Conservative Kennewick councilman challenged by union-backed candidate, arts supporter
Organized labor is throwing its support behind a union electrician running in the Aug. 3 primary election to unseat two-term Kennewick Councilman John Trumbo.
In addition to union electrician Jason Lohr, small business owner Brandon Andersen also is challenging Trumbo for the Ward 3 seat on the council.
Only residents of the ward covering eastern Kennewick may vote for the position in the primary.
The top two vote-getters will move on to the Nov. 2 general election.
Deadline for online voter registration is July 26, and the in-person registration deadline is Aug. 3.
Jason Lohr, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 112, has reported $9,500 in contributions from unions and a union political action committee to the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission, with total cash raised of $13,400.
Neither Trumbo nor Andersen have reported any contributions yet and will not be required to if they raise less than $5,000.
Lohr, a newcomer to local government, says he is “running a pro-worker campaign” and also supports local industry and businesses, but is not running to support a specific group.
However, Trumbo, who is seeking his third four-year term on the council, says he believes that Lohr’s strong support from labor unions are due to their concern over Trumbo’s push to have Kennewick city union negotiations conducted in the public eye.
Trumbo says public negotiations are a matter of transparency and he has been clear at council meetings that he will not vote for union contracts for pay increases above the cost of living unless taxpayers can watch negotiations.
Lohr says that although Trumbo says he supports police and firefighters, they do not believe they have Trumbo’s support when he votes against their contracts.
“They deserve a good, competitive wage,” he said. If not paid competitively they will leave for other fire and police departments, he said.
Trumbo says that the donations Lohr has received are an “attempt by labor unions and marijuana money to have total control of the city council in this election.”
Lohr also has received a $1,000 donation from Kennewick Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee, who own cannabis businesses.
Kennewick banned marijuana-related businesses in the city after Washington voters approved Initiative 502, legalizing recreational marijuana. No requests to lift the ban are pending.
The donation illustrates the split on the council. On some contentious issues the council divides for a roughly 4-3 vote, with Trumbo in the minority and Lee in the majority.
With three other council seats up for election in November, city residents have a chance to either retain the current balance of power or shift it.
John Trumbo
Trumbo, a retired newspaper reporter, says in his campaign literature that he supports opening council meetings with voluntary prayer and supports the U.S. Constitution, as conceived by the founding fathers.
Kennewick needs more industrial development, he says.
He also supports the right of florists to refuse to do floral arrangements for a wedding between two same-sex people, addressing homelessness and vagrancy and vandalism problems; and removing the ban on so-called “dangerous breed” dogs.
He opposes annual pay increases for the city manager above the cost of living, opposes increasing property tax levies above the cost of living and opposes a sales tax increase to expand the Three Rivers Convention Center.
He also opposes a city council ethics policy that he says allows politically motivated complaints.
The council adopted an ethics policy after Trumbo was sanctioned in April 2019 for conducting an unauthorized investigation into rumors about Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee that the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said were baseless.
He then was sanctioned under the new ethics policy when he conducted his own investigation into an elected official, and a woman he called believed he was asking questions as a representative of the city of Kennewick. Trumbo said he was not calling as a councilman and properly identified himself.
Trumbo has also been on the other side of the ethics policy, joining two other councilmen to file an ethics complaint against Mayor Don Britain. The complaint was dismissed.
Jason Lohr
Jason Lohr says on his campaign website that good local jobs are needed to afford working people a good life.
The city needs housing, and he would work to spur new housing construction that is affordable for residents at all income levels. He also would vote to invest in rebuilding and maintaining roads, parks and utilities, he said.
Those and other measures would result in more jobs, increased wages, a reduced burden on taxpayers, more reliable and lower-cost utilities, and increased investment in Kennewick by businesses, he said.
If he is elected, he could be the only hourly worker on the council, with others retired, salaried or business owners, he said.
“I’ve made a career in construction,” he said. “I know how to prioritize, plan and execute.”
Brandon Andersen
Andersen is using what he learned from serving on the MyTri2030 Quality of Life Council as the basis for his platform.
He’s running to improve the quality of life for all residents, he said in the Benton County voters’ pamphlet.
As a major supporter of the downtown historic district, he’s interested in further development of Kennewick’s Creative District and the Bridge to Bridge area to celebrate the art, industry and heritage of Kennewick.
He would like to work on development of multi-use spaces and performance spaces for performers and artists.
He also favors keeping the needs of bikers and pedestrians in mind as new roads and paths are built.
Andersen is a newcomer to local politics, but has held volunteer positions with the Arts Center Task Force and Leadership Tri-Cities, in addition to MyTri2030.
He owns Bonsai Audio, an events business, and when the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of most events for more than a year, he diversified to sell bonsai trees.
This story was originally published July 25, 2021 at 2:23 PM.