The Skamania County Chamber of Commerce invited candidates running opposed for local elected positions to participate in a Q&A to inform our members and the greater community about the candidates and their visions for the future. The following are the responses we received.
Question for all candidates
(Assessor, Clerk, Commissioner, PUD Commissioner)
Open communication and collaboration between local government, public agencies, and the business community is important. If elected, how would you build relationships with local businesses and community partners to better understand business needs, improve transparency, and help ensure decisions made by your office support a strong rural economy?
Gabe Spencer (Assessor): Communication with the business community is an important piece of being a locally elected official. A key commitment I’ve made to helping local businesses as the assessor for the last 20 years, is to have legislatively supported increasing Washington’s business personal property tax exemption as a practical way to strengthen rural economies and support small businesses. Many rural employers operate on thin margins and face higher costs due to several factors including, workforce limitations, and transportation challenges. Our current state process requires both reporting and taxation on even small and mid-level amounts of equipment, tools, and furnishings in your business. This creates an administrative burden that often outweighs the revenue generated. This program unnecessarily diverts time and resources away from core business operations. When I first began in 2002, the exemption was on the first $3,000 of assets. The assessor’s association strongly and successfully advocated for the first increase in the exemption during my tenure from 3K to the first $15,000 in asset value. I believe raising this exemption from the first 15K to 50K or potentially even higher, would allow small businesses to retain and reinvest more capital into job creation, wage growth, equipment upgrades, and potentially expand services for their communities. It would also reduce the administrative workload for both business owners and for the Assessor’s office. Less time spent on an inefficient underperforming program allows us more time to focus on serving the public. For these reasons, increasing the exemption is a targeted, pro-growth policy that supports entrepreneurship, business retention, and long-term economic vitality in rural Skamania County.
Cora Moser (Assessor): As Skamania County Assessor, I absolutely believe strong communication and collaboration with our local businesses, property owners, and community partners is essential to maintaining trust in order to support a healthy rural economy this includes attending the scheduled meetings to collaborate face to face and returning phone calls and emails in a timely manner.
I have already spent time meeting with business owners, public officials, and community members to hear their stories, successes, and concerns. Those conversations have reinforced my belief that every concern deserves to be heard and addressed.
With over 20 years of paralegal experience, including real estate law, and more than 8 years working in county government, I understand the importance of transparency, professionalism, and accountability in public service.
If elected, I will make myself accessible and approachable by maintaining an open-door policy and encouraging ongoing communication with businesses, community organizations, and local agencies. I believe people deserve an Assessor who listens, responds, and takes their concerns seriously.
I will stay actively involved in the community by attending local events, meeting with stakeholders, and building relationships that help me better understand the challenges and opportunities facing rural businesses and residents. Those conversations are valuable because we can learn from one another and work toward solutions that benefit our entire county.
Skamania County’s economy depends on strong local businesses, responsible property stewardship, and public confidence in local government. My goal is to ensure the Assessor’s Office remains focused on its core responsibilities while providing fair, consistent, and transparent service that supports the long-term strength and stability of our community.
Grace Cross (Clerk): Open communication and collaboration between local government, public agencies, and the business community is important. If elected, how would you build relationships with local businesses and community partners to better understand business needs, improve transparency, and help ensure decisions made by your office support a strong rural economy?
Open communication and collaboration are important to building trust and serving our community effectively. While the County Clerk’s Office does not create economic policy, we do provide court services that impact residents, businesses, attorneys, and community organizations.
If re-elected, I will continue to focus on accessibility, responsiveness, and transparency. I believe people should be able to reach our office, get accurate information, and have confidence that they will be treated with professionalism and respect.
I will continue working collaboratively with the courts, county departments, community partners, and local businesses to understand concerns and ensure our services meet the needs of those we serve. My goal is to provide efficient, accountable court services while maintaining public access to public records and supporting a strong, well-functioning court system that serves its community.
