Q&A: Adams County Commissioner candidates Mike Garza and Terry Thompson

The Ritzville Adams County Journal conducted interviews with the two candidates running for the Adams County Commissioner District No. 3 position, Miguel A. “Mike” Garza and Terry Thompson. Over the next two issues, The Journal will be sharing what the candidates said during these separate interviews as the Nov. 6 general election nears.

Garza, who prefers the Republican Party, is an insurance agent in Othello. Thompson, who also prefers the Republican Party, is a business owner who was appointed to fill the vacant commissioner seat earlier this spring.

Both candidates were asked the same questions in their separate interviews. The following transcript has been edited lightly for clarity. The second half of the interviews will appear in the following Oct. 25 issue.

Ritzville Journal: What is your short and long-term plan or vision for Adams County?

Mike Garza: My short-term plan, if you want to call it that, is balancing the budget. That is a tough task at hand, I’ve come to find out. I’ve been religiously attending the <Adams County Commissioners> meeting since July when I filed to run. Balancing the budget comes hard because at the same time you have to ensure that people are being treated fairly throughout the process. It encompases wages, making sure facilities are adequately staffed and maintained.

Another thing that would be short-term, as well as long term, is creating an environment where people are comfortable. What do I mean by that? I went to a school board conference once where they said they couldn’t force children to learn, but you could create an environment where they could learn. I think that’s necessary at the county level, where employees feel comfortable and feel they’re listened to and feel that their opinions matter. I think that would be a short-term and long-term thing where I want people to be proud to be employees of Adams County.

Long-term, it’s just the continued economic development of Adams County. There’s the solar farm going into Lind, there’s the windmill project in the works. I want to be part of the team that continues that. Those are just a couple of the projects that could be coming to <Adams County.> We as a county need to work hand-in-hand with these developers and big companies coming into town, to make things easier for them. We as a county need to be more attractive and more inviting to get more of these folks and to make this continued growth possible.

Terry Thompson: My short-term

right now is—we’re short of water in Adams County. And we’re looking for ways to bring more water here. Right now we’ve got John Marshall and Roger Hartwick back in Washington D.C. with the people from Franklin County, who are pushing to bring more water from the East High Canal.

A long-term goal is to continue to bring business into Adams County. And also, after being on the Port of Othello Commissioners for 10 years, the Port commissioners and the County commissioners got together and we got a grant from the state of Washington for $1.25 million for a feasibility study to engineer the wastewater treatment plant.

RJ: As crime rates continue to rise, what steps need to be taken to ensure the safety of the residents of Adams County?

MG: Again, it’s a very complex situation. It’s not as easy as ‘let’s go hire three or four deputies,’ or ‘let’s hire two more jail deputies.’ It’s not that easy. We wish it was, but it’s very complex. But making sure that we’re fully staffed and that the sheriff’s department and the juvenile department and the court has the necessary resources to do their jobs properly. It’s not an easy task. I think that would be the beginning point in trying to fight this increase in crime.

TT: We’re taking a step right now. The county commissioners have on the ballot a 0.3 percent sales tax throughout the whole county, and that will go just to criminal justice and give us a couple of more officers for the Adams County Sheriff’s Department. We’re short officers, and even a little bit in the jail, too, so we’re looking for ways to help put more men on the road.

RJ: If the proposed criminal justice and law enforcement enhancement measure passes (the 0.3 percent sales tax), how would you like to see those funds allocated?

MG: Unfortunately, anytime people see ‘tax’ on a ballot, it’s like a quick no, right? But in my opinion this is a good thing, a needed thing. It is a 0.3 percent sales tax on everything, not just citizens of Adams County. Whether you’re at the McDonald’s in Ritzville or the McDonald’s in Othello, whether you’re here for a parade, here for a tournament or here for a rodeo, you’re going to bring some tax revenue to the county.

I would like to see this utilized how it’s intended to be utilized. I don’t have any insight into how it is going to be utilized other than what the resolution states, which says if approved 60 percent of the revenue goes to the county for law enforcement and criminal justice, and 40 percent goes to the towns. I have found out that [the 40 percent] only benefits Othello and Ritzville as incorporated cities. But as I analyze that for Lind, Washtucna and the outskirts, law enforcement still works for them.

TT: Well, we need two or three more officers on the road and we need another jailer or two. We’re short personnel.

RJ: What qualifications do you have to be an elected county commissioner? What traits do you possess that make you an ideal candidate for the position?

MG: I serve on several boards locally, right now. I’m the chair of the board of the Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA), and I’m also a member of the Othello School Board. Those two institutions are two of the biggest employers in Othello. I’ve been chair of the CBHA for the last three years, and I’ve been on the school board since December of 2014. I’ve learned immensely at both of these positions.

These positions, besides being a former financial services professional, is where I get my financial acumen. Their budgets are in the tens of millions, I’m very involved in the approving of them, and involved somewhat in the development of the CBHA budget, in the approval of certain programs. So I’ve gained the experience that I believe is going to help me <as a county commissioner.>

I’m honest, integrity goes before me. Accountability, trustworthiness and I think I can bring a new perspective. And that’s a big thing that I’m trying to push. I just want to bring a new point of view. It’s not about coming in and starting from scratch, that’s not my intention. I’d be crazy not to acknowledge the great infrastructure that’s in place. Adams County is in a good position, and it’s due to the folks at the helm right now. I would work hand-in-hand and bring a new perspective to the equation that might open the eyes of others.

TT: I’ve been on 17 boards. Some of the biggest ones are that I’ve been on the Port of Othello Board of Commissioners for 10 years, I’ve been on the Adams County Development Council for 10 years and I was on the Othello Community Hospital Board. They’re all big boards, and I’ve been in this county for 35 years, and I was Othello’s Citizen of the Year in 2002.

I’ve run my own farm for the last 45 years, and I sell real estate on farms now. So I’m heavy into business. I feel very qualified, and that’s why the Republican Party picked me out of three candidates to be the present commissioner that was appointed in April.

RJ: What are the long-term benefits of juvenile programs within the county for at-risk or troubled youth?

MG: I know the department has made great strides. I went to a training they offered last week, as a matter of fact. Statistics show that the age of re-offending juveniles used to be 17, and now it’s down to 14, showing that the trend is that they’re not re-offending. Our department in particular I think has done a great job. They’re lowering the caseloads of the probation officers, and I think it’s due to those programs that are in place. And long-term that’s going to benefit us all. If the programs that they’re implementing are bringing about this change, to me that’d bring about long-term results.

TT: We spend a lot of money in our juvenile department and our health department. The health department also is working with juveniles and underprivileged children and mothers that are homeless and things like that. It’s kind of a double-edged sword there when it comes to the juvenile. But we’re working hard in the county and spending a lot of money to help the program and our troubled youth.

I sit on a board called PAID (People Against Illegal Drugs) and so when I got appointed as a county commissioner they put me on that board, and we meet in Othello and there’s about 15 important people in the region that sit on that board. And that’s what we’re doing, is having programs like that and putting more kids into sports and other things to keep them off the street. There’s a lot of programs that we’re doing in the panhandle that Ritzville is doing also.