Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Three members each support Sweet, Chapman
DAVENPORT — Four city residents interested in being Mayor faced six members of City Council in public interviews Wednesday night. And after an executive session that was followed by a vote, Council didn’t reach a majority opinion on who it would nominate to be the city’s next Mayor at its regular meeting Dec. 13.
Instead, the six voting members were split between incumbent Mayor Brad Sweet and current councilman Jonathan Chapman, with three councilmen voting for the prior and three for the latter.
The lack of a majority vote means the decision on who will be the city’s Mayor come 2024 will wait at least two more weeks.
Chapman, Sweet, Rusty Warwick and Daniel Coriell were the four applicants that were interviewed by Council.
They were asked identical questions about topics like relevant experience, city growth, where they see the city in five years and what they felt the most important issues were to citizens.
Chapman noted his year on city council and presence as president and board member of the Lions Club for relevant experience, while Sweet pointed to his eight years as Mayor, 10 years on the Davenport School Board and multiple volunteer boards like the Gorilla Booster Club and Ambulance Association.
Warwick talked about his involvement on Harrington City Council, his time as president and treasurer of the Harrington Golf and Country Club and his status as an original trustee of the Lincoln Hospital Foundation. He was also involved in the Harrington Lions Club.
Coriell said he was director and board member of Cardinal Grace Animal Rescue.
He said he wants to see more development and businesses in the city.
“A lot of traffic comes in,” Coriell said. “We should utilize that to expand Davenport.”
Sweet said he hopes the city continues its “steady” growth while hoping to support housing growth.
“We have to support our water and sewer systems so we can support any new houses or businesses,” Sweet said.
Warwick said he wants the city to avoid conflicts of interest, noting his displeasure with the amount of time it took “the cable thing to happen” and with Sweet working as Mayor and for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
He said a potential conflict of interest could arise during negotiations for a new law enforcement contract in 2024, while also citing concerns with city garbage service and grant money being used at the Municipal Airport.
“When you get grant money, you better follow up and know how much things are going to cost you when the grants run out,” Warwick said.
Chapman said he would survey citizens to gauge what their biggest concerns are, noting he’s mostly heard of localized issues such as problems with dogs or abandoned vehicles in his term on council. He also said the city must support local businesses and services for sustainability.
“You have to be able to attract good employees, a customer base and good services,” Chapman said. “We have a lot of good community events that happen that people enjoy; things that support our businesses. If our businesses can thrive, I think the city will grow.”
Chapman’s status as a mayoral interviewee prevented him from casting a vote or being part of an executive session regarding such discussions.
The remaining six councilmen went into executive session for 35 minutes, then re-entered council chambers.
Councilman Patrick Katz motioned to nominate Sweet for Mayor, while Chris Ruiz seconded.
Heath Becker joined those two in support, while the other three councilmen voted against the nomination.
Councilman Lance Strite then motioned to nominate Chapman for Mayor, with Cory Hollis seconding and Robert Jenkins supporting. Katz, Ruiz and Becker voted against.
Becker then said the council wants to do another round of interviews with Sweet and Chapman at council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27. The meeting was adjourned soon afterward.
Katz, Hollis and Becker all declined to offer comment on their stances, saying they wanted time to “digest the situation” further. Becker, however, said he hopes citizens will reach out to the councilmen and offer their opinion on the two remaining candidates.
If council is still at a stalemate after another meeting Dec. 27, they have 90 days to break that tie, with incoming councilman Mike Wilkinson making future votes in place of the outgoing Ruiz after the New Year.
If a majority vote doesn’t happen in 90 days, the Lincoln County Commissioners will make the mayoral nomination, city clerk Dave Leath said.
And if the Commissioners can’t reach a consensus, the honor of choosing Davenport’s next Mayor falls to Gov. Jay Inslee.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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