A strong incumbent faces an eager challenger in this West Richland City Council race
John Smart attended West Richland City Council meetings regularly for 15 years before he joined the council himself, and his expertise shows.
Now that he’s a six-year incumbent with a city zoning map on his office wall, his depth of knowledge on West Richland issues is clearly apparent.
Smart’s challenger is Steven Davis, assistant director of transit operations for Ben Franklin Transit.
Davis has a sincere desire to do his part for his community. While he points out problem areas in the city that elected leaders should address, his motivation to run for office has little to do with complaints.
Davis truly wants to offer his time, energy and fresh perspective to the council.
While we appreciate his unselfish reasons to enter the political fray, we see no reason to replace Smart and his knowledge of city issues.
We recommend voters reelect Smart for another term.
Among the topics discussed in our interview with the two candidates, water problems and economic development were two concerns raised by Davis.
He said it is troubling that year after year during the summer that water in one of the city’s wells becomes sour smelling and discolored. Davis said the city does a good job of coming out to clear pipes, but that it is difficult to pay the taxes and not have water that is “as drinkable as possible.”
Davis said that the water is safe, but that it is still “difficult to take a yellow shower.”
Smart is someone who appreciates the technical aspects of a problem, and he agreed that this is an issue that needs to be addressed. He has looked into it himself and has spoken with the city engineer about it.
Smart said a new filtration system is extremely expensive. The problem “can be fixed, but we would literally go broke.”
He said a water aquifer reservoir project is in the works that would allow the city to take water it gets from an intertie with Richland and pump it into storage. Smart also noted the city recently received a grant for the potential digging of another well, which would add another water source.
This update is encouraging but we imagine that West Richland citizens want solutions, not promises. Davis was right to bring this issue forward.
Davis also suggested that the city needs to do more to encourage commercial development instead of acres and acres of single-family homes. He is concerned that people leave West Richland every day to make purchases in other towns, and he wants to see more opportunities for citizens to spend money in their own community.
Smart said that when West Richland gets to a certain population number, “We are going to pop.”
But until that number is reached, it is difficult to attract franchises that are looking for a baseline of about 25,000 people, Smart said.
West Richland’s population is currently at about 15,500 so eventually “we will hit that magic number,” Smart said. He wants to make sure that the city is laying the foundation for large businesses and mom and pop shops.
In addition to those concerns directly related to the city, our conversation with Smart and Davis included a long discussion on COVID.
Smart is a senior research engineer and is no COVID denier. But he is against government mandates requiring the COVID vaccine, and is using his campaign website to promote that stance.
Davis also said he supports personal choice, but that he also believes in supporting others. He said he would do whatever it takes to protect his family, the people he loves and his co-workers. “It’s not even a question to me.”
He said, “We have people dying in our community because people won’t protect each other. I can’t fathom why this is difficult for people.”
On this point, we like Davis’ attitude. Smart has done his own research on COVID, but we prefer to heed the advice of our state and local health officials who are doing all they can to save lives.
We highly recommend readers watch the video interview to get a better understanding of where the candidates fall on all these topics.
While we appreciate what Davis has to say about COVID, Smart shines when it comes to discussing city-specific issues.
And that is what a city council member’s focus should be.
The Tri-City Herald recommends John Smart for West Richland City Council, Position 1.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREBehind Our Election Recommendations
Who decides the recommendations?
Members of The Tri-City Herald editorial board is comprised of experienced opinion journalists and community members, and is separate from The Herald’s newsroom. Conversations are on the record.
What does the recommendation process entail?
Whenever possible, The Herald editorial board meets with opposing candidates at the same time. The questions are largely focused on a candidate’s qualifications and goals. The editorial board then discusses the candidates in each race and decides who to recommend. Board members seek to reach a consensus on our recommendations, but not every decision is unanimous.
Is the editorial board partisan?
No. In making recommendations, members of the editorial board consider which candidates are well prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with us or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, their readiness for office, their depth of knowledge of key issues, their understanding of public policy and their ability to work with the current board . We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points. The editorial board will endorse both Republicans and Democrats.
Why are the editorials unsigned?
Our election recommendations reflect the collective views of The Herald’s editorial board — not just the opinion of one writer. For the 2022 election, the board includes: Cecilia Rexus, Herald editorial writer; Laurie Williams, Herald executive editor; Jack Briggs, retired Herald publisher; Ken Robertson, retired Herald executive director; Matt Taylor, retired Herald editorial writer; Mike Paoli and Martin Valadez, community representatives.