Lloyd Caton
Please describe your professional experience, public service, and any other background relevant to this position.
I have lived and worked in Okanogan County most of my life. I was manager of the local branch of a petroleum company, North Central Petroleum/Coleman Oil, for 32 years. I am very familiar with customer service, finance and the running of a business. I am also very involved with my community and the surrounding county.
I was elected and served three terms (12 years) on the Tonasket School Board, and served as its legislative representative. In that role I introduced to the legislative committee of the Washington State School Directors’ Association a proposal to get the timber dollars that came from the federal government for our schools in full to all the districts that qualified and not have those funds deducted from state funding. This took several years, but we were successful in changing the rules so that no federal timber dollars were deducted from state funds received by the districts that qualified for the timber dollars.
I have served as an officer and as a board member on the Okanogan County Fair Board, Tonasket Gun Club and the Tonasket Comancheros Rodeo Club. I have been a 4-H Leader, FFA (Future Farmers of America) volunteer and chaperone. I have been a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hunters’ education instructor. I am active in my church and have taught Sunday School. Hobbies I enjoy are hunting, trap shooting, horseback riding and reading.
What are the three main issues for Okanogan County, and what would you do to address them?
• Infrastructure. We need to maintain and improve the infrastructure in Okanogan County — these are water, power, sewer and roads. We may need to work in cooperation with other entities to help provide these services. We need to be very careful with the budget in order to address maintenance and operations of our infrastructures in the county.
• Public safety. We need to work with our sheriff and other first responders to do our best through the budgetary process to provide them with what they need to do their jobs.
• Property rights. We need to prioritize the property rights of the citizens of Okanogan County when land-use regulations such as zoning, moratoriums and comprehensive plan are being implemented.
What makes you the best candidate for county commissioner?
I have been endorsed by the Washington State Farm Bureau, Okanogan County Republicans, and North Central Washington Association of Realtors. I have worked in and have an understanding of many industries in Okanogan County, including agriculture (primarily farming and cattle), logging, retail and wholesale sales. I believe my experience in these many areas, as well as my previous work with state legislators will allow me to communicate with and be a servant for the citizens of Okanogan County.
The commissioners oversee a complex organization and budget. Please describe the managerial and financial skills you bring to the job.
As a school board member for 12 years, I was involved with the oversight of a multi-million-dollar budget. As a plant/area manager, I participated in and had oversight of millions of dollars of product being sold and managing inventory. I not only managed inventory and sales, but also the people doing the work.
In many parts of Okanogan County, housing — particularly affordable housing — is in very short supply. How does this affect the county and its economy, and how would you address this situation?
This certainly effects the county in a negative way. People working and living here need to be able to afford a home and not have to look for employment elsewhere, where housing may be more readily available. I would look for ways to assist private industry/business in building housing that is more affordable.
How would you help Okanogan County thrive economically while preserving its rural character?
Make Okanogan County a place that is business-friendly. We can help maintain Okanogan County’s rural appeal through smart zoning and land-use planning.
How would you preserve the diversity of Okanogan County while allowing individual areas to develop their own guidelines and priorities?
This would need to be done very carefully, so that the guidelines and priorities in one part of the county aren’t too drastically different from the rest of the county. There would be a level of continuity throughout the county.
How would you address water issues with regard to residential, commercial, and industrial development in Okanogan County?
Water issues are very complicated; we can’t forget to add agricultural use into this mix. Currently there is litigation and possible litigation in numerous places to decide water uses. As county commissioner it will be my job to research, follow the science, historical use data, and state and federal laws as they regard each issue that arises.
How would you ensure that Okanogan County government is adequately staffed, and what would you do to attract and retain qualified employees?
Recruiting and retaining employees is a national problem, in both the private and public sectors. Possibly we look for quality rather than quantity. Taking budgetary constraints into consideration, look for ways to offer an attractive compensation package.
How would you ensure the public is informed about and involved in county affairs and commissioners’ decisions?
I believe the current administration is doing a fairly good job of making information available to the citizens of Okanogan County. This has been accomplished in many ways — the minutes are available on public websites, information is published in the newspapers and announced on the radio, and Zoom meetings have been conducted to allow citizen access. We need to continue these practices and, as technology changes and improves, look for more ways to keep the public informed.
Jon Neal
Please describe your professional experience, public service, and any other background relevant to this position.
I have owned and operated my own auto body repair business for the last 30 years. I have served in city government for 21 years, with the last six years as mayor of Oroville. I have been part of numerous and ongoing hiring processes as well as management, contract evaluation, selection processes and budgeting. I have been a TranGO (Okanogan County Transit Authority) board member for seven years, on Okanogan Council of Governments (OCOG) for six years, where I currently serve as chair. I am on the Okanogan County Communications Advisory Board. I am a founding member and chair of the Oroville CARES Coalition (a structured community group of individuals that work toward positive alternative choices, education, and awareness regarding the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, geared toward youth and young adults). I have been a member of the Oroville Fire Department for 15 years.
