Cindy Carter seeks to keep seat as commissioner

Cindy Carter has been a Grant County commissioner since 2007, and wants to stay in that position to help share her knowledge with the large number of new people in leadership positions in county government. 

"I have the historical knowledge to continue moving forward," she said in an email to The Star. "We have two new commissioners, a newer Public Works Director, new Public Works Engineer, new Building Department Director, new Planning Director, [Geographic Information System] person and most importantly our head accountant is new. ... We also have a newly appointed Sheriff and Prosecuting Attorney. ... This was going to be my last year as commissioner, but I was asked to run again for one more term as we have so many new department heads that report directly to the commissioners."

Carter noted the county has 33 financial accounts on its books totaling over $200 million. 

"Each account has specific guidelines and rules for spending, some are very specific and restrictive," she said. "I understand and know these accounts and the budgeting process. ... I also work closely with our elected officials, department heads, legislatures and state partners to keep services and growth moving forward."

Carter is involved in different aspects of the county. 

Regarding a new jail, she said that "financially we are ready to go," but that before it can be built, a comprehensive plan needs to be submitted to the county before March 30, 2023, at which point it will take a few months to be reviewed before the project can move forward.

"The commissioners are the fiduciary responsible for the county, so we will be very involved along with our maintenance and facility director and the new Sheriff," she said. 

Bringing more behavioral health into the jails is another effort Carter is working towards. 

"The Regional Health Behavior Diversion program is a board I currently sit on with our neighboring commissioners and community partners," she said. "The goal is to have a correctional facility that seeks treatment for repeat offenders who are suffering from [behavioral health] issues. The jails have transitioned into the largest BH facilities and they are not equipped to be treating our folks in jail. There is a better way which is more proactive, and it treats the individual so they are more productive and they are on a successful path, opening up our jail beds for more severe criminals."

"We are also working on a Community Court/BH Court Diversion program in District Court," she continued. "We received a $450K grant recently to get this started, this will be operational in another month or two. This is another proactive approach to work directly with the person, helping them with their treatment process instead of incarceration. It will be a roughly 24-month program but the success rate is huge in other district courts that have implemented this program. It will be a win-win for our legal system, jail, the individual, his family and his employer."

Carter has also done work in suicide prevention, having hosted community events and spending numerous hours in training for it. 

"The efforts that we have put forward on suicide prevention have helped," she said. "Our numbers haven't been increasing like they have been in neighboring communities. COVID greatly impacted Behavior Health leading to more suicidal thoughts, isolation and depression. We have increased access to Behavior Health by expanding services at Renew and all our outlying offices. We have hired additional staff and medical personnel to help. We do NOT have the luxury to schedule an appointment 1-2 weeks out when someone is in crisis. We have a crisis 24-hour team that is always on call and ready to assist. 

Carter noted the now national suicide prevention phone number of 9-8-8 "so everyone will have the same number, but it will be directed to services within the caller's community." 

"Fifteen years ago, we didn't even want to mention the word 'suicide' because we thought it might give someone the idea," she said. "Today we talk about it and we are educating others to ask if they suspect someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts or depression. 

"We no longer ignore, we jump in and ask questions," she continued. "I have learned a lot as I attend as many meetings and trainings as possible to better educate myself and those around me so we can beat this. Taking a personal interest, caring and talking to the person is a simple act that we can all do. We have professionals that can quickly jump in when its discovered there is an intent and/or plan to complete a suicide." 

Carter has also worked in keeping Grant County's roads "some of the nicest and safest county roads in the state," as it says on her website. "Cindy has worked closely with Public Works to put in rumble strips, flashing stop signs, delineators, and chevron signs to aid in the safety of our distracted drivers."

"Grant County has one of the largest county road systems in the state, if not the largest, with over 2,500 miles and 1,400 of those miles paved," she told The Star, adding that she works with the Washington State Department of Transportation to resolve issues. 

"Safety and maintenance have always been a priority along with adding additional pavement to our county road infrastructure," she said. "We rely on these farm-to-market roads, and they allow access to our rural communities and our homes. We have started putting de-icer on our county roads to help prevent accidents, it's an expensive but a more proactive approach to protect our travelers during winter travel when the roads are icy. We also run snowplows starting with our arterial roads and working our way out to the less traveled roads. ... All accidents and traffic counts are recorded with our county engineer. We work with the concerns/complaints received and the recorded data to make improvements on our roads. We will also do further studies when needed. If there is a big change, a public hearing will be scheduled.  The commissioners cannot change a speed limit without a public hearing."

Carter, a Republican, is running for reelection to the Commissioner District No. 3 spot for another four-year term and is being challenged by fellow Republican Jeff Foster. 

Grant County voters should receive ballots in the mail soon, while election day is on Nov. 8.

"The best part of my job is the personal interaction I have with our community members," Carter said. "We have amazing people in our county. It's been rewarding to work with our community and especially our youth- we have a group of young people who are going to change the world!"

Carter's website can be found at http://www.electcindycarter.com