MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake small business owner recently announced his candidacy for Grant County Commissioner District No. 2.

Nathan Pack will be competing against four fellow Republicans to fill the seat that was left empty after Grant County Commissioner Carolann Swartz announced she would not be running for re-election. Pack is currently pitted against Brian P. McGowan, Tom Taylor and James “Jim” Liebrecht in the race for the District No. 2 seat. Casey Cooper previously filed to run for the seat, but told the Columbia Basin Herald he will not be campaigning and is not able to remove his name from the ballot. Citing family and mentorship commitments that would have prevented him from campaigning full-time during the month of June, Cooper said he made the decision to not campaign and will campaign for Pack.

Pack, a Royal City product, worked on farms and mowed lawns all the way up until his graduation from high school in 2003. After high school he moved to the Moses Lake area at the age of 22.

While employed at a local manufacturing company, he came up with an idea to use hybrid cars in a taxi/delivery service company, with a focus on connecting customers with local restaurants by delivering dining orders to homes. Pack’s business, dubbed “Pack’s Taxi & Delivery,” started out with one Toyota Prius in June 2012 and has grown to boast a fleet of Prius vehicles, including a shuttle service that caters to larger transportation needs.

If elected, Pack stated he will focus on improving customer service and transparency in county government, making more efficient use of county resources and enhancing the effectiveness of county government, which he says will help improve economic growth in the county and provide a safe and stable community.

“As a person who started and runs a successful business which creates jobs in Grant County, I want to apply my business and management experience to improve how Grant County government serves the people of the county,” Pack said.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.