24-year-old battles incumbent for Kennewick council

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer

Christopher Smart, the challenger, and Steve Young, the incumbent, are decades apart in age and experience as they vie in the Nov. 3 election for Position 7 on the Kennewick City Council.

With mail ballots going out Wednesday, voters will have to chose between a twenty-something -- Smart is 24 -- and a fifty-something -- Young is a Baby Boomer.

Smart is a Y Generation leader, a retail manager at JCPenney who was named Rotarian of the Year for 2009 by the Columbia Center Club. Single and a new homeowner, Smart was born, reared and schooled in the Tri-Cities, graduating in 2003 from Southridge High School in Kennewick. He is a graduate of Columbia Basin College and has been active in Junior Achievement and United Way.

Focused and full of energy, Smart craves the opportunity to serve on the city council.

Young moved his family to the Tri-Cities 31 years ago to work at Hanford and made an unsuccessful run for the state Legislature in 1990. He helped conceive and build the Three Rivers Convention Center as one of the original board members nearly a decade ago while earning a living as a hands-on project manager at Hanford. He spent three years on the city planning commission before being chosen from 11 applicants to fill a city council vacancy 11 months ago.

Married and a grandfather of five, Young talks about helping Kennewick grab opportunities to become a better community and avoids advancing himself.

The candidates spoke cordially and favorably about one another during a meeting with the Herald's editorial board, but they diverge on hot city issues.

Smart says Vista Field should remain an airport, while Young says the airport is an enigma and should go.

Young's priorities include developing the Southridge area, the city's riverfront and Columbia Park. Smart likes those too, but would put downtown Kennewick as No. 1.

The antique carousel that has become a city project could be in Columbia Park or downtown, but "definitely not" in the Vista Entertainment District, says Smart.

Why not at Vista Field or the Columbia Center mall? asks Young, who dismisses placing the carved horses in Columbia Park.

The candidates agree that after putting $860,000 toward it, the city should not spend more money on the carousel project.

Smart dings the city council for fumbling the Columbia Park Golf Course lawsuit with its $3 million judgment, but that happened before Young was appointed to the council.

Rather, as a planning commissioner, Young notes that he voted to support the plan of golf course owner Gary Long Jr., which was later rejected by the council and led to the lawsuit.

Smart and Young are keeping their campaigns low-budget. Neither is accepting donations, but both have posted campaign signs around town.

Smart has a statement in the Benton County online campaign page.

Young doesn't.

"I simply forgot," he said.

Young is campaigning door to door, only to find that people are dissatisfied.

"I'm hearing people say don't spend any more money. I'm surprised I have very little support out there," he said.

Smart is saving on shoe leather by promoting his candidacy with a page and on Facebook.

"There's a public perception things haven't been done well at city hall," Smart said.

Young has endorsements from the Homebuilders Association of the Tri-Cities and the Kennewick Firefighters.

Smart feels the time is right and that the Y Generation will back him up.

"We have a need to attract Generation Y. It would be helpful to the Tri-Cities," he told the editorial board.

Young is banking on his skills as a construction manager to help the Kennewick council complete its vision for Southridge, Vista Field and the riverfront area.

"I am a numbers cruncher, and I have expectations for performance. I can build a team with the city and with the Port of Kennewick and Kennewick General Hospital," he said.

Young said he's not concerned that he could be turned out of the council seat.

"In a sense we are both running for the first time," Young said, explaining that he was appointed, not elected.

"Neither one of us has name recognition. If he beats me, I will be there to help guide him on the issues," Young said.

Smart's campaign information can be found by searching Facebook for Chris Smart.

Young's website is www.electsteveyoung.com.

-- John Trumbo: 582-1529; jtrumbo@tricityherald.com

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Monday, Oct. 12, 2009

24-year-old battles incumbent for Kennewick council

By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer