Candidate Netzel introduces himself

My Thanks to Star Publisher Scott Hunter for this opportunity to write to all of you as I begin my campaign for a seat on the Coulee Dam Town Council. From the beginning, Scott has supported and encouraged local citizens to improve our greater Grand Coulee Dam Area by volunteering and serving to the best of our individual and collective abilities.

I was born here in Coulee Dam and graduated from the local high school in 1969. Five years later, I received my degree in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and began a 32-year career working for the U.S. Forest Service. I retired in 2006 and moved back to Coulee Dam in 2014. I took a personal interest and participated in the 2015 campaign for Town Council positions and have become an interested observer of our local governments in action.

The work I did for the last 28 years of my career was supervised by District Rangers, engineers and U.S. Government contracting officers, all at the same time. That took a lot of teamwork on everybody’s part. I worked with small business contractors, volunteers, geologists, fisheries and wildlife biologists, silviculturists, foresters, recreation planners, firefighters and others to design and construct projects to implement the multiple-use mission of the Forest Service. Along the way, I learned something from every one of them, sometimes (often) the hard way: Do your part, work with the team and the results will generally be better than if you work alone.

The main task for the town council and the citizens of Coulee Dam for the next four years will be to rein in our out-of-control budget. In 2015 and 2016, our expenditures exceeded our revenues by a combined total of more than $1 million. The 2017 budget shows that 2017 expenditures are expected to exceed 2017 revenues by more than $700,000. That is more than $1.7 million over the last three years.

I look forward to listening to each of you over the next few months as we work our way to the November 7 election for town council members and a new mayor. I can be reached by mail at 432 Columbia, by phone at 633-1235, and by email at netzelcarol1946@gmail.com. If you see me in the local stores or having breakfast at the R and A Café, please walk up, introduce yourself and tell me what is on your mind. Thank you.

Fred Netzel

Coulee Dam

Town Council candidate