Endorses Hawkins

I'm writing to recommend and endorse Brad Hawkins for the position of Chelan County Commissioner. I'm the Mayor of Carnation, a small town in Western Washington. When the State got redistricted last year, Carnation was put into the 12th Legislative District. When it happened, I was pretty concerned about the level of representation we would receive. Our previous Senator lives in Issaquah, just 10 miles away from Carnation. Senator Hawkins lived over a hundred miles away from our city. The geographic aspect of staying in touch with our citizens would be an obstacle for Senator Hawkins. 

As soon as the announcement was made, Brad called me, and we had a long conversation about Carnation. We talked about the challenges we were having and items of concern. He then set up a town hall meeting to hear directly from our citizens. The people at the town hall shared my concerns and more. It was a great meeting. But meetings are simple to set up. Listening to people is an easy effort, and telling people that you hear them is something we have heard from all politicians. 

I quickly learned that setting up meetings and listening is not what Brad's strong suit is, although it is an attribute. His strong suit is acting on what he learned in those meetings. After every meeting that I have had with Brad, he would follow up with ideas and strategies to help Carnation. We found creative ways to look for funding for a desperately needed truck route that would also serve as a secondary way for citizens on the west side of town to access SR203. But one of our biggest challenges is getting a roundabout on a hazardous intersection just outside town. Brad put together a coalition of the city, the Snoqualmie Tribe, Riverview school district, King County, State agencies, and private landowners. This has been a valuable tool in moving that project forward. Before Brad took the leadership role, this had been stalled for years. Now, that project is starting to move forward. 

We also have a dam above our city that the City of Seattle is responsible for maintaining the safety of and its alert system. Since 2020 we have experienced 8 false alarm events.  When Brad learned about the system and the struggles we have had, again he took action. He issued a press release that he would be introducing state legislation to fine the City of Seattle for any false alarms. 

There are a lot of examples that show Brad helping the City of Carnation in the short time he has been our Senator. If anyone would like to talk to me about that, I would be happy to speak to them. But the biggest compliment and why I recommend that people vote for Brad Hawkins for County Commissioner is that he is based in action. I have taken a lot of photos and shaken a lot of hands with elected officials. Brad is one of those people who takes that handshake as more than just a customary greeting or confirmation of what we just spoke about. He is a person who takes that and then takes action on what was said. The people of Chelan County would be well represented by electing Brad Hawkins to the County Commissioner's seat. He is truly someone who will look out for their interests and needs. 

Jim Ribail

Mayor

City of Carnation