Duncan, Johnson Vie to Be District 3 Commissioner

WAITSBURG - Jim Duncan has served as Emergency Management Director for Walla Walla County since 2011. In his role as a county department head he has worked closely with the board of commissioners in budgeting and planning.

As an emergency manager, he has worked with most of the other county departments in their contingency planning, particularly public works and law enforcement. He has also worked closely with local fire districts and with all four city governments in the county.

Duncan says his county experience makes him especially qualified to join the board of county commissioners. He is running as a Republican for the District 3 position, to replace Greg Tompkins, who is retiring.

His first priority if elected, he says, will be to help institute a longer range vision for budgeting. "The county is experiencing slow revenue growth, while costs are increasing much faster," he said. "But I'm against raising taxes."

Duncan said the county needs to keep spending to an absolute minimum, and then develop strategic long-range plans to help grow the economy. He said working closely with the Port of Walla Walla on their projects is particularly important. He used the example of the Rail-Ex facility near Wallula in western Walla Walla County.

"The county moved quickly to build a road to serve that facility, which has been a great economic asset to the county," he said.

Duncan is a native of Louisiana. He served four year in the Air Force after high school and is a Gulf War veteran. He then went on to Louisiana State University, graduating in 1996. He was a member of ROTC, and the rejoined the Air Force as an officer after college.

Duncan served at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane for six years, as a cruise missile and nuclear weapons specialist. He decided to make eastern Washington his home.

In 2004, Duncan went to work for the Benton County Department of Emergency Management in Richland, as an emergency planner. He was hired to his current position with Walla Walla County seven years later. He is a Burbank resident.

Duncan has received written endorsements from all three current Walla Walla County Commissioners: Perry Dozier, Jim Johnson and Tompkins. He has also received endorsements from former commissioners Pam Ray and Gregg Loney.

Duncan says he will bring his analytical skills to the Board of Commissioners. "I am an analytical person and I study issues carefully before I make a decision."