LaCrosse has lone three-way race

The only local three-way race on the primary ballot in August will be at LaCrosse where Dennis Mackleit, Gary Wargo, and Lois Kendricks are running for the city council seat now held by Jerry Chastain. LaCrosse voters will select the top two for the general election ballot which will include a host of other local races around the county.

LaCrosse has 223 active voters on the auditor’s roll. Candidates for the open seat are listed as follows:

Lois Kendricks

Lois Kendricks said she decided to run for the position after several people in town told her she should.

“I just thought, ‘I care about people. I care about them as individuals,” Kendricks said.

Kendricks, who has lived in LaCrosse for a little less than a year, said she lived in Spokane Valley for 40 years and worked in the medical field for most of her life.

She thinks the town should have more limits on how animals are controlled, particularly the city’s dog leash rules.

She also feels she could do a good job answering citizen complaints, as she hears the current council often won’t speak with citizens about touchy subjects.

“I’m a great believer in courtesy calls- keeping the people informed,” said Kendricks. “I’d like to see people call.”

Kendricks retired from working at Eastern State Hospital at Medical Lake in 1991.

She spent the next six years battling cancer through chemotherapy.

She then went back to school for her associate degree. Today, Kendricks said she works a few hours cleaning at the post office.

Dennis Mackleit

Life-long resident of LaCrosse Dennis Mackleit, worked at the LaCrosse Pioneer Telephone Co. for 44 years and is now retired, freeing him up to work on the council.

“I hope to represent people and the city. Like I said before, listen to the public and discuss with the public and council and see if we can come up with the best results,” Mackleit said.

He said he felt the council needs a new, more open way of approaching people and the city also needs more people coming down to the council meetings.

“People don’t come to the meetings enough. That’s how everything gets out of hand, kind of,” he said.

Mackleit said he doesn’t have any specific issues he’s looking to pursue on the council, but is more interested in just being an open ear to the public view.

“I’m downtown a lot and people know where I live,” he said.

As far as current community life in which he is involved, Mackleit said he and his wife are on the committee trying to bring a grocery store back to LaCrosse.

“I’m helping pursue anything we can to help the community,” he said. He added he’s been interested in being on the council for a long time, but was tied up with his job at the telephone company.

Gary Wargo

LaCrosse school superintendent Gary Wargo says he’s interested in “serving the community” and “doesn’t have any ax to grind.”

Wargo noted the city council has some major decisions coming up on their water and sewer systems.

“I know those are important issues that need some deep thought. I’d like to be able to help out on those issues,” he said.

Wargo said the job on the council won’t take too much of his time away as superintendent, noting the council only meets once a month with a few special meetings in between.

Wargo and his wife Lynn moved to LaCrosse nine years ago, when Wargo took the job at the school. Their two children attend school there. Before LaCrosse, Wargo worked as a business manager at an Anacortes school for 25 years.