Leavenworth’s Clint Strand announces bid for county commissioner

LEAVENWORTH — Leavenworth City Councilmember Clint Strand has announced his candidacy for Chelan County District 2 Commissioner, joining a race that includes incumbent Shon Smith and challenger Nathan Helligso. 

Strand told Ward Media that his decision was driven by encouragement from community members and a desire to lead the county from a space of transparency, clear expectations, and accountability.

“I love my time and my colleagues on the Leavenworth City Council in the 8-plus years I have served so far, but this opportunity was too great to pass up,” said Strand.

Paired with his council experience, Strand believes his career in communications sets him apart from his competition.

“The fact I cut my teeth learning how to ask questions for an entire community at KOZI and KOHO allowed me to learn how to cut to the heart of an issue, and will help me in my efforts to explain to our constituents what’s going on at the County in terms we all can understand,” said Strand.

Strand said his experience in city government has also given him insight into how municipalities and the county can better collaborate on shared challenges.

During his time on the council, Strand said his work on the Finance Committee taught him how to balance municipal budgets, while his time on the Housing Committee was dedicated to exploring the opportunities, challenges, and complexities of meeting a community’s housing needs.

“We all know the first few rungs on our housing availability ladder are torn out. It’s not just low cost, “affordable” housing, but home ownership options for our teachers, our nurses, and our young families are mostly out of reach,” said Strand.

Strand said solutions will require “a regional, partnership-based approach” that provides incentives for builders to create this type of housing and identifies practical areas within the county for development.

In addition to housing, Strand identified the county’s most pressing issue was trust.

“People need to trust their experience with the county will be a consistent, professional one built on a dedication to service. Additionally, those working at the County need to trust their employment experience is one they can feel good about,” said Strand.

His plan to address this, he said, starts with asking the right questions to identify the causes of those breakdowns, then creating expectations and accountability measures to ensure improvements.

Asking the right questions and listening in order to create an effective strategy for change, he said, will be his top priority first year in office.

“Leadership, for me, comes down to three things: earning authentic trust, setting your people up for success, and removing barriers to success your people are facing. You do that by really listening to folks, especially when they don’t agree with you,” said Strand.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media