Letters to the Editor

To the editor,

For at least thirty years, I have known Scott Marinella as a friend, a co-counsel in lawsuits, an opponent in lawsuits, a judge, and a co-member of a committee. I have observed him as Judge of the Columbia County District Court and as a Judge Pro Tem of the Superior Court in the last year and one half because of the absence of the elected judge. Scott possesses the qualities of patience, courtesy, reason, common sense, and studiousness necessary for an excellent judge. I have endorsed him for Superior Court Judge of Asotin, Columbia, and Garfield Counties, and I ask that you endorse him with your vote.

George Fearing

Richland, Wash.

To the editor,

I have not been a Democrat all my life. I grew up in a Republican household and I have voted for Republicans when I felt they were the best candidate to represent my values. Presidents I would have voted for had I been around in those times or old enough to vote for them are Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and most likely Dwight D. Eisenhower all Republicans; BUT I would also have voted for Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy all Democrats.

Political parties and isms such as conservatism, liberalism, capitalism, and socialism don’t mean much to me except as viewpoints that are often distorted by those who want to use them for emotional purposes. Practicality, functionalism and reset mean more to me. Does it work and if not, then what can be changed to make it work and if after changes have been made and it still doesn’t work choose to toss it out and start over with a new idea.

Does it go against the deepest of human values such as integrity, truth, honesty, respect, and love for your fellow human being? Does it allow for inclusive democracy where all who are considered adults and somehow haven’t permanently lost their right to vote are freely allowed to vote no matter how they might vote?

A political party that promotes practicality, the deepest of human values and seeks to be inclusive will get my vote over a party that does pretty much the opposite and right now that party is the Democrats over Republicans. I encourage those who value democracy to choose Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

Tom Fitzsimmons

Pomeroy, Wash.

To the editor,

I have been a practicing attorney for more than 25 years. For the past five years, Scott Marinella has been my law partner; before that, he was my employer. Scott has been the single biggest influence on my legal career. By words and example, he taught me to work hard for my clients, be professional with my colleagues, clients and staff–even when I was frustrated and stressed, protect my credibility by being honest, rational and direct with my clients, judges and opposing counsel, and to do what I said I would do. These professional expectations carry over into his judicial work.

Scott’s legal experience is broad and lengthy: former prosecutor, personal injury, real estate transactions, contracts, advising businesses, advising municipalities…for over 30 years. Bringing this legal experience to the judicial bench benefits each party and every attorney. Scott’s more than 10 years of judicial experience covers criminal and civil cases and, by necessity, includes budget, staff and daily management experience. In addition to Scott’s elected position as Columbia County District Court Judge, for the past 18 months, he has been the primary superior court judge in Columbia County and on an as-needed basis, the superior court judge for Garfield County and Asotin County.

Asotin, Garfield and Columbia Counties all share one judge; that judge juggles a lot of responsibility. In a normal year, a newly elected judge has a steep learning curve. But this is not a normal year. With the 18-month absence of the elected superior court judge and complications of COVID-19, the court’s motion and trial calendar is very busy and will demand that the newly-elected judge jump in quickly. With his significant legal and judicial experience, Scott Marinella is prepared to be the superior court judge for our counties.

Kimberly Boggs

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

This is a letter of support for Vonda (Vonni) Mulrony, candidate for Garfield County Commissioner in District 1. Vonni and her husband, Randy, have been extremely active and invested in this community since their arrival in 1980. When their kids were in school, they were very active in youth activities, especially the Pony Punchers and the wrestling program. Through their connections with the youth, they served as positive role models to the young people in our community.

Vonni’s experience and qualifications speak for themselves. She has worked in public and private health within the community at the Garfield County Health District and the dental office of Dr. Scott Smith. She taught dental hygiene as a professor at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, and is presently working at a local insurance agency.

If elected as your county commissioner, she will represent the interests of Garfield County and its residents. She will be a presence at all county and state meetings relevant to the needs and wants of Garfield County. She is committed to traveling to Olympia to represent and defend the welfare of this community. Her present employer is very dedicated to supporting Vonni in this endeavor and is willing to be flexible with her work schedule.

Vonda comes to public office with a wealth of experience and knowledge working and networking with people. She is a past member of the Pomeroy School Board as well as the Garfield County Memorial Hospital Board. She is aware of the educational needs of our children as well as funding revenue and laws that govern our educational system. This is also true of her expertise and experience in the health care field. Not only did she deal with laws and regulations of the health care industry as a member of the Hospital Board, but as a grant coordinator for the Public Health District, she pursued grant opportunities and administered federal dollars distributed to fund these grant activities. In her careers at Lewis-Clark State College and the Health District, she presented to various groups regularly, thus she is very comfortable speaking at a public gathering.

I served as a fellow school board member with Vonni. I witnessed firsthand her ability to ask the hard questions and demand honest, straight-forward answers from participants. She listens intently and respectfully, but always gives a fair and impartial response. She never rubber stamps an issue or backs down under an uncomfortable situation.

My final point I wish to make to you is Vonni would be the first woman county commissioner in Garfield County. Please understand, I am not advocating that you vote for Vonda because she is a woman, but I am advocating you vote for her because she brings another perspective or viewpoint to the table. Often times men and women see things differently. By recognizing another point of view, all sides of a topic may be explored.

Please consider casting your vote for Vonda Mulrony as County Commissioner for the 1st district in Garfield County. She is a “nice guy” but she will always stand for integrity and doing right by her constituents. You will not regret your decision!

Linda (Jim) McKeirnan

Pomeroy, Wash.

To the editor,

Fast approaching is a time to give what small voice we as individuals have over our political destiny. Far removed from the nation’s capital and perhaps even further removed from our State capitol we live in a small rural county.

We have the privilege of knowing personally the people we install into our county elected positions. I know every person on the ballot for commissioner from the primary to the general election. I like every person who has been on the ballot from the primary to the general election.

Now it comes to splitting hairs and looking deeper. How many important decisions have I discussed with my wife? Generally, she has a slightly different way of weighing information from my method. Vonni Mulrony, in my opinion, brings the greatest amount of potential return to the citizens of our county. She and Randy have raised three children to responsible adulthood. Her work ethic is off the charts. It is not that she would make promises; she simply knows no other way than to do her utmost to discharge her duty.

Do you know who voted for women to have the right to vote? Men did. Do you know why the men voted for women to have the right to vote? Because we men knew and still know today that a woman’s thinking is different from a man’s and society benefits from the blended knowledge and the value of their council.

When a girl grabs a saddle horn and throws her leg over her horse and brings the cattle off the pasture to fresh grass, how much more would she do for us, the citizens of Garfield County? Vonni will give a maximum effort to achieve her goal to her God, her country and the people she represents here.

Eric E. McKeirnan

Pomeroy, Wash.

To the editor,

I am writing to express my support for Scott Marinella as the next Superior Court Judge. He has been a mentor to me for the past 25 years. In my second doctoral dissertation, I had the pleasure of acknowledging Scott for how he helped me to grow both personally and professionally as a psychologist.

Scott is committed to not only ruling in a firm and fair manner, but more importantly has worked proactively to put offenders on the right path moving forward. One example is how he provides encouragement and access for individuals who would benefit from behavioral health services.

Scott has proven he has all the skills necessary to be an excellent Superior Court Judge. In addition, he has tremendous energy and passion for the residents of Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia County.

K. Todd Carman-Wagner, PhD, DSW

Walla Walla, Wash.