Two face off for Quincy mayor

QUINCY — Incumbent Paul Worley and Luke Garrison, running for the four-year term as Quincy mayor, both said they like the direction the town is going, and want to keep up the momentum.

Worley, 62, is running for his second term as mayor. Garrison, 29, has been a member of the Quincy City Council since 2017.

Worley is a longtime Quincy resident and former city council member, who works as a wastewater treatment operator at the city’s privately owned sewer facility.

Garrison is a Quincy native and is employed as a firefighter with the Moses Lake Fire Department.

Quincy has a “strong mayor” system, where the mayor is the city’s chief executive officer. According to the Municipal Research and Services Center, a nonprofit organization that works with Washington municipalities, the Quincy mayor presides over council meetings, but doesn’t vote unless it’s a tie. He or she also has veto power, but the veto can be overridden by the council. The council sets policy, and it’s up to the mayor to carry it out.

Paul Worley

Worley said he decided to run for a second term because he wants to finish some projects, and has a list of additional improvements he’d like to see.

Some projects scheduled for 2021 were pushed back, he said, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, from supply chain interruptions to a lack of surveyors.

As a result, work on several Quincy streets has been delayed, Worley said, and so has work on the city’s trail system and the new pump park for skateboards, bikes and scooters.

Worley said he thinks the city has accomplished a lot in the last four years, with the completion of a new city hall and a new public safety facility. City officials also purchased land to expand the city’s parks system.

City officials can, and should, do a better job of communicating with Quincy residents, he said, whether it’s in cases of emergency like a water line break or to inform them of upcoming projects.

“There’s always room for improvement,” he said.

Worley said if he’s re-elected he wants to continue work on, and expansion of, the city’s water reclamation project, which cleans and recycles water used at the data centers in the Quincy area. Other projects he wants to work on include a new indoor sports facility big enough for football and soccer, a new aquatic center, additional park space and a new or remodeled senior center.

Worley praised his relationship with the Quincy City Council.

“I have a very good council,” he said.

Luke Garrison

Garrison said he wants to see Quincy continue in the right direction.

“I wanted to expand on what I’ve done,” he said.

He wanted to serve the city in a different way, he said, and thinks he can do that as mayor.

Garrison said there are several projects he’s proud to have been a part of, including the roundabout at the intersection of Southwest 13th Avenue and state Route 28, upgrades in many of the city parks, and the city’s water reclamation project.

“I would consider it state-of-the-art,” he said of the reclamation facility. “It’s incredible.”

He said if he’s elected mayor he would support continuing and expanding the water reclamation project.

“I think it’s imperative,” he said.

Quincy is growing, he said, and with that growth and the size of the city budget, he would investigate hiring a city manager if he was elected as mayor.

Garrison said he wants to continue the progress he thinks Quincy is making. Aging sections of the city’s water and sewer systems are in need of replacement, he said, and city officials need to start working on that.

He wants to see more recreation opportunities for Quincy residents, including after-school programs for kids and daytime opportunities for all ages, he said.

He also wants to see the city build a recreation facility, and expand the city’s park space and recreation opportunities. Quincy hosts a lot of soccer tournaments, Garrison said, and he wants to provide other recreation opportunities for people who come to the tournament, but don’t play soccer.