Even dozen: Warden Mayor reflects on 12-year term

WARDEN — Warden Mayor Tony Massa will serve his last days in office at the end of 2023 before unopposed mayoral candidate Rosaelia Martinez takes over the position at the start of 2024 after Massa opted not to run for re-election.

Massa served on Warden City Council from 2005 to 2011 and as Mayor since 2012.

“12 years is a long time,” Massa said. “I retired from my other job.”

Massa retired from his position as Moses Lake Public Works Superintendent this year. He said that he isn’t a fan of the idea of spending a lifetime in politics.

“In some ways, It's always time for a new blood,” he said.

Massa said he feels good about his run as Mayor. 

“We've got a lot done. Starting with City Council, the former Mayor Roldan Capetillo and I went to Olympia and got budget provisos to completely rebuild and modernize our sewer plant. And, from there, taking care of our water problem,” Massa said. “So really infrastructure-wise, we got those major things taken care of.”

Massa said the job was challenging from the get-go with industrial processors, industrial wastewater processors and the city at odds.

“From the day I won the election until I took office I spent studying everything on industrial wastewater that I could, and I thought it would be an easy fix,” Massa said. “What I didn't realize…was before I could do that we had to rebuild trust between the processors and us and the wastewater operator and us, and that was the hardest part of the deal, and it took saying ‘no, we're not going to give up. We're going to come back to the table and we're going to figure out something that works for all of us.’ And now, I think the city has a great relationship with the processors, where before it was very adversarial.”

Massa reflected on the accomplishments he is most proud of throughout his whole term.

“Those three things, the industrial wastewater, getting at least our water supply taken care of — and I think we're probably in the best shape of most cities in Grant County as far as supply in our wells,” Massa said. “I think we've got some work to do on our aging infrastructure, that's in the ground, but, that's just the next step. It doesn't do any good to fix your infrastructure if you can't put water down the pipe. And getting rid of the smell. All of that led to Warden being one of the fastest growing towns in Grant County.”

That growth was Massa’s biggest accomplishment, he said.

“When my wife and I moved here, I think there were maybe one or two trailers that moved in places in the first five years we were here. We were just stagnant,” Massa said. “So putting all of those things together to lead us to be able to have the growth that we have today I think is the biggest accomplishment.”

Being Mayor is more than just council meetings. It is interacting with the public as well, including the youth in the Warden community.

“Up until COVID, during football season I had a mayor's barbecue one home game a month, and the kids — it was open to all the high school kids — they had to commit to me that they wouldn't do drugs or alcohol for that month,” Massa said. “I fed them hamburgers, it was just hamburgers and hot dogs, and french fries and pop. It was just my wife and I doing it. We did it at the community center. During those times we didn't have many (Minors in Possession) or drunk driving accidents. During those months it was fun, and to watch and see how grateful and how well-mannered our high school kids really were…I’m proud of our kids.”

Massa said he feels like the town is in a good place as he wraps up his term.

“I think I'm leaving Rosie (Martinez) in pretty good shape,” Massa said. “I'm also proud that my police force and my council now represent the community that they serve. That to me is leaving us in a really good spot.”

Martinez said she is proud of what Massa has done as Warden’s Mayor.

“Thanks for everybody who let me serve them,” Massa said. “It's been an honor to serve and I appreciate that people gave me that opportunity.”

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.

    Warden Mayor Tony Massa, left, and Mayor-elect Rosaelia Martinez at a Sept. 12 council meeting. Massa has served as Mayor for about 12 years.
  

    Warden Mayor Tony Massa served on Warden’s City Council from 2005 to 2011 and as Mayor since 2012. Massa was also Moses Lake Public Works Superintendent and served on the Grant County Board of Health. Warden City Hall is pictured.