Olivia Munsch (Clerk): If elected as County Clerk, while maintaining the statutory independence of the clerk’s office, I would provide clear, transparent policies for efficient access to court records – reducing friction and time costs for real estate transactions, dispute resolution cases and other civil filings. I would also remove barriers to access by ensuring that court fee schedules, policies, resources and records are easily accessible to people in person or from afar.
Jury service also impacts the local economy. I would offer education to local businesses on jury service and the management of the jury pool, and look for opportunities to work with those selected for jury service and their employers to minimize economic impact while ensuring completion of this important civic duty.
Parties’ experiences with the Clerk’s office should be professional, transparent, and courteous. I would implement a system for feedback from patrons on how the Clerk’s office can streamline services for common business transactions or better serve them, while staying within the defined roles of the Clerk’s office. Keeping accurate records for the court system but also making them easily accessible is important.
Asa Leckie (Commissioner): Open communication and collaboration between local government, public agencies, and the business community is important. If elected, how would you build relationships with local businesses and community partners to better understand business needs, improve transparency, and help ensure decisions made by your office support a strong rural economy?
As the current Skamania County Commissioner for District 3, I fully agree that strong partnerships between local government, public agencies, and the business community are essential for a thriving rural economy I use engagement and updates with the Skamania County Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council (EDC), and the Small Business Development Center to stay informed.
I recognize the real challenges our businesses face — from high real estate and energy costs to ever-increasing state taxes and regulations that squeeze local operators. When our neighbors and tourists have less disposable income, local businesses feel it directly.
To strengthen these partnerships, I will continue to use opportunities, such as quarterly roundtables and regular updates with the Chamber and EDC. These forums provide direct input from business owners on challenges and opportunities. Business impacts are a key consideration in our land-use decisions, permitting processes, and county budget discussions.
I leverage my oversight responsibilities — including Budget & Vouchers, the Wind River Business Park, and forest-related issues — to align county actions with economic realities. This includes working closely with the EDC and Chamber to identify barriers and advocate for streamlined local processes where we have authority.
Outreach goes both ways, while local government must proactively reach out, I encourage businesses to engage early through the Chamber or directly with my office. Many of the most significant pressures on our economy come from the state level (regulations, taxes, and mandates). I will continue using my position with the Washington State Association of Counties and other bodies to push back on unfriendly policies and elevate rural needs.
Local government’s role should be a predictable, low-burden environment that supports business growth rather than hindering it. I remain committed to being accessible and responsive so that decisions from our office genuinely reflect the needs of Skamania County’s businesses and families.
Liz Green (PUD Commissioner): The reality of cost pressures on a small PUD is burdensome. As we have all experienced, costs have been steadily increasing, particularly in areas of infrastructure maintenance and development. With that being said, it is imperative for the PUD, county, public agencies, local business and residents to collaborate and find better, faster, and less expensive solutions. Keeping Skamania PUD functioning efficiently and effectively greatly depends upon prudent planning. This reality makes open communication and collaboration essential. In the last decade I have encouraged the intentional building of relationships between the PUD, other county agencies, and residents. It only makes sense to share information about projects, funding resources, and timeframes allowing us to synchronize projects. I believe that this all comes down to healthy communication and building a network/team.
Skamania PUD participates in a quarterly meeting where all the public entities meet and share what is happening now, and discuss future plans. For example, in the past the PUD and agencies worked independently of one another, without communicating plans, causing additional planned outages and other inconveniences. Now we try and work together with other agencies, doing our projects simultaneously to improve efficiency and reduce unnecessary costs.
The PUD board and staff also attend a wide variety of local and industry focused meetings after which we discuss and report what we have learned. Through collaborations with larger utility districts, we are often able to share insights and ideas that may work to improve utilities statewide.
At the Skamania County PUD our job is to provide necessary services at a cost-based price. We strive to ensure that businesses and residents have what they need in terms of power, water, and customer service. As a result, policies are reviewed carefully and thoroughly to make sure the results are beneficial to all.
