Mark Donnell for Fire Commissioner, Chelan 7

11/10/2023

Thank You Chelan County Fire District 7 Voters!

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who voted on the November 7th General Election.

Despite Chelan County Elections reporting a low voter turnout in this primary election, your vote is important. Your vote gives you the power to create positive change for your community and determine a better quality of life for you and your family.

While the final votes won’t be officially certified until November 28th, it looks promising that I could be your new Fire Commissioner and I am most grateful for your support.

Throughout my campaign I have stated three objectives that I will strive to achieve:
1. Provide the administrative oversight necessary to ensure efficient and effective use of all fire district resources.
2. Be fiscally responsible with the funding available to ensure we are meeting the service needs of our community.
3. Continue to improve our relations with all members of our growing community, both residents and visitors alike.

Secondly, I want thank all of those individuals who supported me during my campaign. We kept our focus positive and maintained our integrity throughout this campaign. I am grateful to the support I have received from my team and this community.

I will provide a post once the votes are official and, as always, if you have questions or concerns about the fire district, please reach out and I will do my best to respond. Open communication is very important to me and will continue to be moving forward.

11/04/2023

10/30/2023

Many voters in the community only think about the reactive side of a fire department, primarily in terms of how quickly their responders can mitigate an emergency call for service. There is also a proactive side that includes fire prevention and education whereas fire district personnel work directly with the community in improving health and safety and eliminating fire risks.

The responsibilities of your elected Fire Commissioner are more than just approval and oversight of the budget. It is a position that requires that elected representative to be very proactive, not only in assessing the current needs of the community but in determining how to meet those needs in the future. Your elected representative must have the foresight to look ahead with an open mind and be able to work collaboratively with the community and fire administration on a long-range plan. This is accomplished through strategic planning which is the pathway that clearly defines the mission and goals of Chelan Fire & Rescue, while developing a guide for continued service excellence. It is a dynamic document, with stated goals and objectives, that is used as a guide to meet the many challenges and opportunities in providing emergency services during the next five to ten years. The current Chelan Fire & Rescue Strategic Plan asks the following questions:

1. Where are we currently?
2. Where do we want to be?
3. And how will we get there?

Strategic planning, along with the Mission Statement, lays the foundation for the operational policies necessary to provide all hazards emergency response that our community needs to keep our residents and visitors safe and healthy. As your former Fire Chief, my administrative staff and I worked diligently with our Board of Commissioners in developing and implementing the current Strategic Plan. The Chelan Fire & Rescue Strategic Plan is reviewed and updated annually to keep ahead of the ever-changing needs for emergency service in our community. I have experience with and knowledge of the Strategic Plan and a proven record of working with our community in providing the best fire service possible. I hope that you will support me as your next Fire Commissioner.

You can view the 2022-2026 Chelan Fire & Rescue Strategic Planning on the Chelan Fire & Rescue website:

This Strategic Plan is designed to use statistical data and information about the community, its risk factors, emergency call history, and other influencing aspects that affect the Fire District’s ability to deliver community risk reduction programs, emergency preparedness, and emergency response ...

10/29/2023

Since my retirement at the end of 2021, I have continued to volunteer as a Firefighter/EMT with Chelan Fire & Rescue because I know what the needs of the organization are when the call goes out from the community which we serve. As a private citizen, I have attended as many of the Fire Commissioner meetings as possible, both to understand what is going on with Chelan Fire & Rescue and to show support for the current Board of Commissioners and what they are responsible for.

Other than his participation on the Citizens Advisory Group in early 2021, my opponent has not attended any open public meetings of the Fire District preferring to use the minutes of those meetings to base his negative misinformation campaign upon. Mr. Laughlin has yet to come forth with any concept as to what the issues and challenges will be for Chelan Fire & Rescue, preferring to complain about his perception that the public was deceived by the 2021 Levy Lid Lift. His misinterpretation of data presented for analysis along with his lack of understanding of what it takes to legislate and administer a fire district continues to be the platform for his negative campaign. Mr. Laughlin continues to rant about a conspiracy that he has failed to prove and is not capable of open, positive dialogue as evidenced by his management of his social media accounts. He has not stated a single positive position or shown any positive support for the fire district and the community it serves. Ben Laughlin is not the individual we need as your next Fire Commissioner.

The current Fire Administration and Board of Commissioner have done exactly what they stated they would do with the successful passage of the 2021 Levy Lid Lift. They have increased daily staffing to handle the increase in call volumes and improved training for both career and volunteer members. Aging apparatus and equipment are being replaced in addition to the much-needed improvements in the current Station 71. They have moved funds into both the General Reserve and Apparatus Replacement accounts for future funding. They have continued to provide the fiscal accountability and oversight that is required of the Board and Fire Administration. All of these actions have produced quicker responses to emergency scenes and the ability to handle the increases in call volume generated by our growing community. These positive changes have also led to a reclassification by the Washington Survey and Ratings Bureau for both the City of Chelan and Union Valley which have led to homeowners’ insurance cost reductions for some property owners.

The citizens of Chelan Fire and Rescue deserve a Fire Commissioner who will continue to support the fire district in order to meet the growing needs of our community. I have committed to voters of our community that Chelan Fire & Rescue is here to serve you, today and well into the future.

Thank you for your support!

