In a hostile Kennewick election, these are the 4 best choices for the city’s future

From the time election signs first sprouted along Tri-City roadways there was talk of a “Dream Team” running for Kennewick City Council.

The GOP-backed bloc of incumbents John Trumbo and Bill McKay and newcomers Gretl Crawford and Loren Anderson each told the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board they are running their own campaigns. But there is clearly a political force binding all of them in these nonpartisan races.

The group photos, the campaign events, Facebook posts and, more recently, the mailers from the Benton County Republican Party, are a strong indication of an orchestrated effort to flip the power on the council.

If this strategy stopped at only promoting their own agendas, it would be tolerable. But this calculated force is on a spiteful mission to rid the council of people it deems unworthy to serve. Its attacks on Kennewick Mayor Don Britain, in particular, have been relentlessly critical.

We feel partisan politics should not be playing such a major role in nonpartisan races, especially since it’s shading our local races with bitterness and hostility.

Don Britain v Gretl Crawford

Britain’s reputation was damaged in the fall of 2019 when — after 24 years of a spotless record working for the state Department of Social Health Services — he was fired from the agency for having an inappropriate relationship with a client with two children he said he was only trying to help.

Britain has denied he had a romantic relationship or that his professional conduct in handling her case was improper.

However, a Washington State Executive Ethics Board recently determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that ethics violations have been committed on the job and that the penalty may be greater than $500.

Still, Britain already was fired.

How this relates to city business is the real issue.

A complaint filed by McKay that Britain’s conduct also violated Kennewick’s ethics code was dismissed on the basis that it did not apply to conduct directly related to city activities or council business.

This hasn’t stopped the vitriol and the continued assaults on Britain’s character throughout the campaign — all while he has battled throat cancer and continued to perform his elected duties.

Britain said he wanted to address rumors about his health, so he recently sent a news release explaining that his cancer treatments are scheduled to end this month and he’s looking forward to a long, productive life.

But those who want him out of office refuse to let the DSHS incident die, and see the 2-year-old scandal as an opportunity to swing the council in another direction.

Currently the seven-member council is divided, often with Britain, Lee, Jim Milbauer and Chuck Torelli in one camp and Trumbo, McKay and Brad Beauchamp in another.

While 93% of the time the entire city council agrees on issues and votes the same way, when it comes to character attacks the divide is very apparent.

Britain’s opponents see him as the most vulnerable candidate in this election.

His challenger is Crawford, who owns a custom home building and commercial development company. She’s well liked and well connected, but is untested and has yet to be involved in many community organizations.

Britain’s list of volunteer activities is extensive.

He is past president of the Association of Washington Cities, has served on the Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) board and numerous city committees, and was a former Kennewick reserve police officer.

And despite his trouble at DSHS, he continues to have the endorsements of a lengthy list of Tri-City leaders, including Benton County Commissioners Jerome Delvin and Shon Small, and the mayors in Richland, West Richland and Pasco.

Britain’s range of backers is an indication that many other influential people in the community still value his leadership and do not hold his mistakes against him, and that they believe he is very valuable on the council.

John Trumbo v Jason Lohr

In our interview with Trumbo we asked what he has accomplished in his eight years on the city council and he couldn’t offer many specifics.

He said he has been blocked out of every opportunity and that a stronger voice is needed in order to make some changes, but he is “not going to give away the playbook at this point.”

What does that mean?

When people run as a bloc they typically are pushing an agenda. If Trumbo ends up on the majority team, we can only guess what changes from his playbook will be put into action.

Trumbo was censured in April 2019 by the city council for chasing down a false rumor against fellow council member Steve Lee. Along with the censure, Trumbo was removed from representing the city on boards and commissions for the rest of that year.

But that didn’t stop him in October 2019 from conducting his own probe into what he believed to be an allegedly improper home sale by State Sen. Sharon Brown. His line of questioning upset the home buyer who complained to the city.

Trumbo’s priority is holding government and elected officials accountable. A watchdog role can be admirable, but only if it improves city government.

If there is real criminal activity going on, then the authorities should investigate. But if there isn’t, we fear Trumbo’s overzealous attempts to take others down will continue to be an unnecessary distraction that does nothing to improve the city.

His opponent is Jason Lohr, a union electrician who says he would like to see more city accomplishments and less lawsuits and ethics violations. He also thinks there should be less focus on partisan issues and more on the needs of the city.

On that point, we agree with Lohr. He seems like a bridge-builder who would strive to heal rifts despite his lack of city government experience.

If our recommendation for Lohr is seen as a vote mostly against Trumbo, it is a valid comment. Trumbo has not been effective in improving city operations and blames others for that ineffectiveness.

