Two law enforcement veterans seek Ephrata police chief job

EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata has two applicants seeking to become the city’s next police chief.

According to City Administrator Mike Warren, acting police chief and current Ephrata Police Capt. Erik Koch has submitted an application for the open position, and retired Washington State Patrol Lt. Kurt Adkinson has also.

“We spent two months advertising statewide, plus I reached out locally to some people,” Warren said during an online meeting of the Ephrata City Council on Wednesday. “In light of the environment, this is not bad. Both are good candidates.”

The police chief position opened up in December when Warren, the city’s former police chief, accepted the job as city administrator. That position was vacated by Wes Crago when he was appointed the city administrator of Spokane by newly elected Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward.

Warren told council members that the city would conduct hour-long “face-to-face” interviews with both candidates on Sept. 30, and make a decision on which candidate to hire “soon thereafter.”

“Zoom interviews do not cut it,” Warren said. “We will be social distancing in the council chambers.”

The deadline for applications was Sept. 1, and the city has budgeted $105,000 per year plus benefits for the police chief job.

Council members also approved contracts totaling $82,332 to replace the roof on the city’s library, which has been leaking for a number of years.

“We budgeted $85,000 to replace the library roof,” Warren told council members. “We’ve been trying to patch it, and it hasn’t worked.”

The library, which once housed the city’s fire department, is part of the North Central Regional Library System, and was considered the branch most in need of repairs, Warren said.

City council member Kathleen Allstot, who is also a member of the NCRL system board, abstained, citing a conflict of interest.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].