Addison Dillon (PUD Commissioner): Strong relationships start with listening. If elected, I would make communication with local businesses, community organizations, and ratepayers a regular part of the job, not something that only happens during formal meetings. That means holding public listening sessions, meeting directly with business owners, and making sure major decisions are explained clearly before they affect people’s utility bills.
Many small businesses operate on thin margins, and utility costs are often one of their largest fixed expenses. Before approving major projects, rate increases, or new programs, I believe the PUD should actively seek input from the people who will ultimately pay for them.
Transparency is not just about making documents available. It’s about making decisions understandable. Ratepayers and businesses should know what is being proposed, why it is necessary, what alternatives were considered, and how success will be measured. My goal is to help rebuild trust by ensuring that communication flows both ways and that the concerns of local employers, residents, and community partners are heard early in the decision-making process
Question for Assessor Candidates
Property taxes have a direct impact on homeowners, businesses, and future investment in our county, so accuracy and transparency must be a top priority. As Assessor, I would work to ensure property valuations are based on accurate data, consistent appraisal practices, and open communication with property owners.
Gabe Spencer: Ensuring accuracy begins with strong data. Skamania County has the typical rural area problems, having less than 200 commercial properties county-wide. Rarely are there comparable sales that support definitive valuations. In order to best produce a fair and reasonable assessment, I use data from three types of industry recognized valuation practices. The first is the sales comparable approach as we do with all residential properties. Secondly, I use reliable cost tables each year to see how trends in the construction market are impacting developers and finally the income approach which, when data the is available produces the most credible results for income producing properties. I’ve had a long track record in both residential and commercial appraisals utilizing the lower middle of the data as my final estimate of value. This is done, in order to demonstrate a clear and defensible opinion and yet meet the requirements of the statutes that guide us. Transparency also comes in the form of making the appeal process understandable and easy to navigate. All of the necessary information is provided on each mailed notice and my website has the forms needed to complete the process. I’m also always a phone call or a visit away to discuss your parcel information.
Cora Moser: I believe taxpayers deserve to understand how their property value was determined. I would make information more accessible, explain the valuation process in plain language, and encourage property owners and business owners to ask questions if they have concerns about their assessments. When people understand the process, they can make informed decisions and plan responsibly for the future. Clear and predictable assessments also help businesses and potential investors make sound financial decisions and invest with confidence in our community.
I also plan to become active with the Washington State Association of Assessors’ Exemption Committee and advocate for the adoption of a Homestead Exemption in Washington State. Our property owners are a valuable part of our community. Many are struggling with ever-increasing property taxes and deserve an advocate who brings a fresh perspective and puts property owners first. While the Assessor’s Office does not create tax policy, I believe it should be a voice for fair and meaningful tax relief that helps homeowners remain in the communities they have worked hard to build.
By ensuring valuations are fair, transparent, and easy to understand, I will help create a stable environment where homeowners, businesses, and investors can plan with confidence and continue contributing to the strength of our local economy.
Question for Clerk Candidates:
Businesses and residents sometimes interact with the court system through civil matters, records, filings, judgments, or legal processes. How would you ensure the Clerk’s Office provides accurate, timely, and accessible service to the public, including small businesses that may not have legal or administrative staff?
Olivia Munsch: Interacting with the court system can be very intimidating for parties that are not familiar with the courts. The Clerk, as an independent elected official, ensures the separation of powers between the three branches of government while preserving public access to accurate records. As your Clerk, I would ensure policies are updated and available to the public, publish fee schedules and general court proceeding information on the website, and provide handouts at the Clerk’s office, to remove barriers and increase accessibility.
The Clerk’s office is unable to provide legal advice, but they can help parties locate helpful resources, like websites or legal aid agencies. I would help customers understand how procedures work by using plain language, while being transparent about what constitutes legally advice.
The Clerk’s office must remain neutral to all parties, but people often arrive at our office at times of emotional stress, responding to high stakes events that are happening in their lives. I would work with staff to provide responses that are both compassionate and reduce conflict, and provide resources wherever possible. Remaining neutral should mean that all parties receive the same level of care and service, regardless of their position in a case.
