Oct. 16 Daily News editorial

Six candidates are vying for three Longview City Council positions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. In two of the races, council incumbents Dennis Weber and Mary Jane Melink face challenges from Ray Baker and Mike Wallin, respectively. The third race — between Chet Makinster and Steve Moon — is for the position left open when Councilman Andy Busack decided not to seek re-election.

Each of the three contests offer voters a candidate with a record of service on the city council. The Daily News editorial board believes experience in municipal affairs will be particularly valuable in the year ahead, as the city continues to operate in a very difficult economic climate. Accordingly, we’re endorsing incumbents Dennis Weber and Mary Jane Melink, and Chet Makinster, who served on the city council from 2005 to 2007.

Dennis Weber brings a wealth of experience and institutional memory to the job. Indeed, no other candidate on the ballot or member of the council has Weber’s breadth of experience in municipal affairs.

A government, history and economics teacher at R.A. Long High School, Weber has served a total of 20 years on the Longview City Council. He first served from 1980 to 1991. In 1984, at age 32, Weber became the city’s youngest mayor, a position he held until leaving the council in ‘91 to devote more time to curriculum development and continuing education.

Weber is familiar with this community’s issues and concerns. He knows what has worked in the past and what has not. Weber helped shepherd the city through another very tough economic time in the early 1980s. That experience, along with Weber’s nuts-and-bolts understanding of city government will be especially important in the months and years ahead.

Mary Jane Melink is seeking a second four-year term on the council. Melink’s first-term performance easily recommends her re-election. She shown herself to be a well-reasoned and productive council member, always coming to meetings well-prepared to illuminate and help build a consensus around difficult issues.

Melink’s strong first term could have been predicted. She came to office in 2005 with an impressive resume. She had been an associate planner for the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments, before becoming executive director of The Health Care Foundation in 2001. This background of working with nonprofit agencies and in the preparation of budgets, along with her council experience, make Melink a valuable member of the Longview City Council.

Chet Makinster was appointed to the city council in 2005, selected from a field of 13 applicants to fill the position vacated by Susan Stockard. Makinster lost the seat to Councilman Ken Botero, when he stood for election in 2007. We supported Makinster’s bid for a full term two years ago — on the basis of what we viewed as a very commendable two years of service on the council. The same consideration leads us to support his bid this fall for a full, four-year term on the Longview City Council.

Makinster came to office in 2005 with some experience in leadership roles. He had served as president of the Longview Chamber of Commerce, a YMCA board member and a trustee for the Astoria Maritime Museum. During his two years on the council, Makinster was a steady hand, who demonstrated an aptitude for the give-and-take of municipal politics.

The Daily News recommends the election of Chet Makinster and the re-election of Dennis Weber and Mary Jane Melink.