It’s true he was removed from serving on city committees, but it was his own actions that led to that removal.

His persistent search for dirt so far has resulted only in creating bad blood on the council and in the community. What’s still unclear is Trumbo’s vision for Kennewick’s future.

Steve Lee v Loren Anderson

Lee is known Tri-City-wide for his philanthropy and his vision on the city council.

He made a splash when he first ran for city council four years ago and put a campaign ad on a Ben Franklin Transit bus. Lee is a savvy businessman who owns two legal cannabis stores — one in Finley and the other in Adams County — and he often provides significant financial support to struggling community groups.

Lee has repeatedly talked about wanting to move beyond the political wrangling on the council to address the city’s needs. His enthusiasm for the job hasn’t waned, despite being targeted by those in the community who don’t like the idea of a cannabis shop owner on the council.

In our interview, Lee noted that before he joined the city council the meetings were not live streamed or recorded and “that was one of the very first things I was able to get done after I got elected was to push that forward.” Recently, the city council voted to use $250,000 in federal relief money to modernize Kennewick City Hall so hybrid meetings can be held.

Lee also is a council member trying to figure out what’s around the corner. He is excited about planning for autonomous vehicles, which he thinks the city should get ahead of.

Lee’s opponent is Loren Anderson, a Tri-City dentist who seems to genuinely care about the community and has a passion for making sure the community can provide healthy options for its citizens — like an indoor track facility.

But like Crawford, Anderson has not been involved in any city committees or boards so his leadership and knowledge of city issues has not been demonstrated.

When asked if he had a problem with Lee selling marijuana, Anderson said that as a health care provider he has a problem with anything that is harmful to health, including Oreo cookies, McDonald’s, alcohol and weed.

He also said he doesn’t have a problem with Lee selling marijuana as a business, but “I do have a problem with the fact that for over a decade, by his own admission, he sold the product illegally.” He said that is telling to Lee’s character.

“Our mayor was fired for ethics violations and our mayor pro-tem was selling weed illegally for a decade. I have a problem with that ... that’s part of why I am running,” Anderson said.

Lee said that some people are going to have problems with the old days, but that’s not currently the case. It doesn’t stop him from working every day to better the community he grew up in. He also said the city council today is not about him selling weed when he was 22 and most people are beyond that. Conversations should focus on how we work together to build the city of Kennewick.

Lee also acknowledged that Anderson has been “incredibly respectful and conducted himself with a dignified fashion.” But that the people hanging signs with Anderson have called Lee a socialist, a communist, Antifa, and are calling the mayor unspeakable names behind closed doors.

Bill McKay v Ken Short

Ken Short, a Kennewick native who works at the Hanford site, is on the city planning commission. He is challenging incumbent Bill McKay, who is finishing up his first term.

Short called it a “secret pack” that is attacking local candidates and that it is distracting from the true nature of city government, which should be about helping your neighbors and not partisan attacks.

In our interview, Short said even a passive observer can see there is dysfunction on the council with petty politics seeping into the public arena. Short has a good grasp of city operations from his time with the planning commission, and he wants the city to be a better place 30 years from now.

McKay’s priorities haven’t changed since he first ran for office four years ago. He is focused on safety and infrastructure with an emphasis on maintenance.

His narrow approach to government likely appeals to a significant number of Tri-Citians, but we are more impressed with those who have an eye to the future.

McKay correctly notes that he, Trumbo and Brad Beauchamp are not the only cause of dissension on the city council. Kennewick Councilman Torelli filed a PDC complaint against McKay that was later dismissed.

We encourage our readers to watch our Herald video interviews in all four races in order to get a better understanding of each candidate’s position on issues and the divisiveness.

McKay and Trumbo are popular incumbents we expect have a great chance of being re-elected. Lee also is popular, but he failed to enter a statement in the Voters’ Pamphlet because his new baby arrived right around the submission deadline. That’s an unfortunate oversight that could cost him votes.

So the makeup of the council could hinge on the Britain-Crawford race.

We don’t like the idea of continued squabbling on the city council.

But the possibility of a playbook of unknown changes hijacking Kennewick’s government is unsettling.

The continued attacks on Britain reveal a mean streak by some of those who want him gone.

We feel the council majority should remain with Britain, Lee, Torelli and Milbauer along with the addition of Lohr and Short.

With Britain’s connections, it should have a chance of creating a more cohesive, creative and productive community.

The Tri-City Herald recommends Don Britain, Steve Lee, Jason Lohr and Ken Short for Kennewick City Council.

This story was originally published October 20, 2021 at 6:08 AM.