Thursday, March 28, 2024

Straub vies for Douglas County Commission seat

Family, church and civic duty highlight his career

Posted

NCW Media Managing Editor Gary Bégin sat down with Building NCW* Executive Director Marc Straub recently to ask him a few questions about his candidacy for Douglas County Commissioner. This is what he had to say:

NCW: How many years have you been executive director of BNCW?

Marc Straub: I've been extremely proud to help lead BNCW and the North Central Home Builders Association since 2002.

NCW: Can you tell the readers a little bit about your personal life?

Straub: Well, let's see, I will be 50 in December. I have been happily married for 30 years to my best friend, Juli Straub (Davis). Together, we've raised four children on the same land where Juli and her father (Ron Davis) were raised, and her grandfather (Erly Davis) began farming in the early forties. Our children are Katlyn – 28, Teagan – 25, Jakob – 23, and Erick – 21. We're grateful that Katlyn was recently able to move back home to take a position with a consulting firm after living in St. Louis for the last few years. Teagan has just completed her first year of teaching elementary school in Pateros. We're excited that Jakob just completed his Fisheries program studies in Bellingham and is getting married on June 1. Our youngest, Erick, is fulfilling his childhood dream of serving our country in the United States Marine Corps, and we simply couldn't be more proud of him. And, yes, our Christian faith is very important to our family.

NCW: What are your hobbies?

Straub: In my spare time, I very much enjoy spending time with my family, camping, fishing, hunting, traveling and day trips with my wife on the motorcycle. My wife and I have enjoyed raising goats, pigs, chickens and the rural lifestyle in general.

NCW: Are you a veteran?

Straub: I am not a veteran, but the extremely proud father of a U.S. Marine!

NCW: Do you belong to any clubs or organizations?

Straub: Currently, I serve on the advisory council for the Construction Trades Program at the Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center. In addition, I serve on the Douglas County Planning Commission and represent Douglas County as a board member on the Greater Wenatchee Regional Public Facilities District. I'm also proud to serve as a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) for the Douglas County Republican Central Committee. I've also had the privilege of serving on my Church's board of directors, as well as being a previous Lion's Club member.

NCW: Why did you decide to run for Douglas County Commissioner?
Straub: My wife and I have always felt strongly about serving our community whenever and however we can. We strove to instill this ethic in our children, too. I’ve always respected the commitment that local elected officials lend to their communities when they step up to serve. Over the last fifteen-plus years, I've been actively engaged in the public process in jurisdictions throughout north central Washington—helping to address land-use issues; affordable housing issues; economic development and private property rights to name a few. Through this experience, I’ve not only been able to develop a working knowledge of these and other important issues, but a strong desire to play a role in helping to develop solutions. When Commissioner Jenkins made his decision to retire, he encouraged me to consider running for the seat. Over the course of several months, I gave it a tremendous amount of thought, consideration and prayer. I consulted with my wife and others that I trust and respect, before ultimately arriving at the decision that it was the right endeavor to pursue. I absolutely love where we live and am grateful to have had the opportunity to raise our family in Douglas County. My wife and I want all four of our children to have the opportunity to return home to raise their families—something that I’m sure most families want for their children and grandchildren. The work that our local leaders are doing now is instrumental in helping to ensure that the values and traditions we enjoy remain intact, and that our county will be rich with opportunity 10, 20 and more years down the road. In my professional career, I’ve learned how to be a good listener; how to strike a balance between varying and at times competing perspectives; how to budget and utilize limited resources in a way that provides for the greatest value; how to approach complex issues and distill them down in order to create solutions and make decisions. I have a strong work ethic and the temperament I believe it takes to effectively fulfill the responsibilities of a county commissioner. I believe that I would work well with the other commissioners and would bring complimentary skills to the commission.

NCW: Are there certain areas of the county government that you feel need "fixing"?

Straub: While I wouldn’t classify it necessarily as something that needs “fixing”, I do feel strongly that it’s incumbent upon elected officials to ensure they foster an environment within local government that promotes an atmosphere of accountability to the citizens they serve and, always approaching county business with a spirit of friendly service. County staff, from the department heads to part-time, seasonal employees, are a county’s greatest asset. I wholeheartedly agree with the Douglas County Commissioners in that we need to ensure that Douglas County is remaining competitive in attracting and retaining high-caliber staff to best serve our citizens—now and in the future.

