lawyer, and 18 as a sitting judge in federal wing. Dave is extremely well qualified, if not the most qualified candidate for this position. He has a practical, down-to-earth interpretation of the Washington State Constitution as written, not as we hope it to be written.”
Larson’s opponent, incumbent Supreme Court Judge Theo Angelis, did not attend the event.
Washington State Supreme Court Position 5
- Ian Birk: “There are five Supreme Court positions on the ballot this year at a time when the state constitution has never mattered more. And other than the chief justice herself, I have the most experience in appellate judging of anyone running. At the Court of Appeals, I have written over 200 appellate opinions touching every aspect of Washington law, including the state constitution. I have served in all three divisions of the Court of Appeals statewide, including my home division in Seattle and here in Division Two in Tacoma and Division Three in Spokane, because a statewide perspective matters, and because of my work at the Court of Appeals, I'm endorsed by seven of the nine current Supreme Court justices. I'm endorsed by former Supreme Court justices, including one of my favorite Olympians, Chief Justice Gary Alexander, and I'm endorsed by 32 current and former Court of Appeals judges elected from all counties in the state of Washington, including here in Thurston County. I'd be honored to earn your vote at a time when we need clear opinions upholding the rule of law that are accessible to everyday Washington.”
Birk’s opponent, King County Superior Court Judge Sean O’Donnell, did not attend the event.
U.S. Representative Congressional District 10:
- Marilyn Strickland: “This is my sixth year in Congress that I'm serving, and no surprise, it feels like it's been a decade already. With that said, I am running for reelection because I know that there is one word I consistently hear across the board from businesses in every industry and of all size, and that is uncertainty. Everything is expensive now: gas, groceries, utilities, you name it, and that has an impact on your ability to conduct business. … That has always been one of my top priorities. I'm so proud to represent a district that is ideologically diverse, urban, rural, and suburban, which means I have to find points of commonality among people. And here's what we do know: the American people are not asking for much — housing they can afford, access to healthcare that won't break them financially, good schools, safe neighborhoods, economic security, the ability to start a business and not being made to feel it's so cumbersome, retiring with dignity, and, more importantly, the ability to live their lives in peace and be left alone. That's what I stand for. I'm proud to represent the 10th Congressional District. I humbly ask for your support again, and go Hawks!”
Strickland’s challenger, Chris Chung, did not attend the event.
