Randy Ross
With Randy Ross on the Grays Harbor County Commission, local government will benefit in two obvious ways. First, the level of acrimony on the commission itself will diminish dramatically, and secondly, the commission gets a member who has a strong background in finance.
That’s why The Daily World is endorsing Randy Ross over incumbent Commissioner Frank Gordon in their race for the District 2 seat, which serves the Aberdeen area.
Gordon has been at odds with his fellow commissioners consistently. The commission should be able to handle a dissenting voice, but Gordon has sometimes made it personal and stirred things up to a point where consensus is impeded.
That isn’t likely to be a problem with Ross, who seems as if he’ll bring his own perspectives to the commission, but also the skills to steer through issues without pushing the buttons of his fellow commissioners.
Ross, who has a background in banking, told our editorial board that he’s troubled by the budget model that results in county government spending more than the revenue it takes in for the year, but achieving a balanced budget by dipping into reserves.
We agree with him that it’s not sustainable and we’ll be watching carefully to see how he balances the need for adequate government services — especially public safety services — with revenue that doesn’t always stretch far enough.
We think he’s up to the job and that’s why The Daily World is endorsing Randy Ross.
Wes Cormier
Wes Cormier is an extremely hard-working and well-prepared county commissioner and there is no doubt on The Daily World’s editorial board that he deserves another term.
He is facing a challenge from Jamie Nichols for the District 1 seat that encompasses the East County area. Kudos to Nichols for stepping up to challenge an incumbent commissioner, but we think it’s too big a step for a political newcomer.
Cormier was something of a newcomer when he first ran for the commission, but he had worked in county government, been active in union affairs as an appraiser in the Assessor’s Office and had a good handle on the challenges facing the commission. He came into office with ideas for getting the most out of a shrinking workforce. From Nichols, we haven’t seen evidence that she is doing the homework one would expect of a serious challenger.
Once again this year, the county commission will have to dip into reserves to balance the budget. It has had to approve emergency funding requests to fill open positions and Cormier has shown a willingness to vote “no” on those requests, pointing out that the commission agreed to a budget and needs to stick to it.
Cormier points out that a wave of retirements is expected in the next few years and says that can present opportunities for savings. One thing we will be watching for if Cormier is re-elected is whether his solution of a “leaner and smarter” county workforce is too lean. He says he doesn’t see a diminishment in county services despite the reduction in operating hours in some departments and fewer employees. We hear complaints to the contrary. But we still think he’s the best candidate to find a balance between adequate services and fiscal responsibility and that’s why we’re endorsing him.
