New Kennewick councilman aims to help board with challenging past find ‘common consensus’

Jason McShane is a lifelong public servant, and plans to bring that love for his community to his new role as a Kennewick City Council member.

McShane, 41, was selected to fill former Mayor Bill McKay’s at-large council seat after his sudden resignation in November after previously admitting to detectives he paid for sexual services at a massage parlor.

McShane was sworn in at the council’s last regular meeting of the year.

The city received 19 applications, and 17 were interviewed before the council voted 4-2 to appoint McShane.

He told the Herald he was humbled to be selected, especially among such a large field of people looking to serve their community.

Other community members who threw their hat in the ring included Ted Owens, who recently ran against Millbauer and received council member John Trumbo’s vote, a former appointed councilman Ed Frost, the city’s retiring clerk Terri Wright and others.

Councilman Jim Millbauer said he voted for Uby Creek, a longtime Tri-Cities educator with a long history of community involvement because he hoped of bringing more diverse representation to the council.

McShane said he’s not sure what made him stand out, but if he had to guess, it would be his understanding of the challenges faced by civic leaders and passion for the community he calls home.

He will serve the remainder of McKay’s unexpired term through the certification of the 2025 election.

The council will pick its new mayor and mayor pro tem for the next two years at a meeting in January.

Kennewick Irrigation District

McShane is currently the assistant district manager for the Kennewick Irrigation District. Before that he served as their the engineering and operations manager. He has been with KID since 2005 and serves as the board secretary for the organization.

The Brigham Young University grad has a degree in civil and environmental engineering.

He is married with five children. He joked he has children at every level in the Kennewick School District, with the youngest in kindergarten and the oldest being a junior in high school.

“I’m enjoying that part of my family life right now, we’ve kind of got all ages covered,” he said.

McShane grew up in Tri-Cities, after his family moved to the area when he was 8. He first lived in Richland, then moved to Kennewick, spent a little time in Pasco and after getting married moved back to Kennewick.

“We really found it to be our new home. It worked out well for us and we’ve enjoyed that,” he said.

McShane said he applied for the position because he knows this is a crucial time for the city, as it begins new comprehensive plans and manages the huge growth seen across the Tri-Cities.

He said working in local government has been a labor of love.

“I have worked in public service for most of my adult life and I have really enjoyed giving back to our community and finding ways we could see success,” he said. “As I was looking at this position coming open, I know it can be hard to find people for that, so I thought you know this is somewhere where I can hopefully serve and be of some benefit.”

His priorities

Some of the areas he is most passionate about include public safety, parks and recreation, growth and economic development and downtown revitalization.

“I have a desire to make sure our community is somewhere that is safe, that we have economic vitality and that we continue to manage the growth that is upon us. That we continue to find new ways to provide recreation activities for our community.”

He hopes he can help the city leverage areas like Southridge and new industrial zones in order to bring in more good paying jobs, to help ease the rental price woes so many Tri-Citians are experiencing.

The average one-bedroom apartment in the Tri-Cities is now about $1,100 a month and the average two-bedroom is about $1,370 a month, according to the third-quarter 2023 apartment rental market survey from the University of Washington Center for Real Estate Research.

Those price points mean the average rental price in the Tri-Cities has nearly doubled over the past decade, according to UW’s research.

“I’m excited to be able to see continued success, the city of Kennewick has done a really good job. I have been raising my family here and we think it’s a great place to be,” he said.

McShane hopes to be able to help members of council and the public find common ground to work through the issues they all care about.

“In my time professionally I have taken opportunities to find consensus, and what I’ve found for the most part is we have more similarities than differences in our lives with the people we interact with,” he said. “So where we can find that common consensus is critical for our ability to move forward and have good government.”

McShane said that when council members asked him why he felt he would be a good fit, he started by recognizing that sitting on the council means a lot of long hours. Council members are not full time city employees. They receive a monthly stipend, which is set for $1,400 monthly in the 2024 fiscal year, with an extra $100 for the mayor pro tem and $200 for the mayor, according to city ordinance.

Campaigning also involves a lot of their own time and, often, money. McShane said he’s not yet thinking about whether he’ll run in 2025, but he’s ready to get his feet on the ground and get to work.

“Coming in as a servant of our community is what’s important for me. The government’s not here to tell us what to do, the government is here to serve our community and provide those essential things that only we can do as a group,” McShane said he told the council.

“I think the other thing is that I am really clued in on our economic goals for the city, I understand the challenges we have with public works, and to a lesser extent understand some of the challenges they’re facing at police and fire with some of the interactions I’ve had in my own life.”

At the end of they day, McShane knows he’s signing up for a lot of long hours and late night phone calls from residents, but he’s ready to do it with a smile.

“I am excited, I’ve been a public servant for 18 years in this position, and I’m excited to get out and provide service for our community,” he said. “There’s a lot to be done, and this is just one place to take that opportunity.”