Incumbent faces off against political newcomer

Oct. 21—The Whitman County Commission District 3 race is shaping to be a tight run between a lifelong farmer and a radio personality.

Michael Largent, four-term incumbent, will face his opponent, John-Mark Mahnkey, for the second time this November. The two ran against each other for the District 3 seat in 2018. Mahnkey was the first opponent to challenge Largent in 12 years during the 2018 election.

Largent, 63, prides himself on being a lifelong farmer — much of his early life he worked on his family farm, located between Colfax and Dusty. As he spends more of his time on the commission and nears retirement age, he and his family lease out the farm. Agriculture is one of Largent's passions, he is actively involved in the Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers, is a member of the Farm Bureau and serves on the Snake River Salmon Recovery board.

Mahnkey, 53, has made a career in radio and media, and has spent most of his life in broadcasting. He got his start as an intern at KUBE in the 1990s and got his first full-time job at a station in the Seattle area. Mahnkey worked his way up the corporate ladder and became the CEO for Marquee Productions, a business that provides services for companies such as voiceovers and audio production. He also spends his time as a contractor, performing voiceover work for big companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

Outside of media, Mahnkey likes to stay active in the Pullman community, which he's been a part of for 22 years. He and his wife work with the Whitman County Historical Society and are restarting the organization's oral history project. Mahnkey is on the board of directors for the Whitman County Humane Society, and he chairs the Cruzin' for Critters Committee and works with the Pooch Park. He's served on the executive board of the Pullman Depot Heritage Center, he also was a chairperson of the Train Car Committee and is a member of Kiwanis.

Largent started his career in politics by working for the Washington State Legislature as a senate aide. Since then, he's created a large portfolio of government experience, and he's served as a county commissioner for 16 years. He said being a commissioner is an honor, and this term he will focus on developing leadership because he doesn't see himself running for a sixth term.

"I really enjoy the job," Largent said. "I enjoy the relationships that I have developed across the state and across the nation by being a county commissioner."

Although Mahnkey doesn't have the same political experiences as his opponent, he said he can offer a fresh perspective to the commission. Mahnkey said he doesn't want to point fingers, but an issue he sees with the current Commissioner's Office is general complacency.

"There's a lot of people that are struggling in Whitman County," Mahnkey said. "I'm running because working families in Whitman County are struggling to afford a decent life. County government should support working families and businesses to achieve their ultimate goals."

Mahnkey said a good commissioner engages with the community, and doesn't just talk the talk but also walks the walk. He added that being from a communications background, it's important to make sure people know what the commission is doing behind the scenes.

Largent said a commissioner should have the capacity to work and play well with others. It comes down to a basic level of grace — he believes everyone can learn to be a county commissioner, but not everyone has the level of grace necessary to be effective. Commissioners are asked to work with all types of government agencies and people, and developing a graceful, respectful relationship with elected officials is important to having success on the Commission. In these healthy, developed relationships, Largent said having the ability to work collaboratively with others is important as well, even on issues others disagree on.

An area Largent would like to focus on if he is reelected is Whitman County's economy. He said a challenge the commission faces is the retention and recruitment of county employees, as well as a the affects of national inflation. Around 70% of the commission's budget is spent on employees, which Largent said is a huge chunk of their resources when dealing with limited resources.

Largent would like to focus on the commission's 2023 budget cycle in the coming year. He said the commission is currently discussing inflation and medical costs as a huge component of the county's ability to retain and recruit employees.

"When you look at a small county, you know most of the employees, and when you look at medical inflation, you look at faces — people you know and care about," Largent said. "I suggest it's the No. 1 challenge moving into 2023."

Mahnkey said his priorities lie with the well-being of Whitman County residents. He would like to address poverty, access to health care and education opportunities.

"Poverty, at its core, is an issue of freedom," Mahnkey said. "If you live in poverty, you have less access to the world, and therefore fewer freedoms than some other people."

By addressing poverty and homelessness, and prioritizing critical safety nets for families in need, Whitman County residents could benefit greatly by becoming self-sufficient and adding to the tax base, Mahnkey said.

Another area Mahnkey wants to address is infrastructure resources, including private and public entities. He said private life depends on public life, like public education preparing students for the labor market. Publicly funded entities like police and fire departments protect the public from hazards, and without these public resources, he said private life would be difficult.

Mahnkey said a piece of infrastructure Whitman County is missing is GIS, a graphical information system that maps changes within the county. GIS maps utilities and electrical lines as well as wetlands and habitats over time. The state mandated every county in Washington implement this system 14 years ago, with a 10-year window to get the system in place — meaning Whitman County is four years past that deadline, he said. Mahnkey would like to apply this system to Whitman County, as it would help document changes in the region.

Largent said the biggest job of being a county commissioner is allocating scarce resources. He said his biggest priority is making sure there is a sustainable budget over time. Remaining fiscally viable is a challenge, and in the long run the commission has to pay for the services it provides. He added that the obligations counties are statutorily and constitutionally required to provide are fiscally sustainable. The solution to balancing the budget lies at the state legislature, and how the state is affecting county government.

Another issue Mahnkey would like to address is the transparency of the Commissioner's Office. He said the county's website is an asset to getting information out to people and is greatly underused. He would like to see more communication among the Commissioner's Office and Whitman County residents, as well as promoting county government.

Largent believes his 16 years of experience running county government makes him dramatically different from his opponent in this race, and that his priority issues are the most important for Whitman County.

Mahnkey said he has a stronger drive and vision toward the future, and he will not allow the Commission to run on autopilot, instead addressing issues that benefit the future of Whitman County residents.

Ballots for the Nov. 8 general election will be mailed out to voters today.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.

Michael Largent

Age: 63.

Office sought: Whitman County Commission, District 3.

Party affiliation: Republican.

Education: Bachelor's degree in finance and accounting, Washington State University.

Work experience: Washington State University economics research; corporate accountant; farm owner/operator; Washington State Senate legislative assistant; Washington Rural Counties Insurance Fund board member; Palouse Basin Aquifer Committee board member; WSAC Legislative Steering Committee member; National Association of Counties board member.

Previous public elected office: Four-term incumbent for the Whitman County Commission; precinct committee officer; president, Washington State Association of Counties; vice chairperson, Washington Counties Insurance Fund.

Family: Married, four children.

Website: None.

John-Mark Mahnkey

Age: 53.

Office sought: Whitman County Commission, District 3.

Party affiliation: Democrat.

Education: Associates degree in broadcast media, National Broadcasting School; Entertainment and Media, Pierce College.

Work experience: INB/IdaVend Broadcasting air-talent/music/production and programming ZFun 106; Rock 1025; Bull Country; Pullman Radio-Hits 1047; Marquee Productions voice-over and audio production.

Previous public elected office: Vice-chairperson of Whitman County Democrats.

Family: Married.

Website: votejohnmark.com.