RITZVILLE CITY COUNCIL Q&A: Plumb vs. Ottmar
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 2 weeks AGO
Michelle Plumb, pictured, is running against Eric Ottmar, no image available, for the 2025 Ritzville City Council election.
FILE PHOTO
RITZVILLE – The race for Ritzville City Council consists of two candidates, Michelle Plumb and Eric Ottmar. Plumb responded to a set of five questions presented as follows.
The Columbia Basin Herald has reached out to Eric Ottmar, Plumb’s opponent in the race, but received no response.
How do you plan to support local businesses and attract new ones to Ritzville?
Plumb: Council voted to hire a Community Development Director to focus on this very issue in 2025, so supporting him in that role going forward. He’s already been invaluable on several issues that we’ve seen arise this year.
How do you plan to support local businesses and attract new ones to Ritzville?
Plumb: We need workforce housing. Everyone knows it. We’ve worked on the development code to try to tackle this through a mixed-use zoning addition. The Multi-Family Tax Exemption tool has only recently been made available for use by smaller cities, but I feel it is an avenue worth pursuing.
What is your vision for youth engagement and opportunities in Ritzville?
Plumb: There are conversations happening around our Park and Rec facilities and what the city envisions for those. Ideally, the Adams County Park & Rec District #4 could expand programming, but they remain limited to maintenance and operation of the water park. It would be amazing to get some synergy between our two agencies and remains on my wish list.
How do you plan to collaborate with county and state officials to bring resources and attention to Ritzville?
Plumb: Our mayor is the interim public works director and engineer for the county, so I feel we’ve got that cross-pollination covered pretty well at the moment.
What role do you see technology playing in improving city services and communication with residents?
Plumb: Huge. I cannot overstate how much these tools help freeing up staff time and improving the customer experience once they are leveraged correctly. We still have some work to do on that last part but the council seems to agree across the board on this matter.
ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Eagles fall to Entiat on the court
SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Eagles boys and girls tennis teams both fell 2-3 against Entiat Tuesday evening. After a long day of matchups going back and forth, the Eagles came just short of earning team victories on both sides. “It was good, that was our second time playing them, and I felt like the kids played a lot better,” said Eagles Head Coach Lee Leavell. “I was a little nervous with them coming back from break, but they responded pretty well and despite us losing, I was pretty happy with it.”
Wildcats finish 1-3 in weekend series against St. Martins
LACEY — The Central Washington University Wildcats (9-29) wrapped up their road trip over the weekend 1-3 against Saint Martin’s with a 6-2 victory in game three Sunday, according to a statement by CWU Athletics. Their victory in game three was led by the Wildcats pitcher Zoey Theophilus. “Zoey had an outstanding weekend and was a huge reason we stayed competitive in every game, giving our offense the chance to do its job,” said Wildcats Head Coach Ronnie Ladines. “This team continues to improve each weekend, and it’s exciting to see the progress.”
Basin tennis roundup, April 4-11
MOSES LAKE — While many took a rest during their spring break, a handful of Columbia Basin tennis teams competed fiercely in matches as their seasons march forward. See below how your favorite teams have performed.