Meet the six Moscow City Council candidates

Kelsey Berends 

Berends works as human resources and talent acquisition manager at Emsi, a local economics firm. She grew up in Everson, Washington then moved to Moscow to attend New Saint Andrews College. She said she fell in love with the vibrancy of Moscow when she moved here, so one of her focuses is to help others put roots down here. She wants to work with city council to improve affordable housing options in the city.

“I think my business background is something that is going to be a strong asset to the city council. I am the HR manager at Emsi and there are two kind of main aspects of my role that I really think that can translate over to city council. The first part is simply being able to listen to all sides of an argument and being able to weigh the different opinions as we look at long-term growth for a company and how it impacts our employees and their livelihoods today,” Berens said. “Also with hiring (at Emsi) I bring an understanding of why Moscow is so wonderful.”

Sandra Kelly 

Kelly works at Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute. She grew up in Mountain Home, Idaho and moved to Moscow in 2007. Kelly said she’s a member of nonprofits and volunteer groups in the community, including her role as Chair President at the 1912 Center & Heart of the Arts, as a member of the Human Rights Commission and from past service in Americorps.

“I like being a part of Moscow, and because of all of that volunteer work, I’ve met such a variety of people and had to work with such a variety of people,” Kelly said. “I mean, from every realm, I can’t think of a realm that I haven’t worked with in one of those groups. I think that really does show my ability to communicate, my ability to collaborate with people and my ability to be a diplomat. I’ve worked with big budgets, I’ve worked with small budgets on these boards. I’ve worked with contractors, electricians and lighting people.”

Brandon Mitchell

Mitchell is the owner of six Jiffy Lubes: one in Moscow, one in Pullman and others in surrounding cities. He grew up in Syracuse, Utah and moved to Moscow in 2013. Upon moving, he said he was struck by the welcoming, accepting nature of the city. This inspired him to get involved in local politics and give back to the community by running for city council. As a Moscow business owner, he loves getting the chance to talk to community members from all walks of life on a day-to-day basis.

“I’ve been in the business world for 30-plus years now. I’ve seen how to control budgets, I’ve seen how to spend money wisely and get the most out of the money that I bring in,” Mitchell said. “That, coupled with the hard work that I’m willing to do—I jump in and I’m not scared to work late nights to try and figure out ‘okay, how do we find a solution to this issue that may be coming up?’”

Maureen Laflin

Laflin is a UI College of Law Faculty member. She moved to Moscow in 1991 and said she loves the inclusive nature of the city and watching how well the downtown area has grown over the last 30 years. She said she’s worked in the law school’s legal aid clinic for 25 years, listening to people from Moscow and beyond. She hears and responds to their needs through working in low-income clinics and helping to create pro bono programs in Idaho and the Ninth Circuit.

Laflin said she brings a strong history of helping those in need to this election. She always dreamed about participating in public service, but never had the time to add it into her busy schedule running the legal clinic. Her plan to retire in May will allow her the time to fulfill that dream.

“One of the other skills I think I really bring is the ability to research, putting time into things, being a problem solver and doing enough research on particular issues,” Laflin said. “I don’t need to know the answer. I need to know how to find the people who do know the answer and to learn from them and to hear from everyone, and then make a decision and take action on it.”

James Urquidez

Urquidez is the owner and operator of Classic Wood Floors and Carpentry. He moved to Moscow from California nine years ago. He said he’s running for city council to make sure all people in the community have representation. In Tuesday night’s candidate forum, he said he spends a lot of time in the community with people coming out of prison, people with addiction issues and others.

“I think I represent a class and a small business working-type person that’s not generally represented well,” Urquidez said. “So I’m going to bring my small business experience and my work within the community.”

Urquidez said it seems like a lot of people are focusing on the hot-topic issues in this campaign and rarely asking, ‘what are you going to do about the infrastructure, what are you going to do about lowering taxes,’ concerns he says most people have.

Anne Zabala

Zabala is the executive director of Backyard Harvest, a local nonprofit that serves all of Moscow and surrounding counties to garden and provide fresh produce to different groups and food banks. She grew up in small-town Idaho and moved to Moscow to attend UI.

She is an incumbent candidate, running for reelection as her first term comes to a close. She says she focused on discussions and action surrounding alternative transportation, affordable housing, sustainability and smart growth in her first term.

“In the last two years, we’ve been able to make some really good policy decisions as well as some really great cultural changes, including engaging the public, soliciting feedback, trying to collect data to help guide decision-making, and I’m running for reelection to continue that work for the next four years.”

The Argonaut will continue to follow the Nov. 5 City Council Election.

Here’s how to vote in the Moscow City Council Election

Ellen Dennis can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @edennis37