October 1, 2020: Washington State 5th Congressional District candidate debate with Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dave Wilson.

The Washington State 5th Congressional District encompasses nearly 1/3 of the entire state with many diverse rural communities across Eastern Washington with Spokane as the largest urban area in the district. Agriculture is a central subject in the district with issues ranging from farm subsidies, water rights, farm labor/immigration subjects, and international trade agreements. The 5th District has also featured prominently in national politics and as such it perpetually draws contenders as well as keen attention from across the country.

Please pre-submit your questions for review so that this debate is productive and respectful. Please submit your proposed question to the Rotary Office by 12:00 noon on September 28, 2020. The program team will review your question and suggest modifications if appropriate.

About the candidates:

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Cathy served in the Washington State House, and while there, earned her Executive MBA from UW. In 2004, Cathy became the 200th woman elected to Congress. In the last two years, Cathy has co-sponsored 39 bills passed in the House, ten of which have been signed into law. These have included data security and privacy protections, modernizing the farm workforce, connecting small and medium-sized farms to food banks, and more. CLICK HERE to view more information about Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

Dave Wilson

I am originally from a small town in Illinois. After graduating from college in Iowa, I moved to Los Angeles to try living in a big city. I went to work for the first national retail chain that sold personal computers, three years later I was transferred to Spokane by that company and have lived here ever since. In 2014 and 2016 I ran for Congress as an Independent, the Spokesman-Review endorsed me both elections, and I set a record for the number of votes received by an Independent candidate. In 2018, I ran for the Washington State House of Representatives as a Democrat in the 6th Legislative District. CLICK HERE to view more information about Dave Wilson.

Interested in attending? CLICK HERE to contact the Rotary office.

October 8, 2020: Dennis Vermillion, Avista Corp. President & CEO

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Avista Corp. President and CEO Dennis Vermillion tell us how the energy generation and delivery industry is changing, how Avista is evolving to and leading on climate initiatives, and how energy innovation could shape our future.

Program coordinated by Paul Read.

Want to attend? Click here to contact the Rotary Office.