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NEWPORT – Pend Oreille County Commissioner Robert Rosencrantz says he is seeking reelection to continue efforts to make county government more transparent, prioritize roads and public safety, and develop an economy that can support county services without placing additional financial burdens on residents.
Rosencrantz, 70, was appointed to the commission in September 2021 after serving on local boards, including the library and hospital boards. He said his priorities have evolved during his five years in office, but public participation and economic development have remained central to his approach.
“Now I’m running to continue providing the strong leadership needed to open county government up, to build on the progress we’ve made over the past five years, and to preserve our quality of life, promote affordability, and protect us from bad decisions,” he said.
Rosencrantz spent most of his professional career in real estate transactions and finance. He worked for several companies before operating his own firm for more than two decades, including 12 years working with Wall Street companies. Later, he became real estate acquisitions manager for the King County Housing Authority and led the Northwest Affordable Housing Association, a statewide nonprofit serving rural communities.
The nonprofit was struggling financially when he took over, he said. He worked with local governments, state agencies and the Internal Revenue Service to restructure the organization and avoid insolvency. The organization later merged with Spokane Housing Partners.
Rosencrantz said that experience taught him to make difficult financial decisions while working toward long-term goals.
After moving to Pend Oreille County with his wife, Terry, he became involved in local government and community organizations. He said his interest in public service grew from attending hospital board meetings and wanting to contribute to the community.
When former Commissioner Mike Manus retired, Rosencrantz applied for the vacancy and was selected. He later won election to a full term.
Public participation and transparency
Rosencrantz identifies public participation as one of the most important responsibilities of a county commissioner. He said attending commission meetings and listening to public comment are not enough to understand residents’ concerns.
“The real power in the county is not at the county commissioner’s meeting room,” he said. “It’s in people’s living rooms, around their kitchen tables, and at their front doors.”
He regularly knocks on doors to speak with residents, saying conversations outside formal meetings can reveal differences in how people experience county government across the county’s rural communities.
Rosencrantz said he hears concerns about the cost of groceries, fuel, housing and debt from residents regardless of political affiliation. He believes the county can help address affordability by encouraging businesses that generate jobs and tax revenue.
He also said the county has made progress in prioritizing road maintenance, snowplowing, law enforcement and emergency services. He supports directing more county resources toward those functions and opposes shifting road funds to cover other budget needs.
Rosencrantz said one of his concerns is that residents are not always given enough information or time to participate in decisions affecting their communities.
As an example, he cited discussions about Wolfred Park. Rosencrantz said nearby residents had difficulty obtaining a forest management plan they wanted to review before county action. After learning about the situation, he pushed for the document to be made available.
He said residents were then given limited time to review the plan and comment before a decision.
“That is not transparent,” he said.
Rosencrantz said he believes the county has improved its transparency but still has work to do.
He described his working relationship with fellow commissioners Brian Smiley and John Gentle as professionally productive, although they have different views about the county’s direction. He said the commission works together during public meetings to conduct county business.
Economic development and housing
Rosencrantz’s economic development vision focuses on building on existing local resources and encouraging industries he believes can provide lasting economic benefits. He has proposed developing a regional center for manufacturing and natural resource technology and innovation. He said the county has important assets, including electricity, water, skilled workers and existing businesses, that could help attract new economic activity.
He is particularly interested in opportunities involving manufactured housing, which he believes could support local industry while helping address housing affordability.
Rosencrantz said he has discussed the concept with people involved in the manufactured housing industry and believes changes in how manufactured homes are designed and built could create opportunities in Northeast Washington.
He also pointed to Kaniksu Village in Metaline Falls as an accomplishment during his tenure. The project is planned to provide 22 new housing units, and Rosencrantz said the county committed $47,000 toward a feasibility study to support the effort.
He credited county staff and fellow commissioners with helping advance the project. He said the state awarded the project approximately $4.7 million in funding, which he described as a major step toward bringing the housing development to fruition.
Rosencrantz said he hopes economic development will generate enough tax revenue to help fund county services without requiring additional costs for residents.
He also wants the county to consider how its comprehensive plan, which guides future land use and development, aligns with its economic goals. He said individual policies in the plan can have significant consequences for what kinds of housing and businesses are possible.
Budget priorities and data centers
With the county anticipating a tight budget in 2027, Rosencrantz said road funding, law enforcement and emergency services should take priority.
“Prioritization starts with what is most important,” he said, identifying those three areas as the top of the list. Other services, he said, will require difficult decisions once those priorities are adequately funded.
Rosencrantz said his experience managing a financially troubled nonprofit prepared him to make reductions, consolidate positions and renegotiate contracts when necessary.
He also warned against allowing spending to expand simply because revenue is temporarily strong. In 2022, he proposed directing half of sales tax revenue growth toward roads, saying the approach could provide a more dependable funding source while limiting the expansion of other spending. The proposal was rejected.
Rosencrantz is opposed to large-scale data center development in Pend Oreille County. He said he questions whether data centers generate enough permanent jobs and tax revenue to justify their potential effects on electricity demand, water resources and surrounding communities.
He expressed particular concern about the possibility of expanding the Merkle Standard facility, the former paper mill site, into a data center with a reported capacity of 225 megawatts. Rosencrantz said he has not reviewed project documents and has heard estimates of substantial investment in transmission infrastructure.
He said he is concerned about relying on the company to cover those costs and believes the county should carefully examine whether a proposed expansion would comply with existing landuse approvals.
Rosencrantz emphasized that decisions about electric service and transmission infrastructure fall in part under the authority of the Pend Oreille Public Utility District, where he does not serve as a commissioner. He said the county’s role would depend on the details of the proposed development and applicable permits.
He argued that the county should seek economic development that provides broader community benefits rather than relying on projects he believes may produce relatively few jobs.
Statewide policy and local concerns
Rosencrantz also cited his involvement in an effort to change a statewide rule governing septic system setbacks from bodies of water.
He said he became concerned that increasing the setback requirement from 100 feet to 200 feet could prevent some property owners from building homes. After researching the issue and consulting with people familiar with septic systems, he worked with fellow commissioners to raise the concern with state officials.
Rosencrantz said he submitted a petition and participated in discussions with members of the state Board of Health. He said the board ultimately adopted a change following the review process.
He described the effort as an example of the role commissioners can play beyond county government when state policies affect local residents.
“You have to figure out how to get it done,” he said, adding that leadership sometimes requires
SEE ROSENCRANTZ, 6A taking risks and working through disagreement.
Rosencrantz said his approach to public service is shaped by his belief that trust and reputation matter. He said he does not expect to succeed at every initiative but wants residents to consider his experience and willingness to pursue difficult projects.
Campaign
Rosencrantz said he is largely financing his reelection campaign himself, although he has received contributions from individuals and the Pend Oreille County Republican Party. He said he does not routinely ask people for campaign donations because he prefers to use his time to speak with residents about their concerns.
He said he has not received or been promised financial compensation, gifts or incentives from outside companies or organizations in connection with his reelection.
Rosencrantz and his wife have lived in the county for about nine years. He said his time in public service has been among the most rewarding periods of his life.
“We show what we value by where we spend our time and our money, and I spend both of them here,” he said.
He is asking voters to return him to office so he can continue working on county transparency, economic development, affordability and long-term planning.
