Richland mayor to make another run for Benton commission. It’s already a crowded race
Richland’s mayor is making another run for Benton County Commission.
Michael Alvarez announced he would join the already crowded pack of challengers to replace outgoing Commissioner Shon Small.
Filing starts next week for the 2022 primary ballot.
Alvarez will be facing former state Rep. Bill Jenkin of Prosser, Benton County PUD Commissioner Barry Bush and Kennewick Police Officer Marco Monteblanco, all Republicans.
The co-owner of Vision Mortgage, Alvarez said he wants to bring his 30 years of business experience and his time as a member of city government to the commissioner position.
“What the county commissioners do affects everyone,” Alvarez told the Herald.
He plans to use his experience as a business owner to help steer the county through challenges from rising costs, high inflation and supply chain issues.
He believes he can serve as a bridge between the various city councils and the commissioners, and that if they work together they can make positive changes.
While Alvarez does not want to see any unnecessary taxes put into place, he is supporting an extension of a 0.3% percent Public Safety Sales Tax. The measure that approved the tax expires in 2024 and would need to go back to voters.
Since it was approved, it has helped fund additional officers, prosecutors, the Metro Drug Task Force and the drug and mental health courts.
Benton County cities receive 40 percent of the revenue from the tax and the remainder goes to the county. Alvarez said the tax has proven beneficial for helping make Benton County safer.
“Without it we’ll lose about 40 law enforcement officers plus a lot of good programs,” he told the Herald.
The Richland councilman challenged Commissioner Jerome Delvin in the 2020 election. He came in third during the primary behind fellow Republican Delvin by about 400 votes.
Running again
Alvarez previously told the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board that he didn’t plan to run for another position if he won an election for the city council.
Alvarez won that election and was later picked to become mayor. The city council picks one of its seven members to serve in the largely honorary role every two years.
Alvarez said he didn’t realize at the time that the commissioners were redrawing their district boundaries.
When the commissioner districts were redrawn this year, Alvarez was moved from District 1 to District 2, and if he didn’t run this year, he wouldn’t get another chance to seek the position for five years.
“Several state, county and city elected officials encouraged me to run for this position and bring the same proven success I have brought to Richland to Benton County as a whole,” Alvarez said in an announcement of his plan to run.
After spending weeks considering it and having many people call him to encourage he run, he decided to make another attempt.
Alvarez is the second Richland City Council member to announce plans to run for a county position. Deputy Prosecutor Ryan Lukson is running to replace Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller, who is retiring.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 5:00 AM.