Grace Cross: Providing accurate, timely, and accessible service is one of the most important responsibilities of the County Clerk’s Office. Residents, business owners, attorneys, and self-represented individuals rely on our office to access records, file documents, and navigate court processes efficiently.
As County Clerk, I prioritize a well-trained staff, ongoing education, and the use of technology to ensure accurate information and consistent service. I have worked to modernize our office through electronic filing systems and expanded online access to public records, making services more accessible, especially in our rural community.
While Clerk’s Office staff cannot provide legal advice, we can provide clear procedural information, explain filing requirements, and connect people with appropriate resources. Most importantly, I believe in personal service and open communication. My goal is to maintain a Clerk’s Office that is responsive, professional, and committed to serving the public with fairness, respect, and transparency.
Question for Commissioner Candidates:
What specific policies or initiatives will you champion to attract new and support current small businesses to ensure we have a vibrant and thriving economy?
Asa Leckie: I will continue championing practical, locally focused initiatives that support business retention, expansion, and attraction in our rural county. The reality is that Skamania County is significantly constrained by the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which leaves only a small percentage of developable land. This makes it challenging to stretch limited county resources to meet needs like affordable housing and commercial space for business expansions or transitions from home-based operations.
One example I am currently supporting is a manufacturing and ocean canoe racing company seeking to establish operations in the Gorge. Attracted by our summer racing events and ideal training conditions, they plan to create a site with onsite temporary housing for crews and athletes. This type of business brings visitors during our challenging shoulder seasons without adding pressure to our local housing market.
Advocating for relief from burdensome state regulations, taxes, and mandates that disproportionately harm small businesses in rural counties like ours. Through my roles in statewide associations, I will fight for policies that protect timber revenue, reduce energy costs, and promote responsible resource management.
Supporting incentives for small business growth through public-private partnerships where feasible.
Promoting our tourism and outdoor recreation assets responsibly.
Ensuring county budgets prioritize core services without unnecessary tax increases that burden employers and families.
My background which includes over two decades of service as an Army Special Forces Green Beret has instilled in me the values of leadership, problem-solving, and deep commitment to community. A strong economy begins with listening to job creators and then working to remove obstacles so they can succeed. I look forward to continuing this important work on behalf of Skamania County’s businesses
Question for PUD Commissioner Candidates:
Reliable and affordable utilities are essential for small businesses, manufacturers, lodging properties, restaurants, and home-based businesses. How would you balance the need for infrastructure investment and system reliability with the need to keep utility rates manageable for local businesses and residents?
Liz Green: Managing reliability is not only paramount for the entities listed above, but to every residential customer. I believe that the ratepayers should be aware and involved in any discussion regarding the PUD. Maintaining reliable infrastructure is an ongoing activity; and like everything else, infrastructure also gets old and cranky. We are currently rebuilding substations and water treatment plants, as well as replacing water reservoirs. Because these are extremely high dollar costs and we provide a service at a cost-based rate, we were able to secure bonding, grants and loans. Choosing a rate structure that meets our rate requirement and debt financing needs allows the cost to be allocated over multiple decades so that both current and future customers contribute and benefit.
Addison Dillon:
Reliable infrastructure is essential, but so is affordability. The challenge is not choosing one or the other. The challenge is ensuring every dollar spent delivers real value to the people paying the bills.
Over the last several years, many ratepayers and businesses have experienced significant increases in their utility costs. For a rural community, those increases are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. They affect family budgets, hiring decisions, housing costs, and the ability of local businesses to compete and grow.
As Commissioner, I would support investments that are necessary to maintain reliability, safety, and long-term system performance. At the same time, I believe every major expenditure should be evaluated with the same question: Is this providing measurable value for ratepayers?
That means prioritizing critical infrastructure, improving financial transparency, scrutinizing spending decisions, and looking for efficiencies before asking customers to pay more. Reliable service and affordable rates should go hand in hand. Ratepayers deserve confidence that increases are a last resort, not a first option, and that their utility is focused on delivering the greatest possible value for every dollar collected.
