Three seek county commissioner position 1: Incumbent Rudy Plager

Age: 57

Resides in Paha

Education: 1973 graduate of Lind High School.

Current profession: Adams County Commissioner, elected in 2000.

Spouse: Joni

Children: Morgane and Jared.

A lifelong resident of Adams County, Plager and his wife, Joni, reside in Paha on the farm that his great-grandfather homesteaded. Currently the incumbent in the election, Plager has served as an Adams County commissioner for nearly 12 years.

“I believe that my current experience of 12 years makes me a viable candidate. The current economic downturn in the national economy and our basically flat revenues makes my experience an asset to Adams County,” he said.

Before his role as a commissioner, Plager worked as a combine mechanic and later moved into Ag sales for the local equipment dealership. He worked at the dealership for about 20 years before seeking election as a county commissioner.

During the first election in 2000, Plager ran unopposed for the Adams County Commissioner District No. 1 position. In 2004, Larry McCourtie of Othello ran for the position against Plager, but lost the race by nearly 1,000 votes. John Marshall entered as a candidate during the 2008 election, being defeated by Plager by a margin of around 450 votes.

For the current election, Plager has outlined three priorities for himself: the budget, the concern about the reduction of the Odessa aquifer, and the need to be involved in the community.

“My primary objective would be to continue to balance the budget of the county. I consider that to be my responsibility, my very first priority to the citizens of Adams County,” he said. “So that my very first priority is to continue to maintain a balanced budget.

“The fiscal responsibility as county commissioner, is the primary function of a county commissioner,” he explained. “That is the one thing that we are certainly held accountable for is the condition of the county. That should be the primary goal of every county commissioner.”

The concerns about the budget and fiscal situation for Plager extend beyond balancing the budget, but being able to maintain programs essential to the county and reducing the amount of cuts made.

“Flat revenues would definitely be one of the weaknesses (of the county),” he said. “Basically, as costs continue to escalate, our revenues are not keeping pace with that so obviously cuts have to be made to balance that. The biggest cause of the flat revenues are basically the shared revenue from the state. Most of those are in social arena: public health, mental health, the social programs.

“The first steps I would do, is to live within our means. I have no desire to raise taxes to offset those revenues,” he mentioned as a response to how to end flat revenues in the county.

With the concern about the reduction of water in the Odessa aquifer, Plager spoke during the Ritzville Area Chamber of Commerce meeting this month about encouraging Columbia Basin Ground Water Management Area (GWMA) to stop research and start development.

“Obviously the reduction of the aquifer I consider one of the primary concerns for the county as a whole. It would be economically devastating to lose that aquifer and not having the ability to access water. The solution to that is additional Columbia River water to continue basically what started over 60 years ago and developed the Columbia Basin Project,” he said.

He continued on to explain the Bureau of Reclamation controls the projects and the county is expected to receive an environmental impact statement in September. Even though Plager has doubts about receiving any real federal funding, the state has shown interest in the expansion of the east low canal, he said, and then it is left to agricultural entities in the area to join together in support or use private funding.

As a member of the Adams County community, Plager believes that it is important to remain active and engaged in different community organizations and groups.

“My third priority is basically to continue to be involved with local organizations,” he said. “I believe it to be very smart to use the resources we have available and not charge the general public additionally for costs we can do internally.

“I would also like to continue to be very much involved with organizations like the Aging & Adult Care. I am and would like to continue to be involved with the Washington State Association of Counties, in their legislative steering committee, specifically with county issues and attempting to make changes with the state legislature, ” he continued.

In his appointed position on the board of the Washington State Association of Counties Steering committee, Plager works with committee members to determine the stumbling blocks for counties and changes that need to be implemented with laws in the state.

“One of the big issues this last legislative session was the Blue Ribbon Commission funding for public health. They really wanted to cut that but we were able to maintain that funding and that meant that around $80,000 to the Adams County Health Department.

“We are able to use that money for what we deem as important locally,” he explained about the Blue Ribbon Commission, as it acts as a general fund. “That’s why that kind of funding is so important because it is something you’re not forced to do… it’s funding you can use for general purposes.”

Plager also has remained involved at a community and state level by serving on many committees, such as being the current chairman for QUADCO, the regional transportation organization that is made up of Kittas, Grant, Adams and Lincoln counties. He serves as vice-chairman for the Eastern Council of Governments, member of the Area Aging & Adult Care board, member of the Adams County Water Conservancy board, member of the Columbia River Policy Advisory group, on the executive board for the Department of Ecology Policy Advisory group and also serves on the executive committee for the Columbia Basin Development League.

“There are certainly a number of organizations within all of the communities in Adams County that are working to better their communities,” he said.

“I would certainly be willing to play a role in any one of those that believes that the county can help them move forward with their project,” Plager stated.

Aside from being a member of multiple committees and being active chairman for the commissioners, Plager also enjoys maintaining his farmland and spending time with his family in Adams County. He said he enjoys the rural lifestyle and being an active part of the Adams County community.

Plager stressed the importance of being a member of multiple committees so Adams County has a strong and present voice at the table. He hopes that by being an active member of these committees, he can help move the county forward whether that be through development or expansion of current services.

“I believe myself to be very open-minded and fair in my decision making,” said Plager. “I think that my experience is very beneficial, and I believe that my past experience has been positive to the public.”