Randy Cross (Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7, Washington, candidate 2025)

Randy Cross

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 5, 2025

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1980 - 1998

Personal

Profession

IT manager

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Randy Cross ran for election to the Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7 in Washington. He was on the ballot in the primary on August 5, 2025.^[source]

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

Biography

Randy Cross provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on June 30, 2025:

• Birth date: September 24, 1961
• High school: Grand Rapids Central High
• Military service: United States Army, 1980-1998
• Gender: Male
• Profession: IT Manager
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign Facebook

Elections

General election

General election for Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

Bryan MacDonald and John-Mark Mahnkey ran 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

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cross in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Randy Cross completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cross' 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.

I have proudly called Pullman home for over 27 years. After retiring from the military in 1998, my wife and I moved from San Antonio, Texas, to begin careers at Washington State University, where I remain a dedicated employee. This is my first bid for public office. He’s not a career politician but is eager to bring a fresh, practical perspective to city leadership.

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?

• Unfortunately, too many decisions today are driven by political convenience or ideological divides rather than what is genuinely best for our city. Even in a close-knit college town like Pullman, we see the effects of polarization. It’s time for leadership that prioritizes solutions over division—leaders who understand that the best answer doesn’t always come from “our side".
• Communication is the foundation to a successful community. I will strive to keep the dialogue open regardless of political ideology.
• What I do bring to the table is a balanced and pragmatic approach to leadership. I believe in gathering information from all perspectives, removing emotion from decision-making, and prioritizing reason and facts over personal agendas. My focus is listening to constituents, thoroughly researching each issue, and making informed choices that benefit our community as a whole.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My main policy areas are safety, education, and affordable housing. Being in a college town, these are three areas that are extremely important but can vary wildly depending on which community you are talking with.

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

Compassion and honesty are core characteristics for any person in public office. You can not always solve an issue in a way that makes everyone happy. At the very least, you can communicate the reasons behind your decisions honestly.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

What I do bring to the table is a desire to be well informed before making a decision. I believe in listening to all sides and researching before coming to conclusions. I have always said that facts are non-partisan.

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

It is always beneficial for a person in a position to have experience in that field. But it is not a requirement. Many times, having a new perspective that is unencumbered by history can be valuable in moving a community forward.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Some of the most useful skills are patience and listening. One also needs a fair amount of humility to realize they do not know all the answers. In reality, they may not even truly understand the issue. Taking the time to listen and patiently determine the best course of action will always serve the community far better than a rash decision.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

We are a nation that is based on government of the people. All aspects of the local government finances should be available for public scrutiny. Coupled with that, we are a nation of laws and no entity should be above the law. As such, governmental accountability is paramount to preventing corruption.

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.

Other survey responses

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

• VoteWA Profile

See also

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Candidate

Pullman City Council Ward 1 Position 7

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