Othello mayor reflects on leadership
Candice Boutilier/Columbia Basin Herald<br> Mayor Shannon McKay plans to spend more time with his family and on his ranch.
OTHELLO — Feeling confident about the state and direction of the city, Othello Mayor Shannon McKay will not be running for re-election.
After about six years of service to the Othello City Council, McKay, 60, said he wants to spend more time with his family.
Although he won’t be in an elected office, he still plans to sit in on council meetings and be an active citizen.
He spent two years as a councilmember and four years as the mayor. In addition to his city business, he spent 12 years on the Othello School District Board of Directors.
“It’s all been pretty exciting,” he said.
McKay is proud of the direction the city is heading.
He said the opening of the Othello pool and the improvements for the Broadway Avenue project are just a couple things he will remember most as major accomplishments.
McKay said he has a pro-growth attitude and is happy to see the city moving toward growth and maintaining a healthy financial condition.
“He truly has the city at heart with no hidden agenda,” said City Administrator Ehman Sheldon. “He’s done a lot to improve the appearance of the city, the available recreational activities, infrastructure and has aggressively pursued grants and loans.”
McKay said his goals for the city included keeping it a clean and safe place to raise a family in a strong community with a good school district.
“It’s all of that right now,” he said.
He said he enjoys working with the current city council. Although it could be frustrating at times, it was mostly an enjoyable experience. He recalls how although the councilmembers may not agree on every issue, once a vote is taken, everyone respected the decision and supports it.
He said he is excited for the next mayor election and commented there is a good pool of candidates running for the position.
When asked if he would consider running for office in the future, he said, he probably would not.
McKay has a full plate at the moment with running a private business and caring for race horses on his ranch.
He said he is thankful to the community for electing him as their leader and to the council for allowing him to run the city. McKay said he is also thankful to city administration and department managers for helping to make his leadership role a little easier.
“He’s just been a great mayor to work with,” Sheldon said. “I think everybody on staff would agree with that.”