Story Photos
 From left to right, county commission candidates Blayden Wall, Kathleen Johnson, Steve Madsen, Todd McDaniel and Tom Wilson take turns responding to questions during a July 24 Daily News editorial board meeting. Blayden Wall announced that he was dropping out of the race at the end of the meeting. Bill Wagner / Daily News file photo
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Q&A with four Cowlitz County Commission District 1 candidates
Tuesday, August 5, 2008 4:38 PM PDT
By Tony Lystra
Printable version
E-mail this articleFour District 1 Cowlitz County commissioner candidates will face off in the Aug. 19 primary. Under the state’s top-two primary, the two candidates who get the most votes will advance to November’s General Election, regardless of their party affiliation.
Late last week, The Daily News asked the candidates eight questions about the issues facing Cowlitz County. Their answers, limited to 25 words or less, to the first four questions are below. The remaining four will be published Wednesday.
The Candidates
Tom Wilson
City of residence: Woodland
Party: Republican
Age: 57
Family: Married, two children.
Career: General manager, Cascade Natural Gas
Education: Attended Lower Columbia College
Experience: Commissioner, Port of Woodland
Todd McDaniel
City of residence: Kelso
Party: Democrat
Age: 39
Family: Married, three children
Career: Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputy
Education: B.S. in criminal justice, Washington State University.
Experience: Kelso city councilman; Kelso Planning Commission
Kathleen Johnson
City of residence: Kelso
Party: Democrat
Age: 62
Family: Married, three children
Career: Cowlitz County commissioner, first elected 2004
Education: B.S., Linfield College.
Experience: Served on Kelso City Council; was a Kelso freeholder during establishment of city charter.
Steve Madsen
City of residence: Cougar
Party: Democrat
Age: 43
Family: Married, one child.
Career: Government affairs director, Clark County Building Industry Association
Education: Juris Doctor, University of Puget Sound/Seattle University School of Law; MBA, Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah; B.S. in business administration, Westminster College of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Experience: Also a member of the Woodland school board; was instrumental, on behalf of the BIA, in auditing the performance of the county’s building and planning department.
The Questions
What’s the single most important new tactic the county can deploy to fight crime and drug use?
Tom Wilson: No new tactics are needed. By enforcing and prosecuting the laws we have, we’ll make Cowlitz County the worst place to break the law and the best place to work and raise a family.
Todd McDaniel: There is no new easy ‘fix.’ We need to continue supporting law enforcement, and find ways to better fund education and treatment in our community.
Kathleen Johnson: Lower inmate jail re-entry rate by: identifying the incarcerated mentally ill; separating them from criminal influences; putting all other inmates on a program of self-sufficiency
Steve Madsen: Reprioritize corrections and mental health budget expenditures to ensure mental health evaluations for arrestees and post-release supervision and conditional release compliance.
Would you support asking voters for a tax increase to fight drug use and crime?
Tom Wilson: The voters were asked twice and said no. I will meet with the prosecutors and law enforcement to be sure they have the tools available to fight crime and enforce the laws.
Todd McDaniel: No. Commissioners already enacted a 0.1 percent tax increase to fight our meth problem; I would like to see the results from this first.
Kathleen Johnson: No. Although the voters have answered this question twice, I will continue to take their input on a successful approach to this issue.
Steve Madsen: No. I would exercise the 0.1 percent sales tax option authorized by RCW 82.14.460 in 2005 to fund chemical dependency and mental health treatment services.
Should Cowlitz County’s economy continue to rely on manufacturing?
Tom Wilson: Yes. We must be the most diverse county in manufacturing in the state. I will work with the manufacturers of the county to find out how to move their suppliers and buyers to the county.
Todd McDaniel: Cowlitz County and its economic entities should continue to aggressively pursue all economic opportunities. A diverse job base is the key to a community’s success.
Kathleen Johnson: No. To boost the local economy, the county can benefit from increased small business expansion, increased tourism and other non-manufacturing industry including alternative energy.
Steve Madsen: Yes, but it’s tough to compete with foreign labor rates in large-scale manufacturing. We need to use our local technological and logistical advantages to develop niche products (like specialty machines & equipment).
The commissioners approved land-use changes last year that could yield more than 200 new homes on Willow Grove. Do you support this decision?
Tom Wilson: Yes. I support an individual’s property rights and I support planned development, whether industrial/commercial or residential.
Todd McDaniel: No. When agricultural land is switched to a different use it rarely returns. This decision should have been tabled until the Comprehensive Plan was updated.
Kathleen Johnson: Yes. Amending the Comprehensive Plan allowed an agreement to follow the updated 2008 Critical Area’s Ordinance and private funding of a sewage treatment facility.
Steve Madsen: It was consistent with the requirements of an outdated comprehensive plan. Had the plan been updated every five years since 1977, as required by county code, the issue would probably be moot.
Related articles:
Commission candidates state their cases (July 25)
Blayden Wall drops out of race (July 25)
Audio: County Commission candidates meet with The Daily News editorial board (July 25)
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