Waitsburg Mayor Profiles

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's annual elections were delayed two weeks when city council candidate filings fell one short of a full slate of five members. The filing period for council seats was reopened from March 27 - 29, with the voting deadline extended to April 17. Ballots are expected to be mailed at the end of the month.

As The Times went to press on Tuesday, David Paxton, Matt Spring, and Jim Romine had added thier names to the slate of candidates that includes incumbents KC Kuykendall, Karen Gregutt, Kevin House and Kate Hockersmith.

The Times will run profiles of council candidates in an upcoming issue. This week, we introduce you to mayoral candidates Marty Dunn and Debra Callahan.

Marty Dunn

WAITSBURG – Incumbent Mayor Marty Dunn says his concern for the care and future growth of Waitsburg is the motivating factor in his decision to run for mayor, and cites his prior political experience as a strong asset.

Dunn has held a seat on the Waitsburg City Council since the early 2000s, serving three terms as mayor, from 2004 to 2007. Dunn served as mayor pro tem when former Mayor Walt Gobel resigned last summer, He was formally sworn in as mayor, to serve out the remainder of Gobel's term, last August. Prior to being elected to city council, Dunn served on the Waitsburg Planning Commission.

"Having knowledge of the structure and systems of the city operations along with the ability and willingness to listen to the citizens of Waitsburg makes me a uniquely qualified," Dunn said.

Dunn moved to Waitsburg in 1995 and married Becky Zuger in 1997. He works as shop lead for the City of Walla Walla Fleet Services. In addition to serving on city council, Dunn is a past president and member of the Waitsburg Lions Club, a member of St. Francis Parish in Walla Walla, and a communicant at St. Mark's in Waitsburg. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus. He is an active supporter of youth activities and has been a volunteer coach for soccer, Little League, and the Little Giants.

"The biggest challenge and needs currently facing the city is maintaining our infrastructures (i.e., water, sewer and streets) without having to raise the taxes and fees to our citizens. This is a major challenge to our city, staff and council," Dunn said.

"Another challenge is the future use of the fairgrounds," he added.

If elected, Dunn said the thing he would most like to accomplish as mayor, is to see Waitsburg enjoy sustainability and future economic growth.

"This is a challenge and priority for all small cities," he said.

Debra Callahan

WAITSBURG – Debra Callahan says her long history in Waitsburg, combined with a vision for change, makes her an excellent choice for mayor. Callahan was elected to the Waitsburg City Council in 2013 and served three terms before giving up her seat in an unsuccessful bid for mayor last year.

"I'm not running because anyone is doing a bad job. We just need something different and something new. I have a history here and can mesh that history with the current events that are happening," Callahan said.

Callahan has lived in Waitsburg 37 years and raised her family here. She has been active in Commercial Club, the Waitsburg Historical Society, and has served on the Waitsburg School Board and the Touchet Valley Arts Council.

Callahan says she enjoys working with youth and has served as a leader for Campfire, Bluebirds, Boy Scouts and 4-H. She has also worked as a classroom volunteer and has taught classes on entrepreneurship. She and her husband, Jim, opened Touchet Valley Homestead Farms, specializing in greenhouse products and medicinal herbs, in June 2017.

Callahan said she has experience working with local municipalities through her previous work as an administrative assistant for Green Tank Irrigation District and through her city council experience. She cites her extensive event planning experience as an attribute, as well.

Callahan said she is a professional grant writer and wrote grants for Walla Walla's Sustainable Living Center, where she was program manager from 2009-2012. She said she was recently awarded a $19,000 grant that allowed Columbia-Walla Walla Fire Dist. No. 2 to purchase new pagers.

When it comes to the City of Waitsburg, Callahan said she sees the lack of businesses as the city's biggest challenge.

"We don't have a business tax base and no revenue is being generated from empty buildings. The property tax base won't cover the needs of the town," she said.

Callahan said her two top priorities, if elected, would be to create a "rainy day fund" in the city's budget and to draw businesses to town.

Callahan claims that the city found $130,000 last summer that it used for sidewalk repair, but could have been saved and used toward the bridge project. She said the money "would have covered that shortfall had the council and mayor had the foresight to wait and see how this big project, that they knew was coming up, turned out. Instead, they spent it on sidewalks. We need to look to future needs, not just immediate needs."

"And we need to not only bring in business, but to sustain thriving businesses. We need to keep locals in the community and purchasing in the community," she added.

Callahan said she is readily available to meet the needs of the citizens or to answer questions.

"I'm available. Anyone can stop by and visit me on the farm at any time. Ask me anything. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out," she said.