Lacambra, Weathers square off in Airway Heights race

Lacambra is deeply rooted in the community

Council Position 4 candidate Jared Lacambra has had a long history with Airway Heights, with his family settling in the area in 1999.

Although he moved almost 13 times before going to high school, of all the places he had been, Airway Heights had always been home.

He attended Sunset Elementary School for fifth and part of sixth-grade before his dad, who was in the Navy, was reassigned to Mukilteo. Once his dad retired, Lacambra moved back to Airway Heights and he attended all four years at Cheney High School.

He left the area one more time when he joined the Air Force, but decided to move back to Airway Heights in 2009, attending Eastern Washington University with earning a degree in electrical engineering. He is currently an electric engineer and project manager at Bonneville Power Administration.

"While I have never held an elected political office, I am not a stranger to having been in leadership positions," Lacambra said. "I have not missed a City Council meeting since almost August and I feel like I would be prepared to jump right in since I have been attending."

Lacambra has been serving others for a large part of his life as he was in the military, worked as a lineman and has been a wrestling coach at Westwood Middle School and Cheney High School.

"I had been mulling over running so I could serve and give back to my community for some time," Lacambra said. "A good friend of mine and also my assistant wrestling coach, Jacob Powers from the Heights Church, told me I should run. His encouragement helped me a lot in taking the leap."

If he is elected, he would like to be a part of some solutions for the city. The issues he wants to work on with the Airway Heights staff in various departments are: traffic, housing, public safety and code enforcement.

But he believes the biggest issue in Airway Heights is the water contamination.

"This issue received a lot of attention when the story first broke and the ban was implemented," Lacambra said. "Getting us off the contaminated well is only an interim solution and the tip of the iceberg. We need to run this issue to the ground with a final solution, while continuing to work with the department of the Air Force. That is the biggest issue in my opinion."

Lacambra is proud to count himself as an "Airway kid," which is why he and his wife built their home in town with the intent of raising their future family there. He cares deeply about the community and its youth as he has been coaching in the Cheney School District for almost a decade.

"In the end, I am all about the community and building it up," Lacambra added. "I want to bring people together and for people to be proud to say that they are from Airway Heights."

Weathers is excited about the potential of the town

Council Position 4 candidate James (Sonny) Weathers moved his family of five to Airway Heights in September 2010 because they were excited about the potential of the town.

Weathers is a graduate from Medical Lake High School. He has a certificate of entrepreneurship from Spokane Community College and an associate degree in applied science degree in aviation maintenance technology from the Community College of the Air Force. In 2016, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in urban and regional planning from Eastern Washington University.

Weathers grew up on various military bases across the country, but the first place that ever felt like home was when his dad was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. Weathers also now works at Fairchild as an Air National Guard technician.

As the street he lives on has develop with the town, his family has sought to build a level of trust and confidence with their neighbors which has resulted in a kind of fellowship that has proven to be beneficial. Weathers is also involved in a local church where he serves on the board of elders.

"I have always been interested in politics, having volunteered on numerous political campaigns, but didn't get truly involved in politics until I was appointed to the Spokane Regional Chase Youth Commission in 2005," Weathers said. "I was appointed to the city of Airway Heights Planning Commission in 2015 where I currently serve as the Vice-Chair. Our city is growing at a rate that outpaces all other municipalities in Spokane County, and it is truly a joy to be a part of shaping that growth."

The three most important issues that Weathers believes Airway Heights faces are: Water – specifically the recent issue with pollutants from Fairchild; schools – he believes there is a lack of schools in Airway Heights, and smart growth – the town has been the fastest growing municipality in Spokane County for over a decade.

"As a member of City Council, I will consistently seek to engage with members of our community in order to stay in tune with their desires and concerns," Weathers said. "I will look to work with the Cheney School District to acquire property for the express purpose of building another school in Airway Heights."

Weathers would also work alongside the city manager and hopes to aggressively decrease the debt. He would hope to reduce the cost of services provided to their citizens and put more of their dollars to work with providing opportunities for development that would encourage locally owned small businesses to meet the needs and desires of the city's citizens.

Grace Pohl can be reached at [email protected].