Philip L. Watness (Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2, Washington, candidate 2024)
Philip L. Watness (No party preference) ran for election to the Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2 in Washington. He was on the ballot in the primary on August 6, 2024.[source]
Watness completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Philip L. Watness provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on July 18, 2024:
- Birth date: June 20, 1954
- Birth place: Spokane, Washington
- High school: Rainier Beach High School, Seattle
- Associate: Seattle Central Community College, 1974
- Bachelor's: The Evergreen State College, Olympia, 1982
- Gender: Male
- Religion: Agnostic
- Profession: Journalist
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign website
Elections
General election
General election for Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2
Mary Repar and Rob Farris ran in the general election for Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | ||
 | Mary Repar (D)  | |
| Rob Farris (R) | ||
| ||||
| = 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 Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2
The following candidates ran in the primary for Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2 on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | ||
| Mary Repar (D) | |
| Rob Farris (R) | ||
| Forest Hofer (R) | ||
| Joshua Good (No party preference) | ||
| Greg Stafford (No party preference) | ||
| Don Stevens (No party preference) | ||
 | Philip L. Watness (No party preference) | |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Election results
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Watness in this election.
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Philip L. Watness completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Watness' responses.
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I have reported on county, state and federal matters, both here and in Jefferson County. I am deft at researching issues from legal battles to social indicators, then writing clearly and succinctly about the issues. I am objective to a fault, preferring to analyze issues in depth before making any conclusions. I am a good listener whom people trust. I jealously protect my reputation as a man who has always kept my source's confidence. I cut my teeth in government as an intern for the Washington State House of Representatives Communications Office. I can adapt to most situations, having also worked in factories, food and drink establishments, and in the commercial delivery business. I am as comfortable interviewing U.S. senators as I am city council members.
As the lone reporter/editor for The Skamania County Pioneer weekly newspaper provides me the knowledge and insight of county matters spanning the past 13 years.- Your county commission is hemmed in by budget constraints, state and federal regulations, and environmental issues. The commissioners have very little wiggle room in our Current Expense budget. The county depends on revenues from state and federal sources to maintain the current level of services.
But those external sources are unreliable because they're unpredictable. For instance, the U.S. Congress has dithered with the Secure Rural Schools Act for nearly a quarter of a century, but has just kicked the matter down the road every few years, and very often at the very last minute before the previous allocation expires.
The commissioners should press Congress for a permanent funding source and not let up until there's a solution. - The county should update the Comprehensive Plan to reflect current conditions and community perspectives. The county can promote planned unit developments to support workforce housing. Multi-use developments zones for housing, retail and production should also be part of the development menu. The county could provide greater flexibility in it land use codes. For instance, developments which include workforce housing could be allowed greater densities in certain zones. The county might also require community septic systems to reduce the amount of land needed for septic tanks and swales. The county could create a Public Development Authority to manage the Wind River Business Park. This approach failed 30 years ago but times have changed.
- The commission should set aside money and begin planning for the replacement of the 75-year-old county courthouse. A study of the courthouse's HVAC system five years ago estimated an upgrade would be in the millions of dollars. It would be prudent to plan for its successor. A new building would be energy efficient, designed for modern situations, and built with more durable materials. Given the shift to work-from-home employment, that would factor into the design, perhaps reducing the need for a like-size building. The new facility might be built on a portion of the fairgrounds, if feasible. That would free up the two downtown blocks for commercial development. The county must not be caught short as it was in 1949.
I believe legislation should be enacted that would require the Secretary of State to establish a public records mentor office for local governments. The office would answer all public records requests, prioritizing and sorting for efficiency. A surcharge could be placed on legal document filing by attorneys at law.
I am able to quickly sift the wheat from the chaff on most matters.
Cornwell's stories relate actual historical events, providing the reader a good comprehension of those epochs.
"Well I walk on hot coals sleep on a bed of nails
Walk on thin ice, skate on razor blades
I've learned that if I do what's best for me, everything else will be OK. And if I'm acting in my best interest, that provides me to also act in the best interest of others.
While a former mayor may have experience as an executive, the board functions more like a city council. A current city council member, however, wouldn't have the executive experience also required of the position.
A business consultant who works with governments may have some insight into managing a county, but wouldn't have the knowledge that new commissioners must quickly learn.A volunteer fire department chief would have experience regarding firefighting regulations and personnel management, but would have to learn about land-use planning, forestry, environmental regulations, road management, and other county issues.
You can't tell them much.
I believe our county commission endeavors to be honest and transparent in its machinations. The legal consequences of not adhering to state laws regarding finances and accountability are too great a threat to simply ignor.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Skamania County Commissioner Board District 2 |
Footnotes
