Burbank man to run for Walla Walla County commission seat

A second candidate has announced that he plans to run for a Walla Walla County District 3 commission seat.

Jim Duncan, county Emergency Management director, said he will run for the position held by Commissioner Greg Tompkins.

Tompkins announced that he will not seek re-election.

Duncan, who plans to list his party preference as Republican, said he has a conservative approach to budgeting.

"I look forward to keeping the county in good financial standing" as well as continuing the good work that the past and present Walla Walla County commissioners have done, he said.

Commissioner District 3 covers much of western Walla Walla County and the city of College Place.

Another candidate, former county Coroner Stephen Ames, announced earlier in the month that he will be running for the position.

Duncan was named county Emergency Management director in November 2011. As director, he has been responsible for preparing and coordinating disaster response plans and overseeing emergency preparedness for the county.

Before working for Walla Walla County, Duncan served as coordinator for Benton County Emergency Management and was active in Homeland Security Region 8 emergency management and preparedness.

He has a master's degree in management and operations from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and is an Air Force veteran.

In a news release, Duncan said he has lived in Eastern Washington for the past 17 years and now lives in Burbank, where he has "a small two-and-a-half-acre ranch in progress."

This story was originally published March 16, 2014 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Burbank man to run for Walla Walla County commission seat."