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By Dena Martin
The Times 

Waitsburg City Elections See New Faces

Jim Elgin and Pam Chapman vie for council seats

 

March 21, 2019

Pam Chapman

WAITSBURG-Two new faces have thrown their hats in the ring seeking a seat on the Waitsburg City Council. Pam Chapman and Jim Elgin will join incumbents K.C. Kuykendall, Terry Jacoy, Kevin House, Jim Romine and Kate Hockersmith to run for a one-year term on the Waitsburg City Council. Incumbent Marty Dunn is running unopposed for mayor.

Council candidates fell one seat short as of the original March 10 deadline. The filing deadline was extended three days during which time incumbent K.C. Kuykendall filed, along with Chapman and Elgin.

Pam Chapman

Pam Chapman and her husband, Dave, moved to the area four years ago though Pam was born and raised in the area. Pam graduated from Walla Walla High School and attended Walla Walla Community College and her husband has family roots in Waitsburg. She and Dave have been married for 32 years and have two daughters and three grandchildren, two of which attend Waitsburg Elementary School.

The couple wanted to move to Waitsburg years ago, when their children were younger, but were unable to find housing.

"We put Waitsburg on our someday list. Finally, that someday happened and here we are," Chapman said.

The couple purchased a home on Main Street. They later purchased a vacant lot at the end of Orchard Street where they are in the process of building a new home.

Dave's mother was born and raised in Waitsburg and her parents were local entrepreneurs, owning Ginny's Grill and Andy's Coffee Shop & Bus Station. His father's family is from Dayton, and they still have extended family in both towns.

"That family history is important to us. Thus being a silent partner in our daughter's new local downtown book and gift store, once again roots have been planted. Three generations of the Anderson family are now back to call Waitsburg home," Chapman said.

Chapman said she decided to run for council because she finally has the time necessary to devote to the job.

"I have always been interested in being an essential part of the community but was unable to dedicate the necessary time and energy due to having a full-time career in Walla Walla. Now that I am retired, I have the time to make a commitment to being an intricate part of our community and I am very excited," Chapman said.

Chapman feels that her work experience has given her the skills necessary for the job.

"As a (retired) Practice Manager I have experience with prioritizing, effective communication, strategic planning, meeting goals, as well as being a leader who listen to others and finds solutions to their concerns or incorporating and acknowledging their ideas. I am a team-oriented person who is able to collaborate and work well with others. I feel it is important to listen to others and let them know they are heard and what they say is important. It takes a strong but humble person to stand up and speak for what is right and I have the unique quality to do so," she said.

When asked what she sees as the biggest challenges Waitsburg faces today, she pointed to downtown revitalization and communication between citizens and the City.

"First, I see the biggest challenge is breathing life back into our downtown. With local business and restaurants closing down, we face lost revenue daily. Which in turn affects our schools, homes, and infrastructure, ss well as affecting the people and children of this wonderful community. 

"Secondly, what can we do as city and community to encourage new businesses without compromising what is best for the people and our local environment? 

"Lastly, it seems there is often a disconnect between the City and its residents. Such as water being turned off downtown affecting local business without informing them prior to the scheduled shut off and no consistent schedule of fees for new construction water and sewer hook ups. These are just a couple of examples, but each one carries weight with the business owners and residents in our community," she said.   

If elected to council, Chapman hopes to serve as an effective liaison between the City and the community.

"My hope is to be a voice for our community as well as for the City. To listen to the residents and care about their concerns. To make them a priority while at the same time being a voice for the City. To help brainstorm how to retain and gain new local businesses and follow through with leads and ideas.  To serve with transparency to keep, gain, and regain respect, hope, trust, and livelihood within our community," she said.

Jim Elgin

Jim Elgin has been in the area about nine years, having lived in Waitsburg for seven and Dayton for nine. He filed to run for council to play a more active role in the community.

"As most will agree, I believe the town of Waitsburg is a great place to live for a variety of reasons. After seeing openings on the council, I decided that I want to take a more active role in our community to ensure that our small town can grow and prosper without losing all of the attributes that make it such a great place to live," he said.

Elgin was born in Kalispell, Montana and raised in the Columbia Falls area with four sisters. His dad owned several businesses, most involving commercial trucking, while his mom stayed home with the children.

"Thanks to my parents, I learned the value of hard work early in life and have always enjoyed staying as busy as possible. I feel like I am pretty much an open book. I value honesty and strive to be straightforward with others at all times," Elgin said.

