Ewers running for county commissioner
Local businessman Matt Ewers hopes to replace Spokane County Commissioner Kate McCaslin when she retires from her post at the end of the year.
Ewers will be running against two other Republican candidates in the September primary – homebuilders’ lobbyist Mark Richard and Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson – but Ewers has McCaslin’s endorsement.
He said his first priority if elected would be to evaluate the county’s strengths and weaknesses to focus resources on areas where county services need to be improved.
Ewers said that top issues facing the county right now include growth, transportation and public safety.
“I want to build the infrastructure to promote economic growth,” he said.
“The most important agenda the county needs to work on is economic development – finding companies that can provide living-wage jobs,” he added.
Ewers said that jobs in health care are a logical first step.
Spokane County must improve its criminal justice system, Ewers said. That means finding new ways to manage the county’s jail population with home monitoring and other programs to reduce the numbers incarcerated in crowded and more expensive jails.
Transportation needs to be approached on two fronts – freight and local, he explained.
Spokane County should do more to encourage rail freight.
As for local transportation, Ewers said: “I support our mass transit system with the buses. As far as going a step farther for light rail, it’s something we need to evaluate for the future, but it’s not something we need to install today.”
Ewers, 46, is married. He doesn’t have kids, but he said he hopes to one day.
Ewers was born in Spokane and graduated from Central Valley High School. He then went on to earn his bachelor’s of science degree in agricultural engineering from Washington State University and a master’s of business administration degree from Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga.
For the past two years, Ewers has worked as the director of marketing and sales at Inland Empire Distribution. Prior to that, he was a regional manager for Dole Food Co. in Central America. He started his career working for Carrier Corp.
Ewers said he moved back to the Spokane area to live closer to his father, who has Parkinson’s Disease.
When he returned, Ewers said he quickly became involved in the community, including business and economic development groups.
This is Ewers’ first run for elected office.
Ewers said his international business experience would serve him well on the commission, particularly when it comes to issues of economic development.
“I take pride in accomplishments and closure. That’s what I’ve based my career on,” he said. “I’ve managed multimillion-dollar budgets and projects, and I’ve made my reputation on getting things done on-time and on-budget.”