Kennewick reelects Steve Young as mayor

Steve Young, Kennewick’s second longest-serving mayor, will serve another two-year term.

The Kennewick City Council unanimously re-elected Young, a Hanford executive, to continue to serve as its public face. It also unanimously elected Don Britain mayor pro-tem to step in when Young is unavailable.

Young initiated the council’s first meeting of the new year by hailing newly seated council member Matt Boehnke as a “huge asset to the city.” Britain, he said, will be an ideal partner as mayor pro-tem.

Kennewick’s mayor is elected from the council at large. It is a largely ceremonial role, though Young helps set the council’s agenda. He represents Kennewick on a number of civic boards, including the TRIDEC Executive Board and the U.S. Manhattan Project Park Advisory Board.

He has been a vice president of Mission Support Alliance, a 2,000-employee Hanford cleanup contractor, since 2011.

He was first elected mayor in 2009, shortly after being appointed to the council to succeed former Mayor Jim Beaver.

Day-to-day management rests largely with the city manager, Marie Mosley, who said the new council and mayor will have a busy year as the city prepares for the grueling task of adopting a biennial budget.

The city’s $234 million budget for 2015 and 2016 includes $98.8 million for general fund expenses, $24.5 million for capital projects, $81.3 million for enterprise services, $24.6 million for debt service and $4.8 million to support pension and related obligations.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 8:40 PM with the headline "Kennewick reelects Steve Young as mayor."