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Saying there’s “so much to do,” Spokane Valley Mayor Richard Munson announced Monday he would run for a third term on the City Council.
Munson, 66, has been on the council since the vote to incorporate in 2002.
“The city’s needs are extensive, and I’m able to bring a lot to the table,” Munson said, adding that he has already sent his initial paperwork to the Public Disclosure Commission detailing his intentions to run.
Munson is the first of four council members who are all up for re-election in 2009 to announce he will seek a new term. Diana Wilhite, Dick Denenny and Gary Schimmels – who have been on the council with Munson since its inception – all have the choice ahead to run again.
Munson has said for months that he wasn’t sure if he would seek another term at City Hall, but the transitional nature that the city is in at this time has motivated him to want to stick around.
“We continue to struggle with a snow-removal contract and other subjects, the council should continue with as much as experience as we can,” he said. “We should all help the city be a better place to live. I think I can do that.”
There are no guarantees, however, that Munson will be the mayor after the end of this year. While the city’s third mayor – after Mike DeVleming and Wilhite – the position is chosen amongst the council members every two years to represent the city as an honorary designee and to lead council meetings. As mayor, Munson has the same vote as other council members, while the day-to-day administration of the city is done by City Manager David Mercier.
“Sometimes there’s a temptation to forget you’re still just a council member,” Munson said.
Filing week for candidates is June 1-5. The top two vote-getters for Munson’s Position 5 council seat in the Aug. 18 primary election will move on to the Nov. 3 general election.
Munson was unchallenged in his last bid for office in 2005. He defeated Joan McCurdy for the council seat originally.
Munson, a retired stockbroker for Piper Jaffray, has served as the president of the board of directors for the Association of Washington Cities, where he is currently still a member.
Munson sits on the city’s Finance Committee and is a member of the Growth Management Steering Committee along with the Spokane Transit Authority board of directors.
Munson has a bachelor’s degree in political science from San Jose State and an M.S. in business management from the University of Arkansas. He served in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1993, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
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By
Mike Huffman
