Fournier leads Tenino mayor’s race

Early election results show Wayne Fournier leading the race for Tenino mayor over incumbent Bret Brodersen.

Fournier had 169 votes (56.6 percent) Tuesday night compared to Brodersen’s 128 votes (42.5 percent).

The race was expected to be close in this small city of about 1,700 people. In the August primary, Brodersen and Fournier finished in a tie, with 136 votes apiece.

Fournier was elected to Tenino City Council position 5 in 2011, but decided to forgo re-election and run for mayor.

Fournier is confident that his deep community roots will lead to an election victory. If he wins, his immediate priorities include stabilizing the city’s police force and sewer-system funding.

He praised Tenino voters for their strong turnout, which was higher than the county average in the August primary and could be the same in the general election.

“That to me means people are getting involved,” said Fournier, noting the uncontested elections in Tenino over the years. “We’re a little sandbox and everybody that wants to play should feel welcome. If somebody has a passion for public service, there needs to be a place for them in Tenino.”

If he wins the election, Fournier would take office as soon as the results are certified Nov. 24. That’s because his opponent, Brodersen, was appointed to the position in June 2013 rather than elected.

Earlier this year, he was criticized by many in the community for firing the city’s popular police chief over a financial issue involving the chief’s employment contract and overpaid state retirement benefits.

Although disappointed with the early election results, Brodersen said he hopes the later votes will be more in his favor. In the meantime, Brodersen said he will continue to serve the citizens as mayor.

“I want to thank all of the supporters and volunteers I have had in getting my message out,” he said. “I’m proud of the positive campaign that I ran.”

CITY COUNCIL RACES

In the race for Tenino City Council position 5, Susan Copeland is leading with 70.6 percent against challenger and former mayor Ken Jones, who received 27.7 percent.

In the race for Tenino City Council position 2, David Watterson will retain his seat after running unopposed.

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 10:15 PM with the headline "Fournier leads Tenino mayor’s race."