Ben Wick, who is seeking re-election to the Spokane Valley City Council, posts about a recent forum, where he highlighted several issues. (via Facebook)
Issues outside of COVID-19
Wick is not the only candidate focusing on other issues.
Smith, the University of Washington professor, said it reflects a principle of “issue ownership.”
Democratic candidates, for example, will steer messaging toward health care, while Republican candidates may talk more about fiscal policies.
But issue ownership could also apply to candidates in local races. “Maybe [candidates] built a record in a certain area where the city has jurisdiction,” Smith said.
That’s certainly the case in a city council race in Moses Lake, the largest city in Grant County, in Central Washington.
Incumbent Mike Riggs, who was elected to the council in 2017, believes his work on addressing the city’s population growth resonates with voters. That includes reworking policies to allow for certain construction activities and figuring out ways to build road, water and sewer systems to better support a larger population.
“The work has to go on,” he said. “The city must continue to prepare [for growth].”
Riggs, who considers himself an independent, has seen Moses Lake residents voice concerns regarding mask and vaccine mandates and noted that he has disregarded the governor or state Department of Health directives.
But what Inslee and state officials have done is within the law, he said.
“It’s within the purview to declare an emergency situation, to require certain sacrifices to get us through this,” he said. “I’m a supporter of law and order. There’s got to be peaceful ways to change the law as necessary. Until that’s accomplished, we have to comply; otherwise, there’s chaos.”
Unlike the races in Yakima County and Spokane Valley races, Riggs is not facing a challenger looking to resist or actively push back on COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, despite robust community opposition in Moses Lake.
Deanna Martinez has voiced concern about what she believes is excessive emergency powers afforded to Inslee during the pandemic. She was featured in a Northwest News Network story last year highlighting citizens opposed to prolonged business closures. She also believes local communities should have more say in pandemic response.
“As a local city council member, I [won’t] have any say in that other than send a letter,” she said. “My hope is the legislators would be able to fix the emergency powers at some point, so it gives us a little more local control.”
At the same time, Martinez, a registered nurse, has seen the impact of rising COVID-19 cases on local hospitals, like the one she works at. She is also involved with The Partnership for Food Security, a group working to increase COVID-19 vaccination in the Latino community.
She also understands those who push for individual freedoms but believes that shouldn’t be the only factor in crafting policy.
“We have a bigger humanitarian viewpoint to consider,” she said.
COVID-19 hasn’t been a significant part of her campaign. Like Riggs, she is focused is on issues that the city council can address.
“I think that even though [the pandemic] is obviously very apparent in our community, we’re mostly looking at how we’re managing our business growth, our community growth and our infrastructure,” she said. “Those are our priorities.”
