City of Tumwater

Wayne Fournier is running for Thurston County Commissioner, Position 4 - a new seat created this year. Born and raised in Tenino, Fournier served as a parole officer, firefighter, and city council member before being elected as Tenino's mayor in 2015.

Fournier's platform includes preserving Thurston County's natural beauty by opposing a new airport, providing better representation for south Thurston County residents, and funding infrastructure, first responders, and local culture.

During his years as mayor, Fournier doubled the city budget, renovated every city-owned facility, and obtained a $750,000 grant for playgrounds. He was named best mayor in Western Washington by KING5 in 2017 and gained national attention during the pandemic for starting a local currency program that gave residents wooden money to spend exclusively at businesses in the city.

Fournier has faced a few notable scandals. He served two years in a diversion program for allegedly slapping a phone out of the hand of a local bartender in 2019. In 2020, while under his mayorship, the city of Tenino was scammed out of $280,000, leading to a recall effort. However, the recall attempt was dismissed and Tenino ended up netting $70,000 when the city sued their insurance company over the scam.

The other candidate for this position is conservative Vivian Eason, who ran for county commissioner as a Republican in 2022. Eason is a retired army veteran who previously worked with the Thurston County Sheriff's Office. She blames the commonsense accountability measures that Washington placed on police for peoples' struggle with drug addiction and homelessness and would make funding police her top priority. She has also been present at events with far-right MAGA Republican Joe Kent.

Although his career is not free of controversy, Fournier's mayorship has shown his support for labor unions and funding the public infrastructure that helps our communities thrive. Fournier is the best choice in this race.
 

Emily Clouse is running for Thurston County Commission to represent the newly-created District 5. Clouse is the executive director of CARE Olympia, a nonprofit that connects formerly-incarcerated youth with counseling, education, and mutual aid. She is also a union member through her work in human services, and she is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where she worked as a military intelligence analyst.

If elected, Clouse would prioritize funding programs that serve youth and families, protecting the environment, and ensuring working people can all access affordable homes. Her platform contains bold, progressive proposals like powering utilities through renewable public power instead of wealthy fossil fuel corporations, bringing social housing and mandatory affordable housing to the county, and creating a new board with the sheriff's office to include the voices of people impacted by the legal system. While she works to create more housing that working people can afford, she would also fund case managers to work with residents of existing camps and RV settlements to help them transition to permanent homes.

Terry S. Ballard is Clouse’s conservative opponent for Thurston County Commission, District 5. He believes climate change is not a “here and now” issue and has made very divisive statements regarding people struggling with addiction. If elected, he would prioritize removing county offices from Olympia and allowing developers to build on land without mitigating their impact on the habitats of protected species. 

Clouse's strong emphasis on racial equity and her dedication to restorative justice makes her an excellent choice to represent Thurston County, District 5. 
 

Kelly Von Holtz is running for Tumwater City Council, Position 7. The seat is currently held by Charlie Schneider, who is not seeking re-election. Holtz works in public relations and marketing at Evergreen State College. She sits on the city’s planning commission and previously served on the Parks and Recreation Board Commission.

Holtz moved to Tumwater as a single, working mother and has since been involved in public service and community engagement. In this race, she is focused on upgrades to public infrastructure, implementing community solutions to the opioid epidemic and substance abuse, addressing the housing crisis, and reducing barriers for marginalized communities to access educational opportunities. She also wants to build more bridges and communication between the council and residents. Holtz has strong endorsements in this race, including from the local Democrats.

Andrea McGhee is a loan officer at a mortgage company and a first-time candidate in this race. She is running on a sparse platform with a core policy of putting businesses first. McGhee’s definition of public safety does not seem thoughtful nor progressive.

We recommend Kelly Von Holtz for Position 7 on the Tumwater City Council.