Spokane County Fire District 10 Commission, position 1
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Haughton | 571 | 42.74% |
| Gordon Hester | 483 | 36.15% |
| John Koberstine | 282 | 21.11% |
* 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.
The Candidates
Kevin Haughton
- Age:
- 56
- City:
- Medical Lake, WA
His pitch: Haughton grew up in Fire District 10 and says it has to adapt to growth and businesses coming to the area. He’s worked in three fire departments as a career and volunteer firefighter, so he believes he can integrate fire district employees working in all capacities. He also wants to tighten the budget to recapture taxpayer dollars and research having a career firefighter on duty 24/7.
His words: “This is another way for me to give back and serve my community. … I believe I’m well rounded in the fire service, as it relates to volunteer staff, career staff and even residents.”
Education: Cheney High School class of 1986. Some college studying fire science at South Puget Sound Community College in the mid-’90s.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Firefighter with the Spokane Fire Department since 2000, and has served as a lieutenant for about two years. Logistics section chief with Washington’s Incident Management Team 12 for more than a decade. Served in the U.S. Army from 1985-1992 and became a volunteer firefighter after he left the military.
Family: Married to Diane Haughton. They have one son and one daughter.
Gordon Hester
- Age:
- 58
- City:
- Spokane, WA
His pitch: Hester has spent a decade working with and managing District 10 firefighters. He also has 30 years of experience in financial management that he said he would apply to the commissioner position. He wants to increase integration with nearby fire departments and look at staffing levels to improve service to residents. He also has board experience with the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Spokane Partnership, among other positions.
His words: “I think I have the experience to bring those rural departments together a little bit more. … I have significantly more experience with financial management than either of the other two candidates.”
Education: Kettle Falls High School class of 1984. Graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in finance.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Has worked for the real estate company Kiemle Hagood since 1990 and is currently vice president and director of commercial real estate. He has volunteered with Fire District 10 since 2009 and been the captain of Station 3 for five years.
Family: Married to Brenda Hester. They have two sons.
John Koberstine
- Age:
- 54
- City:
- Spokane, WA
His pitch: Koberstine said his experience working in Fire District 10 gives him insight into what’s working and what needs improvement. He wants to research having a career firefighter on duty 24/7 and reducing the number of assistant fire chiefs in favor of more career firefighters.
His words: “I want to make sure residents are getting the best service possible to get the best outcome possible, and I believe there is some room for improvement.”
Education: Reardan High School class of 1988. Went through fire service and trade training.
Political experience: None.
Work experience: Currently employed with Peninsula Truck Lines. Became a volunteer firefighter in Fire District 10 in 2009 and worked as a career firefighter in the district from 2011 until he was fired in August 2018.
Family: Married to Dianna Koberstine. They have one daughter at home and two grown children.
Complete Coverage
Spokane County Fire District 10 commissioner candidates have signficant experience
The race for Spokane County Fire District 10 commissioner comes down to financial versus emergency management experience. After the first primary election for a District 10 commissioner in more than a decade, voters whittled down their choices to Gordon Hester, a volunteer district 10 captain, who has been a commercial real estate broker for about 30 years, and Kevin Haughton, a Spokane city fire lieutenant, who has worked with Northwest Incident Management teams for about 13 years.
Primary choices for seat on Spokane County Fire District 10 board includes candidate suing district
Gordon Hester and John Koberstine have many years of experience working in the district, while Kevin Haughton grew up in the West Plains and is a lieutenant for the Spokane Fire Department.