What are the three main issues for Okanogan County, and what would you do to address them?
• Public safety is a major concern. With increasing crime and mental health issues, I will advocate to have many of the ineffective laws reversed and support law enforcement and health officials in getting the education and support needed to do their jobs effectively.
• Water management is another major issue. Transferring water rights out of county is something I would highly discourage. I would encourage potential leasing and investigate banking those water rights.
• The lack of affordable housing affects us all. The housing shortage makes it difficult to find and retain employees, as many can’t find a place to live without a lengthy or expensive commute. I would do what I could and, with potential county resources, support the private sector in the development of affordable housing. There are potential grants and funding available that would eliminate or at least minimize the burden on taxpayers.
What makes you the best candidate for county commissioner?
Experience makes me the best commissioner candidate. I have owned and operated a small business for the past 30 years. Having been part of municipal government for several years, I have had to deal with adversity on many levels, such as rebuilding a police department after being down to one officer for more than nine months.
I was involved with operations on many levels during the floods of 2019, dealt with the adversity of the COVID pandemic and how it affected individuals, businesses and the entire community.
I currently serve on multiple countywide boards; OCOG gives me the opportunity to meet and converse with representatives from nearly every community in the county. Being on the TranGO board has allowed me to better understand public transportation needs. My involvement with the county’s Emergency Management Board helped me keep up with the wide variety of “emergencies” the county experiences. I also sit on the Emergency Communications Advisory board.
Being part of the Oroville CARES Coalition has helped me to understand the rapidly changing concerns that can affect our youth, young adults and families, both physically and mentally. All of these give me experience and insight that will be important as a commissioner.
The commissioners oversee a complex organization and budget. Please describe the managerial and financial skills you bring to the job.
The managerial and financial skills I have acquired have been though owning and operating my own auto body repair business, being a city council member and mayor, as a board member of TranGO, and as chair of Okanogan Council of Governments. On a regular basis, I deal with purchasing, sales, multiple departments and multimillion-dollar budgeting and oversight, personnel performance reviews, management, and reviewing and setting policy. Communication — on many levels — is also a particularly important and necessary part of my daily routine.
In many parts of Okanogan County, housing — particularly affordable housing — is in very short supply. How does this affect the county and its economy, and how would you address this situation?
The shortage of housing can impact the county by not having enough qualified workers available if housing is not near the place of employment. This lack of housing can keep the economy from growing. Businesses may be hesitant to expand or locate here without adequate housing. I believe housing should be developed by the private sector.
The county does have the ability to help with this process through procurement of grant funding and sales taxes, such as through SHB 1406, legislation that allows cities and counties to access statewide sales taxes to help fund affordable housing without increasing local taxes. Having the proper infrastructure in place can promote development. Taxpayers should not be burdened with the development of this infrastructure unless the benefit outweighs the cost.
How would you help Okanogan County thrive economically while preserving its rural character?
I would help the county thrive by doing what we can to support the industries we have (farming, ranching, logging, tourism, etc.) while trying to attract new small businesses and small industry, possibly through tax-incentive “startup” programs.
How would you preserve the diversity of Okanogan County while allowing individual areas to develop their own guidelines and priorities?
With proper planning, individual areas could be allowed to follow their own guidelines and priorities if those ideals will not adversely affect the surrounding communities and/or the environment.
How would you address water issues with regard to residential, commercial, and industrial development in Okanogan County?
Water issues have been, and will continue to be, a never-ending concern. Having adequate water can limit where and how development can happen. I would look to keep our water rights in the county where possible, by looking at leasing instead of selling the rights and at the development of water banks. The loss of these rights could be devastating to future development of any kind.
How would you ensure that Okanogan County government is adequately staffed, and what would you do to attract and retain qualified employees?
Adequate staffing can be a continually moving target depending on the needs of the area (legal, planning, development, etc.). Typically, being able to pay a comparable wage is key to attracting and keeping employees. This can be a challenge when our tax base is considerably less than in many other areas. Also key is having a positive and supportive work environment, and I would work to maintain this. I would rely on department heads to request their needs and then see if those requests can be fulfilled.
How would you ensure the public is informed about and involved in county affairs and commissioners’ decisions?
Communication is key with any organization. It will be important to me to make sure that the county website is frequently updated. I also want to see reminders of the live feed of the commissioners’ meetings, and occasional articles or newsletters from the commissioner’s office summarizing happenings at the county level. I personally plan on visiting communities on a rotating basis to keep the dialog open and current. I work for the people and my goal is to be open and transparent.