10/27/2023

The Chelan County Assessor recently sent out the 2024 Notice of Value Statements that show what the assessed valuations for property owners will be. Like many other property owners in Chelan County I am not happy with the increased assessed valuation of my property but I was curious when people would also complain about the increase in taxes that they would be assessed. I did a little research and found that even with the increase in the assessed valuation of my property, the dollar amount of what I pay in taxes to Chelan Fire & Rescue has remained unchanged. And it has actually deceased (on a % basis) with the past increases in my assessed valuation since the successful passage of the 2021 Levy Lid Lift.

The assessed valuation on my property has increased 40.8% since the end of 2020 and my taxes paid to Chelan Fire and Rescue have gone from $457.53 to $445.86 (a decrease of 2.6% estimated based upon the 2024 Levy Lid rate of 0.79981516889.) My opponent’s property in Chelan has increased 42.8%, yet his actual taxes paid to Chelan Fire & Rescue will drop from 237.91 to $233.79 (a decrease of 2.6% estimated based upon the 2024 Levy Lid rate of 0.79981516889.) This information is available on the Chelan County Assessor’s Parcel Search tool. I would encourage everyone to check your own parcel(s) to see where your assessment and taxes actually are.

10/27/2023

Great Job today Sign Wavers! I greatly appreciate your support!

10/27/2023

Are you still undecided as to who to vote for Fire Commissioner of Chelan Fire & Rescue? Well then, there are some several more opportunities for you to listen to each candidate before ballots have to be turned in on November 7th. I will be talking with Jeff Conwell on the KOZI Community Connection Wednesday, November 1st at 8:25 am. Please tune in early so you don’t miss anything. For those undecided voters who are unable to listen in I will also be available to talk with you in person tomorrow from 9:30 until 11:30 in front of the Chelan Post Office. I will also be there on Wednesday, November 1st and 3rd Friday, November 3rd from 9:30 until 11:30 am as well.

As always, if those dates and times don’t work for you please call me on my personal cell number 206-713-0103 or email me at [email protected] and I will make time to meet with you in person.

Thank you to all who have voted early! I appreciate your support!

10/24/2023

As your candidate for Fire Commissioner, my campaign focus has been on the issues and challenges Chelan County Fire District 7 is facing now and well into the future. There are several areas that I see will continue to drive how the fire district will continue to provide fire and emergency services response to our growing community. This includes population growth, increased call volumes, staffing (both career and volunteer), and future revenues.

Chelan Fire & Rescue has seen increases in call volumes for the past several years and these increases are driven by both tourism and residential growth. Growth in our community is inevitable and the challenge will be to plan accordingly to continue the current level of fire and emergency service delivery. The current Strategic Plan lays out the basic foundations for achieving this and is updated each year to keep up with our fast-changing community.

The current operational structure of our combination fire district has enabled us to keep pace with the demand for services with the addition of three more full-time firefighters added this year.
But Chelan Fire & Rescue, no different than any other fire district that depends upon volunteers, has struggled to maintain sufficient volunteer members due to the demographics of our area, cost of affordable housing, and the training requirements mandated for all firefighters. Statewide from 1985 to 2020, the number of volunteer firefighters has decreased from 25,000 to 10,000 and those numbers keep falling. This will be a major issue for the district, with no immediate solutions on the horizon.

The one positive challenge lays with our current revenues that were established with voter support in 2021. Chelan Fire & Rescue has been able to replace outdated fire engines and equipment, make needed capital and facility improvements, and increase daily staffing, which has been most challenging in the past two years due to inflation. Firefighter structural gear and hose costs have gone up over 40%. The purchase price of the two new engines increased to $900,000 from the original estimate of $749,000. Supply chain issues also impact costs, with 24-foot extension ladders taking 52 weeks to complete from purchase date. The financial oversight of the current fire commissioners along the fire administration has shown the public that they are and will continue to be respectful of the public trust in managing the fire district.

With your vote I will continue to work on your behalf to provide our community with the best fire service possible with the resources and revenues we are entrusted with.

10/21/2023

There has been some discussion recently regarding increases in property tax assessments. Which has also led to some misleading information circulating regarding the fire department’s levy /funding.

Fire Districts, by law, are funded through a levy on property tax assessments, but it is important that you know they can only increase their annual budget by 1% regardless of increases in assessed property values.

The increases in assessed value come from the Chelan County Assessor’s Office, it is not driven by the city or the fire district.

Chelan Fire & Rescue levy rate was set at $1.10 per $1,000 of assessed value, following the support demonstrated by the community in passing the levy lid lift in 2021.

This support makes it possible for the department to provide efficient and cost-effective services, while looking ahead to the future needs our growing community will require. The current levy rate (2023) is at $0.87 per $1,000 due to increased property assessments and new construction.

The 2024 levy rate has gone down and will be $0.77 per $1,000.

I would invite anyone who has questions regarding the levy and fire department funding to contact me directly. You can email me at [email protected] or by phone at 206-713-0103.

10/17/2023

Let’s Vote!

Your 2023 General Election Ballot will be arriving soon, and your vote is important.

Voting gives us the power to create positive changes for the community we live in, and a better quality of life for ourselves and our families.

Voting helps to ensure that our communities shared values and issues are prioritized.

Your vote plays a key role in choosing who represents you and where government funding and resources are allocated.

I would be humbled to have your vote for Fire Commissioner. I believe I have what it takes to ensure the highest level of fire and emergency services is available should you need it.

I know what is at risk and what it takes, because I’ve been there, boots on the ground, sleepless nights in the fire station and hands on at some of every family’s worst nightmare.