Six candidates face off in Wapato mayoral race
Whoever steps into the mayoral position will inherit significant problems. The
In 2016,
The city is facing four ongoing lawsuits, including a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general, and nine civil tort claims that could become lawsuits.
The mayor position comes with a four-year term and a salary of
The primary election is
Individuals who filed for the position are
We asked each candidate the same four questions. Here are paraphrased summaries of their answers.
* Age: 61
* Occupation: Retired school teacher,
* Education: Bachelor's degrees in elementary education and bilingual education, master's degree in professional development and school administration from
* Community service: Volunteers an hour a week to teach an anger management class
* Previous elected office: Served on the planning commission, former
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
This question implies that there was prior trust. The theft of over
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
I will continue to work in good faith to either negotiate or win in court against the individuals who are suing the city.
Does the community need a city administrator?
How will you address budget issues and provide city services such as law enforcement, while keeping the cemetery in good shape and the pool and community center open?
We will aggressively go after grants to assist in the pool and community center costs. The cemetery doesn't pose any real problems now that we've brought it back from the horrible state it was in. Law enforcement is improving in
* Age: 38
* Occupation: Wapato Council Position 6 and home health care provider
* Education: Associate's degree and continued education in business administration and medical fields
* Community service: Worked as an administrative assistant for 17 years at the
* Previous elected office: Currently Wapato Councilwoman Position 6
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
I will work hard to rebuild that trust by being honest, keeping the public informed of all meetings, events and activities, involving the public and being accessible. Not only will notices be mailed home (about) community events and meetings, but I also want to set up an automated phone system to send announcements via phone and text to our community. I want our community to be well informed. I will invite our community to speak and ask questions during meetings. If you have something to say I want you to be given the chance to be heard, negative or positive. We are here to serve our community!
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
I will work with the city attorney and council members to resolve these issues. A payment plan will be put into place. I will work to get our city insurance reinstated. I will give the community an opportunity to give their opinion and feedback. We are in this together.
Does the community need a city administrator?
We do not. The city administrator position will be eliminated. We need to save all the funds we can to move forward. As mayor, I will work with council members, our schools and our community to strengthen our town.
How will you address budget issues and provide city services such as law enforcement, while keeping the cemetery in good shape and the pool and community center open?
I will address budget issues by evaluating all positions and salaries and make cutbacks everywhere we can. Outrageous wages for employees with no degree or experience will be stopped. The city administrator position will be eliminated. I plan to have a lot of community fundraisers. I plan to work with school counselors to get student volunteers to be involved and get their community hours. The swimming pool revenue is something we will be able to count on as well. I will work with our city attorney, council members and community to move forward to strengthen our law enforcement.
* Age: 55
* Occupation: Retired, former employee of
* Education: Attended
* Community service: Volunteered with schools and the
* Previous elected office: No
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
I grew up here. A lot of people here know me, they see me out and about, but it's just going to take time. I want to be the person to go door to door, to have an open communication.
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
I've followed the lawsuits. There are some that I don't feel are truthful, and those I would put on the back burner. The police department lawsuits are the most important and would be the priority.
Does the community need a city administrator?
We don't need a city administrator. We should have never had one.
How will you address budget issues and provide city services such as law enforcement, while keeping the cemetery in good shape and the pool and community center open?
I would prioritize the police force. Looking at the pool and community center, the kids do need some recreational things. The cemetery is a priority but that could be something that could be put on the back burner. We have to work at these issues one at a time. We'd have to look at the budget to see where we are. We would have to build back trust with the foundations that gave the city grants.
* Age: 56
* Occupation: Special education coordinator for the
* Education: Masters degree in special education from
* Community service: Pastor at the
* Previous elected office: Gaming commissioner for the
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
I believe in listening to the people in the community and being positive. I believe in transparency, fairness, ethics and making good decisions.
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
I would continue to follow up with the investigations.
Does the community need a city administrator?
The city does not need a city administrator and it's totally wrong how (Orozco) got that position. Budgets have different places to take money from, but
How will you address budget issues and provide city services such as law enforcement, while keeping the cemetery in good shape and the pool and community center open?
I would look at the budget again, and that position that (Orozco) created for himself -- that's a lot of money that could be spent elsewhere. The city does need the community center and the pool for our youth, and the cemetery is important because we all have loved ones there. We also do need the law enforcement to keep our laws of the land.
Joseph "JC" Wofford
JC Wofford
* Age: 37
* Occupation: Owner of JC Wofford Towing and Auto Wrecking
* Education: Graduated from
* Community service: None
* Previous elected office: None
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
It's going to take time. It's going to take the time to see that you are putting the right people in the right places. If I were elected, it would not be about me or myself gaining. I wouldn't put cronies into office. It would be based solely on their production.
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
I don't know if you can unravel the big ones, but the smaller claims are about getting the current administrator out of power. Until we get him out, we're going to see who is really caring about the city.
Does the community need a city administrator?
I don't think we need a city administrator for
How will you address budget issues and provide city services such as law enforcement, while keeping the cemetery in good shape and the pool and community center open?
We could be more efficient as a city. There's excess employees and wages in other areas. You can't take away from law enforcement. Financially, pools in a small city have to be self-sufficient. We're trying to run it by charging families
* Age: 45
* Occupation: Medically retired.
* Education: Associate's degree in nursing from
* Community service: Former tutor of microbiology and human anatomy and physiology at
* Previous elected office: Currently serves on
How will you rebuild public trust in city government?
The way I plan to rebuild trust in
What will you do to resolve the lawsuits and tort claims filed against the city?
The first thing to do is to fix the problems so we don't get any more lawsuits. The issues are caused by our former mayor/current city administrator. We need to treat people fairly and most importantly, follow the law. After that, we need to work to ensure that the city is covered by insurance. The reason insurance is so important is to assist in resolving these lawsuits. It is then our responsibility to reduce our risk and act responsibly. We can then start to move forward.
Does the community need a city administrator?
The city of
My immediate priority will be the critical services provided by the police and fire departments. The citizens of
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