Questions & Answers
What background or experience has prepared you to understand and support the needs of local businesses?
To explain this, I should first introduce you to my father, Mark R. Mahnkey.
When my dad attended WSU for his business degree in the late 1960’s, he took a job in Pullman working as a night manager at Finch’s Grocery. Many years later, he took that knowledge and the skillset gained to open and run a chain of small neighborhood grocery stores in the Tacoma area. I grew up watching him work and learning first-hand the lessons only family members of a small local business owner can truly understand- the hard work, family time sacrificed, early mornings, long days, and late nights.
As a child I would visit him for the summer and I would often accompany him to one of the stores to work, stocking and facing shelves. As a pre-teen I was shown how to set-up and count down the tills for the day, and the day after taking my driver’s test and receiving my license, he sent me to do the daily deposits on my own for the very first time.
I also learned what could often be sacrificed in the pursuit of success- missing the start of family holiday celebrations because the store was open to cater to the inevitable crowd of late-comers who needed that extra can of whatever they forgot to buy, and very happy we were there for them at the last minute. Their heartfelt thanks was usually more than enough to make up for literally being late to dinner.
Eventually, like many high-schoolers who grew up in Pullman, I used what I learned working for my father to obtain my first “real” job…working at Dissmore’s IGA.
Since then, I’ve gone on to run radio stations with budgets in the millions of dollars, and small businesses with budgets literally starting in the negative. As the current owner of a voiceover and audio production business catering to clients ranging from small and local to large interests with a worldwide presence, and as someone who works directly for one of the few local family owned radio groups left in the world, I continue to both see and experience for myself some of the difficulties faced by local business owners.
Coming from this fairly distinctive point of view and by continuing my open-door policy to meet with and ask questions of local business owners, I am ready to continue to help make Pullman a better place to live, work, and do business. And if you’re a PHS Greyhound Sports fan and that phrase sounds familiar to you, that just proves the business I’m in is successful and is doing its job well.
What are your top 3 priorities for Pullman?
Addressing vacancies downtown-
There are many stated reasons building owners allow their property to sit vacant. Some ask for rental amounts too high for new businesses to consider, and at levels beyond the reach of even well-established local shops. Some have said they do it for tax purposes, or because they want to sell but are waiting for a windfall offer which is unlikely to come in an expedient manner. The City should continue to explore ways to discourage vacancy and encourage owners to find paying tenants in lieu of choosing to take tax write-offs whenever possible.
Bringing new business and start-ups to the downtown area-
Downtown Pullman can be a vibrant place as it once was, but it is difficult to find a place to land if you’re just starting out, or trying to expand your existing business. Finding ways to encourage new business and startups to locate downtown, such as incentives for building owners and the establishment of a business incubator could do wonders. New business ideas and concepts are being developed all the time, many here in Pullman. We need to find ways to keep these innovators here to build not just their business, but also their families, and to help build a positive future for all of us.
Promoting Pullman-
We all know we live and work in a wonderful city, but does the rest of the world? I’ve often asked myself this question, and I’ve hosted many visitors who have expressed a desire to not just explore or visit, but to actually relocate here. Many WSU alumni hold a special place in their heart for Pullman, and we should do all we can do to encourage all types of growth. Not simply “putting our best foot forward” for visitors and students, but actively inviting them to do more than visit. By making it as easy as possible for people to relocate, and for new arrivals to find a place to live, a place to do their work, exciting and fun things to do, and to generally find their way around. Civic growth goes hand-in-hand with economic growth.
What role do you think the City should play in supporting economic growth?
As I mentioned in the three items above, addressing vacancies, encouraging new businesses and start-ups, and promotion of the city. Pullman should using these methods and actively encouraging business in the city proper, and secondly in the shared taxation zone surrounding Pullman. This second option will have the added effect of both expanding our city and county tax-base and will benefit the residents of Pullman without adding undue stress of additional taxes on city residents. Working closely with entities such as SEWEDA and the Port of Whitman County would also be of benefit for cultivating new businesses in this zone.
What do you see as the two most significant challenges facing businesses in Pullman today?
Changing attitudes toward shopping-
Invariably, when discussing driving people to patronize downtown businesses, the discussion turns to how to get the students off the WSU campus and into downtown. Since the dawn of the internet as an everyday technology, the experience of “shopping” has changed drastically. Downtown business is not alone- malls are struggling, most brick & mortar shops have turned to having an online presence to survive, and even going out for a movie or dinner has been replaced by streaming online and UberEATS or other delivery services. However, none of this is exclusive to students.
