Spokane Valley Fire Commission, position 5
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| William A. (Bill) Anderson | 9,870 | 51.65% |
| Larry T. Rider | 9,239 | 48.35% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
The Candidates
William A. (Bill) Anderson
Political Experience: Spokane Valley Fire Board commissioner since 2000. Active leader in Spokane Valley Firefighters 876. Trustee of Washington State Council of Firefighters for 25 years.
Work experience: Spokane Valley firefighter for 29 years; dispatcher and engineer before a promotion to officer in 1992. Station captain for Millwood Station No. 2 before retiring in 1999.
Education: Graduated from Rogers High School. Earned associates degrees in fire administration and civil engineer technology from Spokane Community College. Earned bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University in general studies in 1991.
Family: Married to Fran Anderson. Has two daughters, a stepson and 11 grandchildren.
Larry T. Rider
Education: Graduated from University High School. Earned associates degree for fire command administrator from Spokane Community College in 1995. Completed the National Fire Academy’s Executive Officer Program in 2001.
Work Experience: Worked for Spokane Valley Fire Department for 35 years, before retiring in 2015. Promoted to lieutenant in 1992 and was part of the fire department’s first technical rescue team in 1994. He became deputy fire chief in 2001. Spent a decade on the Local Emergency Planning Committee and three years on Washington State Fire Defense Board. He was on Spokane Falls Community College Fire Science Committee for 10 years.
Family: Married to Catherine Rider.
Complete Coverage
Spokane Valley Fire Commission candidates locked in close races
The races for two Spokane Valley Fire Commission Board seats are too close to call. Stan Chalich, 73, is leading incumbent Patrick Burch with 49.8 percent of the vote for Spokane Valley Fire Commissioner Position 1. Burch was appointed to the fire board of commissioners in 2016.
Two longtime Spokane Valley firefighters compete for Valley fire commission seat
Spokane County Fire District Board Commissioner William A. “Bill” Anderson and challenger Larry T. Rider have at least one thing in common: more than two decades of firefighting experience. Anderson was employed with the Spokane Valley Fire Department for 29 years as a firefighter, dispatcher, engineer and officer.