Bryan MacDonald (Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7, Washington, candidate 2025)

Bryan MacDonald

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 5, 2025

Personal

Birthplace

Salt Lake City, Utah

Profession

Technology professional

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Bryan MacDonald is running for election to the Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7 in Washington. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.^[source] He was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.^[source]

MacDonald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Bryan MacDonald provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 5, 2025:

• Birth date: December 12, 1971
• Birth place: Salt Lake City, Utah
• Gender: Male
• Profession: Technology Professional
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

Bryan MacDonald and John-Mark Mahnkey are running in the general election for Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7 on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Bryan MacDonald (Nonpartisan)
		John-Mark Mahnkey (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

The following candidates ran in the primary for Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7 on August 5, 2025.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Bobbi Bennett-Wolcott (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Randy Cross (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Holly Greystone (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Cindy Kothandaraman (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Bryan MacDonald (Nonpartisan)
		John-Mark Mahnkey (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	James Pitzer (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

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Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bryan MacDonald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by MacDonald's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Bryan MacDonald, and I’m running for Pullman City Council (Ward 1). Pullman has been my home for over 30 years. I came to study Computer Science at Washington State University and decided to stay and build a career at Schweitzer Engineering, becoming a leader in Security and Information Services. My employer has been able to prosper in our community and is now a global company with a large main campus in Pullman.

I also stayed in Pullman because it offered many of the benefits of a small town, a wide range of outdoor recreation, and even some perks of a bigger city thanks to the local universities. It was a great place to raise my family. I recently became a grandparent and am thinking even more about our community and our future.

I want to make Pullman an even better place for the next generation, people starting their careers or a new job, future small business owners, and other inventors and entrepreneurs who we want to put down roots here. We need new energy and creativity—prioritizing our residents and businesses—if we want Pullman to reach it's potential.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Leadership that works for you: I'm committed to solving problems creatively while putting Pullman residents & businesses first. I'll focus on what we CAN do, rather than why we can't.
• Unlock our potential with hometown ideas: I'll work to make Pullman an easier place to turn research & other great ideas into opportunities that help our community thrive.
• Strong partnerships: Let's team up with the university, businesses big & small, and others in the community to maximize our potential. We're stronger together.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Sometimes organizations have a tendency to 'hunker down' and optimize for themselves. City governments aren't immune to this. I'm passionate about putting our customers—local businesses and residents—first and making sure our policies have their best interests at heart.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

While our country and state have a major impact on what we do as a city, the way our city responds, interprets, and reacts is often the one that can hurt the most or be the last straw... or sets us apart from other cities in similar situations. We're a college town and border town, and our city needs to know our community and be our best advocates.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

A servant heart, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I've heard some people say city council isn't an impactful job—but our responsibility is passing ordinances and budgets that directly affect whether our community is a place people want to live and businesses can succeed. What we do has an impact on the culture of our city government and the connection with the community. All of those things are important and impactful... and reasons I am running and believe I can make a difference for Pullman.

What legacy would you like to leave?

For the city of Pullman, I want to be part of the new wave of city government that helps usher in a culture of putting ourselves in the shoes of our residents and local business owners, and governs from that perspective.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

We moved to Washington state shortly after Mount Saint Helens erupted. I was 9 years old. On our way up we stayed with my great grandparents on White Pass. I still remember the ash powder that coated everything on their property.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I started a paper route in junior high school. As neighboring routes opened up, I volunteered to take those on. By the time I finished high school I was delivering thousands of newspapers every day, selling new subscriptions, and collecting the monthly subscription fees. It was a good experience that certainly kept me plenty busy beyond school.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

We already have plenty of people with government experience. We need more people with business leadership experience, practical problem-solving, and a focus on our people and local businesses.

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Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires MacDonald completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• VoteWA Profile

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Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

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