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Challengers vie for Quincy council seat
Grant County general elections will be held Nov. 3. Jeremy McCreary and Candy Bennett Houston are running for the No. 6 position on the Quincy City Council. The Post-Register recently e-mailed McCreary and Houston to get their thoughts on a variety of issues.
Jeremy McCreary
QVPR: Why are you running for city council?
JM: I have a strong passion for the town of Quincy, mostly because the best times of my life were from growing up here — spending the day with my dad and sister at the farm, going to the pool every day during the summer to swim with my cousins, playing sports with all of my friends at the city park or enjoying Saturday with my mom at local garage sales. These memories didn't seem very important before. After finishing high school and moving away for college, I found even more respect for our town. Like me, I'm sure many of Quincy residents find themselves returning to their roots. I never thought about running for political office until the last year when my buddies started saying, "So have you become Mayor yet?" Even though they were teasing me about living in Quincy, it got me thinking about running for city council because I do love living in this town. I can bring a lot to the table because I love this place and would love to help it grow. I want to take care of the city that I will eventually raise my family in. Mostly, I want to run for city council because while some great things have happened in Quincy, I know that more can be done. I'm not entirely happy with some aspects of our town and the path that it has been heading down the last 15 years.
QVPR: Why are you the best candidate for the city council position?
JM: Because I want to put a end to the gangs in Quincy. I don't want to see any more adults or kids in gangs. Eleven years ago one of my best friends was killed by a clueless kid involved in gang violence. I feel the fault of this tragedy belongs not just to a teenage child but to our community. I stumbled across a saying on the Quincy School District Web site: "I believe it takes a whole village to raise a child." I firmly believe that. I think that many can agree that not much has been done to remedy the situation with gangs outside the school district. Right now we have unsupervised children roaming our streets all hours of the night with burglary, graffiti and vandalism on the rise. Don't get me wrong; I'm a coach at Quincy High School, and we have some of the best kids in the world, but without the proper support and encouragement, those kids can quickly turn in the wrong direction for attention and a place to belong.
I understand growth and want to see it continue. I think that the city and port district are on top of the ball. All members have the knowledge about the future growth of our town. The city and port need to be commended on the job they have done in recent years, but we need to keep the momentum going. It has been very difficult with the current sluggish economy. However, it is starting to turn around. I don't think we're very far from landing something big in town that will create a lot of jobs. Boeing has expressed interest in bringing a plant to Moses Lake that will produce 800-plus jobs. I think Quincy is somewhat in competition with Moses Lake and Ephrata for growth (although not with Boeing). I understand where Quincy is with infrastructure and where it needs to be. I know what it needs to bring in new companies. Everybody in town has done a tremendous job with this and I would like to help keep that going.
I would like to see a rise the number families that live in Quincy. I saw a staggering statistic a couple years ago that read 40 percent of people that work in Quincy don't live here. That's a statistic that used to be a lot different 15 years ago, and we will hopefully change it in the coming years.A lot of my neighbors in southeast Quincy have moved away. I would love to see them move back.
I will push for more youth athletics/activities for the kids in town. To get these kids off the streets, we need more youth programs that don't cost an arm and a leg. The addition of a recreation director in Quincy was a great idea; however, I'm not sure that position has enough time to organize and promote youth leagues or activities for the kids while maintaining the parks and everyday duties. Quincy needs not only more sport leagues and after-school programs, but a creative way to communicate with Spanish speaking families to let them know what's available for their children. We also need to find creative ways as a town to lower the cost of the youth activities without asking for local businesses for money. I would also love to see the town team up with Ephrata to offer adult leagues.
I will help new ways to create more events for the city. The balloon festival is a great addition, but we can do more. Parties on the Green has been great! We need to take advantage of Quincy's four seasons. We have 300 days of sunshine per year and need to continue to use that to attract more tourism. We are in the heart of North Central Washington with the Gorge Amphitheater, Columbia River, Quincy Lakes and Crescent Bar nearby. The Gorge offers some of the best concerts in the world, but we also have the best hunting around. If we promote all aspects of our area, we can bring in more revenue and interest to Quincy. More events and festivities are necessary to drive these visitors to our city to spend money.
QVPR: What education and experience do you have that will allow you to succeed in the position?
