Ran 2021 write-in campaign for mayor
Seth Miles, who launched an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the position of Winthrop mayor in 2021, has been named to fill a vacant seat on the Winthrop Town Council.
Miles, owner of Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon in Winthrop, replaces William Kilby, who recently resigned from his council position.
Four candidates — Miles, Allison Fitzgerald, Larry Goldie and Vern Herrst — applied to fill the vacancy. They were interviewed by council members at last week’s meeting. After an executive session to discuss the candidates, the council selected Miles. He received three votes; Goldie drew one vote.
Miles challenged incumbent Mayor Sally Ranzau in 2021, but was not on the official ballot. Although Ranzau won the race, Miles drew about 38% of the vote with his last-minute campaign. At the time, he said Ranzau’s response to the wildfires in the summer of 2021, particularly statements she made in July that the town’s summer tourist season was effectively over, spurred his decision to launch a write-in campaign.
At last week’s meeting, Miles told the council that he moved to Winthrop in 2007, purchased Three Fingered Jack’s in 2019, and is currently involved in a number of community projects. He said the town’s major challenges include a housing shortage and the rising cost of living. Miles said he would “like to find a nice balance” between having a town that people want to live in and one that continues to attract tourists. He said he’d also like to see more options for people to safely navigate around town.
Fitzgerald, a physician at the Family Health Centers clinic in Twisp, told the council that she would bring “an energetic voice” to council deliberations and is willing to learn about town governance and how to best take advantage of the community’s resources. Fitzgerald said she’ also like to see the town work collaboratively with other agencies to organizations to address the housing crisis.
Goldie, owner of North Cascades Mountain Guides, moved to Winthrop in 2018 and is raising a family there, he said. He said that as someone whose business relies on visitors, he appreciates that the town needs tourism — but also needs to be livable for its residents. He said he would like to see the Winthrop in Motion transportation plan for the town revived to address concerns about vehicle, pedestrian and bike traffic.
Herrst pointed to his previous experience on the Town Council in 2015. He said that some issues the town is facing “seem at times to be stalemated,” and he’d like to be back on the council to help the group make better progress.
The council spent about 15 minutes in executive session discussing the candidates before reconvening in public to make their choice.
In other business:
- The council endorsed a proposal by the Okanogan County Tourism Council to place a visitor information kiosk near the Winthrop Barn at Mack Lloyd Park. Jenn Tate, representing the tourism council, said the county board of commissioners has approved using $50,000 in Lodging Tax Advisory Committee funds to install similar kiosks at 11 locations around the county. The kiosk will have to conform to the town’s Westernization design standards.
- The council asked for more information before deciding on a request by Kate Wynne, who owns adjacent lots on Horizon Flat Road that are just outside the town limits, to allow her access to town water to facilitate the operation of a composting facility on those properties.
Wynne told the council that a recent attempt to drill a productive well on her property had failed, and that the composting facility she is developing would ultimately require about 10,000 gallons a month.
Wynne said she was aware that if the town extends water service to her property, she will be required to pay twice the rate charged to town residents.
Council member Bill McAdow said he would like to hear from Public Works Director Jeff Sarvis about the town’s water resources before approving the extension.
- The council added Juneteenth (June 19), a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, to its list of holidays for town employees. The holiday will be celebrated on June 20 this year. The state added Juneteenth to its list of holidays and gave towns the option of also adopting it.
- The council approved an event permit for a local version of parkruns, which are free, weekly, community events staged on Saturday mornings at about 50 locations in the United States and more than 2,000 places worldwide. They are run on 5K courses and are open to runners and runners. The local runs will start at 8 a.m. from the Methow Trails office through September, and at 9 a.m. during fall and winter months. For more information, visit www.parkrun.us.
- The council adopted an ordinance expanding the four-hour parking zone on Riverside Avenue, and extending enforcement to Oct. 31. That action followed an earlier discussion about enforcement of the four-hour restriction and use of downtown parking spaces by merchants and employees, which leaves fewer spaces for visitors. That issue was raised by Lance Rider, owner of The Outdoorsman, at the previous council meeting.
At last week’s meeting, Rider raised the issue again, telling the council that “no one is paying attention to your ordinance” and asking for better enforcement. He said that every space occupied by a merchant or employees all day translates into lost revenue for downtown businesses. Ranzau said she would talk to the town marshal about more aggressive enforcement.
- Ranzau said that the Westernization Design Review Board, which has oversight of the town’s Westernization code and compliance, needs two members to fill out its ranks. If interested, contact Town hall at 996-2320.
