Moses Lake council candidates detail views at forum

MOSES LAKE — Homelessness, growth, water and water use were among the topics addressed by four candidates for Moses Lake City Council at a forum Tuesday.

Incumbent David Eck and challengers Jeremy Nolan, Gerrit Klein and Victor Lombardi answered questions and talked about what they see as the issues facing the city.

Nolan said that, in his opinion, all the interest in the council race is a good sign, given that council incumbents often have run unopposed in the past.

“I love that there are four of us up here sharing best ideas in this type of forum for this one position this year,” Nolan said.

All four candidates said they got in the race because they wanted to make the community better.

Klein said he has seen changes the last few years that he doesn’t support. Lombardi said some of the positive changes he’s seen the last couple of years have come through citizens bringing issues to the attention of the council and city officials and pushing for action.

Nolan said he decided that he could stay on the sidelines and complain, or try to get involved.

Homelessness was the focus of extensive discussion. Eck said the perception that the current council didn’t care about the issue was false. He cited the case of derelict RVs on Central Drive that were parked along the street and being used as residences. Council members directed that the laws against the vehicles parking there be enforced, and the RVs moved, he said.

Lombardi said he believes that the insistence of Moses Lake residents was the critical factor in getting the RVs moved.

“The citizens have been on top of this from day one,” he said.

Residents have been concerned about homelessness and related issues for a long time, he said. City management, in his opinion, took the wrong approach in addressing homelessness, which put the city behind in its response. The situation is improving, and the impetus came from Moses Lake residents first, he said.

Nolan agreed there was a lag in enforcing city ordinances, and said it was the result of a disconnect between city management and the council. In addition, Moses Lake needs to work on getting help to address some of the underlying problems, he said.

“There is a huge mental health care issue and drug and alcohol issue. Where do we get funding?” he asked.

Klein said he feels poorly-written state laws have exacerbated the problem, and that city officials have to engage with state lawmakers.

“We have to put a real face on the problem – we have to show how this has impacted our community. This is one of those uncomfortable conversations you have to have with people who don’t necessarily like you,” Klein said.

Growth and its challenges were the subject of multiple questions. All four said they want Moses Lake to grow, but that it has to be managed properly.

Eck said growth requires some planning, and he identified what he saw as a weakness when he joined the council four years ago.

“What I found out early on was that the city, the Port (of Moses Lake) and (Grant County) were not talking to each other about this subject, or many subjects,” Eck said.

During his term he has worked to build that communication, he said, and in his opinion it’s vital. Governmental agencies have to work together, he said – nobody has the money to do it alone.

Lombardi said there has to be a balance between no rules and too many rules. The first task, he said, should be to talk to real estate professionals to determine market needs. Once that’s done city officials can help facilitate growth.

“It has to come from the ground up,” Lombardi said.

“Moses Lake is definitely trying to grow,” Klein said, “and the struggle from my perspective is the evolution of that growth.”

Klein said management starts with direction from the council.

“I would let the city administrators take the helm on that,” he said. “We have to let the people we put in charge of managing the city make those decisions.”

Nolan said all participants have to agree on what managed growth is, then be proactive about coming up with solutions.

The issue of growth was closely tied with the issue of water. Eck said he is skeptical of claims the city doesn’t have enough water right now. City officials are working on certifying two additional wells, which should help alleviate the immediate challenge, he said.

Klein, Nolan and Lombardi said they supported making some plans to address water issues.

“That is where it needs to start – we need a plan,” Klein said.

“The challenge is, listening to these three gentlemen, it seems like the solution should be a little less bureaucracy, a little more added information, something like that. This is not a simple subject whatsoever,” Eck said.

The council has been working on finding solutions, and continues to work on it, Eck said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.