JM: Actually, not a whole lot. In college my major was exercise science with a coaching minor, so that doesn't help me out much when it comes to city council. However, the coaching part does. I have spent the last three years coaching fifth grade and eighth grade AAU basketball teams (2006-09), serving as an assistant for the QHS basketball team (07-08) and baseball team (07-09), and I last summer I was the head coach for the Quincy Thunder baseball team. Having coaching in my background allows me to be a leader, listener and a problem solver. Being on the city council is no different. I have to bring my ideas for solving our city's toughest problems as well as listen to ideas from others. However, I'll tell the citizens of Quincy the same thing I tell my players. If you have a problem, we need to solve it as a team. I'm sure everybody has heard the acronym of TEAM — Together Everyone Achieves More. That's a saying I firmly believe in on and off the playing field. Hopefully we as a community can take our problems to the council so we can solve them as a team. Also, being a licensed real estate agent for three years, I understand the importance of a strong economy and what it takes to grow it.
QVPR: If elected, what do you want to accomplish during your time on the council?
JM: The main goal I want to accomplish is getting more people involved with their town. I believe that the only way that we can accomplish our goals for this city is to get everyone involved. I also think Hispanics need to have their voices heard on our city council. The Hispanic culture has had a large hand in shaping Quincy. My personal goal to accomplish this is to learn fluent Spanish. Being bilingual will help me bring the Hispanic community's ideas to light in council meetings and translate what goes on in those meetings to the Hispanic community.
QVPR: What do you think of your opponent?
JM: As strange as it might sound, we have lived on the same side of town and we have never met each other. Maybe she bought cookie dough from me when I used to go door-to-door in fifth grade, but I don't remember. I don't know her personally, but I know a couple of Bennetts in town and they are great people. I'm sure if she wins the election, Quincy will still grow and be a better town. I'm just glad to hear that not all of the city council candidates are not running unopposed. That's a very good sign. It shows that we, as a city, are willing to take the reigns and work to make Quincy stronger. If Candy is the right candidate, then so be it. I just want to see the city improve. I'm sure I can indirectly help the city improve by being on the council or not.
JM: If elected, what are the biggest challenges you'll face during your time on the council?
QVPR: I think the biggest challenge for me will be waiting for some of the new ideas to take effect. Getting rid of the gang problem that Quincy has will take some time. I'm very excited to hear what the new police chief will do. We have to think creatively and come up with new ways to influence kids to drop out of gangs or not join them. The school district, the police department, Dora Trevino, Sonya Padron and many others have done a great job spreading the word about gangs, but unfortunately the gangs are still around. We need more activities for the kids to do during the summer and winter — maybe a city basketball league that's affordable for somebody with four or five kids, or bringing back something like Q-care, an after-school program that provides an assortment of activities. There will always be a handful people in town to help volunteer time for the growth and safety of Quincy, but we need more people and fresh ideas to help make it safer.
Candy Bennett Houston
QVPR: Why are you running for city council?
CBH: would like to be more involved in our community.
QVPR: Why are you the best candidate for the city council position?
CBH: I don't know that I am the best candidate, but I know I will seek the Lord's wisdom in what ever I do.
QVPR: What education and experience do you have that will allow you to succeed in the position?
CBH: I received a bachelors degree from Western Washington University in Bellingham. I majored in anthropology with a minor in psychology. I got more out of college than a degree. I never graduated from high school; I completed the ninth grade. Later I studied and got my graduate equivalency degree. Then I went to Everett Community College and left with an associates degree and graduated with honors. Later I went to Bellingham and got my bachelor of arts degree. I learned much returning to school; some of it was from the classroom, some of what I learned was about myself, but most of what I learned was about prioites, opportunity and a larger scheme of things.
QVPR: If elected, what do you want to accomplish during your time on the council?
CBH: I have much to learn about the issues we are facing in Quincy. I don't have a specific issue in mind.
QVPR: What do you think of your opponent?
CBH: I have never met my opponent. I am encouraged though that he is a young man and he is interested in serving in his community. We need to hear from his generation and I am grateful that he is interested.
QVPR: If elected, what are the biggest challenges you'll face during your time on the council?
CBH: I think it will be a challenge to attempt to find solutions as a group without asking God to lead us.