NCW: Are there particular issues that need addressing from your point of view?
Straub: As a casual observer, I've been watching smaller, rural counties like Douglas County continue to be burdened, year-after-year, by growing mandates handed down by the State -- many of which are unfunded or grossly underfunded. Consequently, counties are left scrambling to stretch operating budgets to fund mandates such as indigent care. In some cases, smaller counties are having to move funds away from critically important responsibilities like road construction and maintenance in order to meet these required mandates. These unfunded mandates are increasingly putting significant pressure on smaller counties in being able to continue providing essential services. This simply is not right and needs to be corrected!

NCW: Agriculture is the main "industry" in the county so are you thinking of introducing any ideas to help the farmers & orchardists?

Straub: Agriculture and ag-related activities are without a doubt a most critical piece to Douglas County's economic engine—serving as our number one industry and accounting for nearly a third of our workforce. Moreover, the rich history, values and quality of life that we enjoy in Douglas County is intricately interwoven with ag. Currently, we’re seeing farmers, ranchers and growers being challenged in a whole host of ways—be it by ever-growing regulatory requirements; domestic and international policy changes; a shrinking labor market and all of the typical challenges that any small business faces. I believe that the County can best support our farmers, ranchers and growers by ensuring that we're not adding to their regulatory burden; that we’re doing all we can to provide them with as much flexibility in the utilization of their property as is possible, while continuing to place an emphasis in maintaining county roads that serve as an invaluable link between the farm to market process. I come from a farming background and I wholeheartedly support our farmers, ranchers and growers.

NCW: Knowing about your many years at BNCW, how will you help the construction industry if you get elected?

Straub: One of the biggest issues facing the construction industry right now is very similar to that challenge facing the ag industry—access to good, reliable labor. Ironically, one of the contributing factors to a challenging labor force is the growing housing affordability crisis we have in North Central Washington. It’s counterproductive to attracting and retaining workers when area rentals and entry-level homes are beyond the reach of so many. Instead of keeping our workforce here, they’re slowly being pushed out. This poses a significant threat to our overall vitality and quality of life in Douglas County. I want to continue tackling, head-on, the underlying and contributing factors to the housing affordability crisis with meaningful, effective solutions that go beyond studies and talk.

NCW: What was your thinking regarding the Hirst decision at first and now that it has been modified?

Straub: The Hirst decision was a Washington State Supreme Court decision that was born out of Whatcom County in 2016, and essentially changed state law and how rural property owners could—or more accurately—COULD NOT use their property. Frankly, in my opinion, this effort was nothing more than a thinly-veiled attack on rural counties and rural property owners by Western Washington elites that have absolutely no understanding of our rural way of life, but who ultimately seek to “herd” everyone into cities. The leverage or tool they are using to pursue their objectives just so happens to be water. While I certainly would have preferred that the Legislature would have effectively reversed the Hirst decision, the work that Representative Taylor and others did in passing SB 6091 provided immediate and necessary relief. Make no mistake, rural counties like Douglas County will need to remain vigilant in pushing back against this continuing assault on rural Washington moving forward.

NCW: Cary Condotta is not running again. Do you support anyone?

Straub: Cary has done a tremendous job in representing our interests in the 12th District and he leaves some very big shoes to fill. With the filing period in the rearview mirror, I believe that Keith Goehner is the candidate best suited to serve us in Olympia.

NCW: Congressman Dave Reichert is not running -  do you support anyone to replace him to represent the East Wenatchee area of the county within the 8th District?

Straub: East Wenatchee falls within the 8th Congressional District and I believe without a doubt that Dino Rossi is THE best equipped candidate to serve the folks of the 8th Congressional District. He has a track record that speaks for itself and I believe he best represents the values and traditions of those constituents in Eastern Washington.

*Building North Central Washington is a non-profit trade association dedicated to promoting and protecting the North Central Washington building industry for the preservation and growth of the local economy, small business, and quality of life. BNCW works diligently to address the over-regulation of the building industry and small business in general, while passionately defending against the rising tide of land-use regulations that are eroding citizens' private property rights.

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