Hankins named Moses Lake mayor; Myers deputy mayor
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 11 months AGO
Councilmember Dean Hankins, left, was voted into the Moses Lake mayoral seat Tuesday evening, while council member Don Myers was voted into office as deputy mayor. Both have terms ending Dec. 31, 2023.
City of Moses Lake/Courtesy photos
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | January 13, 2022 1:05 AM
The city of Moses Lake has a new mayor, as city council members voted to elect Dean Hankins to the role during their Tuesday evening meeting.
“Now I feel like we’ve just entered into the Twilight Zone,” Hankins said. “First of all, I’d like to say thank you for the vote of confidence in performing these duties. Even with the limited duties the mayor has in this form of government, I consider this a privilege and honor, and I will do my best to not make people who voted for me regret it in the future.”
Prior to the nominations of Hankins, as well as council members Don Myers and David Eck for the role, Moses Lake City Manager Allison Williams explained the role of a mayor in a council-manager city form of government. The mayor is the chairperson of the council, she said, and presides over meetings. The mayor is also recognized as the head of the city for ceremonial purposes and by the governor for the purpose of military law, she said. While the sitting mayor has no regular administrative duties, during a public emergency, the mayor may take charge of the police to maintain law and order.
Newly elected council member Mark Fancher nominated Hankins for the mayoral role with Dustin Swartz, Fancher and Hankins also voting in Hankins favor. Council member David Eck was nominated by Deanna Martinez for the role and both she and Eck voted for him. Council member Judy Madewell nominated Myers and she and Myers cast votes for him.
Myers was confirmed as deputy mayor shortly after the vote installing Hankins as mayor. The deputy mayor serves as mayor whenever the sitting head of the council is not able to perform those duties, Williams said.
For Madewell, Swartz and Fancher, Tuesday’s meeting was their first on the council after the Nov. 3, 2021, election put them ahead of incumbents and challengers. Martinez took her seat in December when Mike Riggs resigned after losing to Martinez.
The next regular Moses Lake City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at 401 S. Balsam St. Anyone wishing to attend online may do so through the Zoom link in the agenda which will be posted at https://bit.ly/MLAGENDAS.
R. Hans Miller can be reached via email at [email protected].
(Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify when Martinez took her council seat.)
ARTICLES BY R. HANS MILLER
Awareness helps prevent porch pirates’ success
EPHRATA — At least 58 million packages were stolen in the U.S. last year, with about 25% of Americans being the victims of theft, according to the United States Parcel Service. At the local level, there are thefts occurring regularly as well, but that doesn’t mean that you’re stuck being the victim, authorities say. “The experience of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office is that package theft happens regularly,” said GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman. “It is a crime of opportunity. When someone’s out looking to try and make a quick buck, they may drive through a neighborhood looking for unattended packages on the front porch.”
Gorge shooting trial rescheduled to 2026
EPHRATA — The trial in the case of James Kelly, the man charged in the June 2023 shooting that led to the deaths of two women at the Beyond Wonderland music festival held at The Gorge Amphitheatre, has been bumped to early next year, according to court documents.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: In appreciation of educators ...
An experience I recently had with a school district, quite honestly, has left me gob-smacked a bit. I am in awe of the teachers and administrators at school districts throughout the region and what they have to deal with. Let me get back to the beginning, though. Journalists often cover a wide variety of topics and are constantly looking for ideas for stories that will matter to readers. As such, when we hear of events of interest, we sometimes ask to attend so we can either cover it, or, as in this case, learn how to cover a topic better.