Meet the candidates: Lewis County Fire District 1, commissioner position three

Oct. 27—Two candidates are vying for a six-year term in position three on the board of commissioners for Lewis County Fire District 1 in Onalaska.

With incumbent William "Bill" Kassel not running for re-election, whoever comes out on top in November will be a new face on the board.

The two candidates are John Faber and Jerome Hicks. Neither candidate submitted statements to the Lewis County Voters' Guide.

Hicks did not submit contact information to Lewis County Elections Office and a Chronicle reporter was unable to reach him for comment.

Faber did submit contact information to the Lewis County Elections Office and agreed to answer questions from a Chronicle reporter.

Faber is a retired Navy machinist mate and data processor who retired from ExxonMobil. He was in the fire brigade for five years with ExxonMobil in Billings, Montana. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and math from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado.

"My wife recently passed and I wanted to serve the community and get out of the house. I really like the community and hope to live in Onalaska for a lot more years," Faber said of his reason to run for a seat on the LCFD 1 board of commissioners.

When asked what he believed the district's primary issues were, Faber said, "Our primary issues are growth within the district and our response to those issues. We have a lot of community support and we would like to do everything possible to keep that support."

The 18-day voting period began on Oct. 20. Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Learn more at https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov.