MLIRD candidates detail their election platforms

MOSES LAKE - Four candidates are vying for two new positions on the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District board in the annual election scheduled Tuesday.

Former Grant County Fairgrounds manager Bill Bailey, former tourism commission member Mary Perry, realtor Jeff Foster and attorney Larry Tracy are running for the seats, added when the board was expanded from three positions to five. The candidate with the most votes will be elected to a three-year term, and the candidate who finishes second will receive a two-year term. Both terms begin in January.

Voting is from 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in one polling place, 211 North Elder St., the former John L. Scott Real Estate office in Moses Lake.

Larry Tracy did not respond to a request for an interview.

Bill Bailey

This is the second time Bailey has run for a seat on the board, he said. He's running because the lake is "critically important to our area," he said, and he wants to know that the money allocated for its maintenance is well spent.

The MLIRD owns the Moses Lake Dam, which came close to failing earlier this year, and Bailey said he would support alleviating the problems it's causing, although he's not sure what the answer is. There are two dams on the lake, and the one owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation controls lake elevation, Bailey said. In that case commissioners first need to determine if the dam is needed at all, he said.

Federal money could be available to build a new dam, but Bailey said district officials should first determine if any loans would require the district to give up any water or land use rights. They also must determine if there would be any impact on ratepayers. "There are just lots of questions," he said.

District patrons should have a say in what happens, but in his opinion that's more difficult than it should be, he said. That's because he thinks district officials don't give patrons what Bailey said he considers adequate information.

Bailey said he's in favor of continuing the dredging the lake. But in his opinion the process needs better management, he said. Project cost is "something we don't seem to have a handle on, and we need to get one."

Bailey said he thought board members should be concentrating more on planning, for 20 or even 50 years into the future.

Bailey said he wants to make sure the board is acting in the best interest of ratepayers, and in his opinion that requires board members who understand budgets. That's not a "strong suit" of some of the past board members, he said.

Several people who are running for the board understand the cost of things, he said, and in his opinion that's good, Bailey said, but it might also mean changes in assessment rates. "We need to have an open mind about the rates."

Mary Perry

Perry said she's attended most MLIRD board meetings for the last two years. She's seen many positive things happen in the last year, and wants to keep the positive momentum going, she said.

She said her governing philosophy is that the board has the duty to set policy and give direction to the manager. But the manager is hired by the board and day to day direction is his job, she said.

She's not a hydro engineer, she said, so she's counting on the experts when it comes to the fate of the Moses Lake Dam. And the Bureau of Reclamation and state experts say the dam should be rebuilt or replaced, she said.

She has talked with state Representative Judy Warnick, she said, and "there is probably state and federal money available." The district would have to pursue whatever money is available, and if they don't get it, would have to go back to the drawing board, she said.

Weed control is important to her, Perry said, and she supports continued use of the dredge. "I believe that's the only way to go."

Perry said the lake still is subject to algae and weeds, especially in late summer and in shallow spots with slow water flow. She cited a program in Idaho that uses noninvasive water plants as a possible solution, and said the board should explore its options.

She said rates seem to be about where they should be, paying for the district's current activities. The district will have a carryover at the end of 2013, and "a small carryover is a good plan," she said.

Jeff Foster

Foster set out policy positions on his website, Elect Jeff Foster.

Foster said he supports the effort to rebuild or replace the dam. "Whatever it takes to satisfy the governing entities and protect the stakeholders' interests in our lake," he wrote.

He said he's in favor of keeping the dredge going, but that the board should look at all options. "I support further study and collaboration with other stakeholders for other possible means to rid the Alder Street area and other areas of the silt that has accumulated for many decades, as long as the cost and effectiveness is not compromised," Foster said.

He is interested in water quality and weed control, and said the district's efforts to combat weeds and algae "have been very successful. I support and encourage continued efforts to maintain and hopefully improve the water quality of our lake."

Foster said he "would insist that the board work with ratepayers, staff and community to set out plans for the coming year as well as long-term plans of five and even 10 years."

"Preparation of meaningful annual budgets and then follow and review of the district's performance against that budget should be a routine, ongoing process."

Foster said he thinks the district's current assessment rates are acceptable, and that the district will have a carryover at the end of the year.