Lewiston Council votes to bring in Wright

A political newcomer who works in problem management at Cambia Health Solutions, the parent company of Regence, will fill a vacant seat on Lewiston’s City Council.

Matthew Wright was selected for a position previously held by Hannah Liedkie at a Monday city council work session. He will take office at the council’s meeting next Monday.

Councilors Kathy Schroeder, Kassee Forsmann, and Jessica Klein voted for Wright while Council President Jim Kleeburg cast a vote against him.

Liedkie resigned from her council seat after she won a spot on the Nez Perce County Commission. She ran unopposed in November for the position. Her last city council meeting was Dec. 23. Councilor John Spickelmire was absent Monday.

Wright was one of three applicants nominated by Lewiston Mayor Dan Johnson from a field of 10. The other nominees were Mike Lorenz, a building contractor, and Douglas Wilson, owner of K&K Consultants Home Inspections.

The council split 2-2 on Lorenz, who won the backing of Kleeburg and Forsmann. The council didn’t vote on Wilson after Wright won the support of the majority of the council.

Some of the important issues facing the city are its water infrastructure and commercial passenger air service, Wright said after the meeting.

He doesn’t have positions on those issues, but will address them using skills he has developed in his career such as analyzing data, said Wright, a graduate of Culdesac High School.

He will reach decisions based on the data and citizen comments as well as what’s best for the city and its citizens, Wright said.

Others who sought the position were Maureen Anderson, Bob Blakey, Alan Brown Jr., David Dreadfulwater, Linda Glines, Gabe Iacoboni and Emily Wolf.

Johnson said he nominated Wright, Lorenz and Wilson after studying the applications of all 10, speaking to city council members, listening to citizen comments and hearing from some of the applicants.

In other business the council:

— Made no decision about auctioning city property on the northwest corner of Fifth and Bryden Avenue.

It had been proposed as a site for a new fire station, but the plans were shelved after the costs of the project rose dramatically. One Realtor estimated the property had a value in the neighborhood of $825,000, Klein said.

One reason to look at options is there may be properties better suited to a new fire station in a project that could expand into updating facilities for the police department too, Forsmann said.

But Lewiston Fire Chief Greg Rightmier cautioned against selling the land. He noted it’s one of the few vacant lots where the city could construct a fire station that would meet goals outlined in a fire station study plan, such as reducing response times to certain parts of the city.

— Discussed, but didn’t vote on annexing properties where CCI/Speer has plants near the Southway Bridge and south of the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport. An annexation could increase annual city property tax revenue by as much as $561,000 based on the 2024 city of Lewiston levy rate, according to an agenda item summary.

But the city could lose $865,000 in yearly fees for water consumption and wastewater along with fire prevention and protection, according to the agenda item summary.

The discussion occurred at a time when CCI/Speer, an ammunition maker and one of the city’s largest employers, is under new ownership. Its parent company, Vista Outdoor, sold CCI/Speer and its other ammunition brands to the Czechoslovak Group in November.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.