When I went on campus and started asking students what would bring them downtown, the answers were surprising- “Free parking would be nice.”, “I wish we had an Italian restaurant.” Both of these exist downtown…as you can see, there is an informational disconnect. The most surprising answer was- “Why would I leave campus when I can get everything I need right here?” When you add in the lack of desire for students to leave a campus which provides everything they want or need delivered to their door, or just a short walk away if they do venture out, and the lack of knowledge about what downtown has to offer the average student, the problem becomes fairly obvious.
We need to actively market downtown businesses as offering things you can’t have delivered, or things which are unique and worth the trip. Also, having an active and specifically targeted informational campaign about downtown Pullman can go a long way.
Loss of Businesses-
In my chats with local business owners, the single biggest issue driving a business exodus from not just downtown, but Pullman in general is the high overhead of doing business when compared to nearby cities outside of Washington, most notably Moscow, ID. Many business owners I’ve talked to mention specifically Washington State B&O taxes, high rent, and the cost of labor as being major concerns, although not the only challenges. While two of these specific items are not necessarily something the City Council Members can address directly, finding ways to mitigate these issues as much as possible at the local level is paramount.
The city must work toward creating conditions in which businesses can thrive by reducing or revising burdensome regulations, as well as doing more events like “To-Go and Gather”, and by supporting groups such as the Chamber of Commerce who drive community and outside interest with events like First-down Friday and the new Holiday Fest, which in turn drive foot traffic into local downtown businesses, and Downtown Pullman Association who feature grants, tax credits, and an online toolkit for small businesses.
How will you balance working well with others across the aisle versus standing up for your core principles and values?
Remembering this position is non-partisan and works best when all parties are working toward a goal to benefit the residents of Pullman as opposed to political ideology- I plan to bring leadership, reliability, organization, and respect to the table in order to work effectively with my fellow Council members.
Most of my working life, my role has been that of a ‘communicator’ in that I share information and ideas with others. In radio, I learned the best thing you can do is listen to people- take the time to understand the issues, concerns, and what must be accomplished. Time spent working in a retail sales role has reinforced that belief. If you are not readily available to listen, you can’t help people, nor can you make informed decisions and work toward a solution or compromise that works for all parties involved. One could argue the political arena is similar, especially when partisanship is involved.
How will you be a champion for civil rights for all people, and what specific groups do you see as lacking a champion?
There are many marginalized groups, but the one thing they all have in common is the war on diversity, equality, inclusivity, and the vilification of such ideas and programs addressing these issues. This must end. While the effects of federal orders have destroyed many positive changes for these affected groups almost immeasurably since original protections were first enacted, and we are moving farther from a diverse, equitable, and inclusive society.
Since the first introduction of modern civil rights legislation in the 60’s, many new groups of individuals (LGBTQ++ groups, for example) have come to prominence and are having the same issues women and people of color did back at the beginning of these policies. We must remain vigilant and supportive of all, as these issues sadly continue. It is extremely important to note how women certainly need to be included in this protected class, now more than ever.
Honestly, I have no say over what anyone does regarding their, or any other individuals healthcare and their personal choices thereof, regardless of gender or how they choose to present, CIS or otherwise. I am certainly less qualified than another to make any sort of choice regarding another persons healthcare, beyond a scenario where I would be asked my opinion.
Regarding issues involving harassment and the pay gap for these groups, I feel now more than ever we need not just strong voices, but strong leadership with character, values, and concern for others, who will stand-up against injustice, inequality, oppression, and call out those who would support same. I am proud to have a moral compass sharing the same direction and goals.
What do you think the biggest challenge or challenges facing your individual candidacy?
I believe it will come down to effectively getting the message out to voters. I realize this isn’t specifically the answer to the question being asked, but it is related.
Looking in from the outside, I see the City of Pullman having a difficult time communicating with the public, and this has been confirmed in conversations with several of my supporters. Be it a high-level administrator giving an interview while effectively avoiding the sharing any relevant facts or information regarding what is currently happening in city government, or a member of the public, city staff, or serving on a public commission who is not feeling heard.
While the office I’m seeking isn’t specifically in charge of the flow of information, I can certainly help the city revamp their procedures regarding internal discussions and direct communication with the public. I expect doing this will be quite the challenge, and I look forward to taking it on.