Thurston County

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 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 KING 5 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.

Aside from Fournier, 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. 

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.

Michael Steadman, a member of the Lacey City Council and the owner of a commercial leasing company, is running for Thurston County Commission from District 5. Steadman credits his history as a US Marine, union member, and small business owner for his ability to navigate the issues our communities face. 

During his time on the city council, Steadman advocated for funding the Veterans Services Hub in Lacey, improving sidewalks and roads, banning single-use plastic bags, and establishing a commission on equity. Although he has not released information about his priorities if elected at the county level, his other priorities for the city of Lacey have included supporting urban density and affordable housing, protecting the environment, and providing more free and improved transportation options for bikers, walkers, and bus-takers. 

Both Steadman and Emily Clouse - the other Democrat running for this position - support progressive causes, but Clouse's platform has a larger emphasis on restorative justice, informed by her experience working with formerly incarcerated youth. 

Steadman has also gotten in some hot water over his angry responses to critics in the city council and on the campaign trail (including a notable text message where he called an opponent “not worth a quart of piss"). He has defended these actions as sticking up for himself in the face of bullies who opposed his "yes" vote for Lacey's plastic bag ban. 

While Steadman has a progressive track record on key policies, his public behavior raises questions about his temperament and ability to collaborate if elected to the commission.

Dontae Derrell Payne is a US Army veteran and Olympia City Council member running for Mayor of Olympia. He has national experience as a staffer in the US House and currently works as a policy advisor for civil rights and racial justice in the office of the governor. He became the first Black man to serve on the Olympia City Council when he was elected in 2021.

Payne was first motivated to run for office because of the lack of representation of Black and brown people in city government. He says his experience as a gay, Black, former military member will bring the voice of marginalized people to the table. In his bid for mayor, his key concerns are housing affordability, reimagining public safety, a resilient economy, social equity and diverse representation, and climate mitigation. 

In recent years, Payne has supported renters' rights legislation that capped move-in fees and required landlords to give more advanced notice of rent increases. He also advocated for community-based health care and sidewalk accessibility for people with disabilities. During his time, the city council additionally accepted the conclusions of the "Reimagining Public Safety" workgroup — a community-led effort to address the root causes of crime and make public safety truly equitable.

Payne has a nuanced opinion on defunding the police. Although he had a personal negative experience with a patrol officer and wants to get systemic racism out of policing, he sees the discussion of the budget as "a convenient distraction from white supremacy" when there is still a need for officers. He supports additional funding for body cameras, social services, and the city's crisis response unit.

Payne's challengers are Desiree Chantal Toliver and David Ross. Toliver is an aspiring nurse and self-identified Democratic Socialist who recently graduated with her associate's degree from Puget Sound Community College. She does not have any political experience and offers few specifics on her website as of mid-July. Ross is a typically conservative candidate whose platform is based on increasing policing and ineffective and harmful encampment sweeps.

Because of his extensive experience, proven track record, and dedication to racial justice, Payne is the best choice in this race.