Larry Price, in the process of planning his term as mayor of Coulee Dam, emphasizes the need to bring people together.

“People in the town have been battling each other, and we need to come together,” Price stated in an interview last week. Not only that, but people see two separate towns: one, the engineers town, and the other, the part that is on the reservation.

“After all, it’s just a bridge,” Price said. Instead of the bridge separating the two distinct parts of town, he says, “the bridge also brings us together.”

He sees shorter council meetings coming.

“I don’t think council meetings should be longer than an hour, and maybe an hour-and-a-half when we are dealing with something really important,” Price stated.

He said the town has a start on repairing some of the worst sidewalks. “I may have to wait until the town prepares its 2019 budget to deal with sidewalks,” Price said.

He wants to jump start the town’s emergency medical service and fire department, and get them active again.

“We need to improve our tax base,” he said. “Right now, I don’t know how we will do that. I don’t see the town selling the building that houses the Melody and bowling alley. I don’t think it would pay for itself. But I would like to see some theater group using the old theater, maybe the high school,” Price stated.

Price has lived in Coulee Dam for four years, and this will be his first experience of holding public office. He won handily in the race for mayor.

“I thought that I would win; I counted votes and believed that I would win,” Price said.

“I am not a micro-manager,” Price said of his management style. “I believe that you hire a good staff and then let them do their jobs. We have a fine staff, and I believe we will have a strong council. So I look for some good things in town government as we look ahead.”

Price believes that the town should have good relations with the Colville Tribes.

“I think we also need to work with Elmer City,” he emphasized. “Regardless what Elmer City decides on its wastewater plant, we want good relations with them.”

He doesn’t see a need to be at city hall all the time. Price noted that he had talked with Paul Townsend, the mayor of Grand Coulee, who spends Tuesdays in his office at city hall. “I plan on developing a time when I will be available,” Price said. “Probably for the first few months I will be available more while I learn about town government.”

On alleged drug houses in the town, Price said, “We need to clean them up.”

Right now he is learning and hopes to attend school board meetings and other city council meetings so that he can get a good feel of what others are doing.