Elgin said he visited Waitsburg during the Days of Real Sport and realized what a great community it is. A few years later, he started dating his fiancé and decided to move here permanently.

"The real grounding in my life is my fiancé, Phoebe Pettichord and her children, Laramie, Karlie and Monte. She has lived in the area for most of her adult life and works as a crop insurance agent in Walla Walla," Elgin said.

Elgin's career history includes experience in both commercial trucking and carpentry.

"I am the owner of Chisel Point Construction, LLC and spend my days focused on helping people with their various projects and repairs," he said.

Elgin said he enjoys volunteering in the community and has spent time helping with local 4-H, FFA, sports and church activities.

"This is my first time running for a public position of any kind. However, I believe the skills I have obtained over the years have helped me to become a quick thinker who excels at problem solving. Those skills combined with my passion for and dedication to the people in our town make me think I could be of good service as a member of the Waitsburg City Council," Elgin said.

When asked what he sees as the biggest challenges facing the City, Elgin pointed to financing for necessary repairs and infrastructure upkeep.

"I believe these issues need to be carefully addressed by the council so that our town's residents can continue to live comfortably without fear of our city going broke," he said.

"If elected, my goal is to be a strong voice for the members of our community and the issues that concern them," he said.

Incumbents

A full slate of incumbents also filed to retain their council seats. Summary profiles are below. More detailed profiles ran in the Feb. 28 issue of The Times, which is available online or at The Times office. The Waitsburg Commercial Club and the Waitsburg Town Hall Association will also hold a City Council Candidates Forum at 7 p.m. on Mon., March 25 at Waitsburg Town Hall.

Mayor Marty Dunn, who has served on council since the early 2000s and served as mayor from 2004-2007 and 2016-present, is running unopposed. Dunn says he "likes to be part of determining how we are going to make Waitsburg stay Waitsburg while staying viable and trying to solve whatever situations come up." He sees the City's biggest challenge as trying to keep Waitsburg alive and moving forward while finding the necessary funding to do so.

Kevin House was first elected in 2010 and had held the title of top-vote-getter in each election since. House says he is involved because he feels that it is important for people to be willing to step forward and serve. House feels the biggest challenge of being on council is making sure to take in all the input.

"Have we listened and considered the information enough and applied what we feel is our best judgement in the interest of the city when making our vote?  Decisions that affect people are important to those people.  Somebody, at times, is going to be unhappy with the vote, but it shouldn't be personal.  Sometimes the best decision doesn't make me happy either," he said.

K.C. Kuykendall has served on the council since 2012 and feels that it is an honor to play a productive part in local government rather than simply complaining about what is wrong. Kuykendall represents Waitsburg both locally and throughout southeast Washington and Olympia through his roles on the Public Works Board and the Association of Washington Cities Board of Directors.

"It is both an honor and responsibility, I think, to be a productive part in local government.  Rather than complaining about what's wrong all the time, I'd rather play a small part in helping ensure that our laws and policies promote the views and values that are important to our citizens," Kuykendall said.

Kate Hockersmith has served on council since 2016 and says her interests center around protecting the historical nature of the City, respecting the community as a whole, which includes farmers and city residents, and making sure Waitsburg remains a "great place to raise children."

"Waitsburg recently celebrated its 150th birthday, so it should come as no surprise that we have aging-infrastructure issues.  Waitsburg needs to develop a long-term, strategic plan to address issues with the water/sewer system, the maintenance of city-owned property and revitalization of the downtown business district," Hockersmith said when asked about challenges facing the City.

Terry Jacoy joined the council in 2017 because he was unhappy with some of the decision he saw being made and felt he could have an effect on council.

"I was on the school board and the Days of Real Sport board for several years and when I retired I thought that, having lived here as long as I have, that it would be an opportunity to do something worthwhile and be a participant rather than just sit on the side and complaining when things didn't seem right," Jacoy said.

Jim Elgin

Jim Romine also joined the council in 2017. He says he finds satisfaction in trying to solve the City's problems. Romine was a Walla Walla County deputy sheriff for 37 years before moving to Waitsburg.

"I love the people here and would welcome an opportunity to give back to this community," Romine told the times when running for election in 2017. He also said his top priority would be to improve the City's economic footprint and update the infrastructure.

Ballots have been mailed and should be returned to the drop box at Waitburg City Hall by 8 p.m. or have a postmark of April 1 or prior.

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Meet the Candidates

The Waitsburg Commercial Club and Town Hall Association will host a City Council Candidate Forum on March 25 from 7-8 p.m. at Waitsburg Town Hall.

 

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