With Jeff Holy leaving his Sixth District House seat, four candidates - two Republicans, two Democrats - are applying for the job. We’ll hear from Democrats Rion Ametu and Dave Wilson. Republican Jenny Graham expressed interest in being interviewed but never followed up to schedule a time. Republican John Aiken Junior didn't answer our invitation.
So we start with Rion [pronounced REE-on] Ametu. He’s a California native who joined the Navy after high school. He worked on submarines. After his six-year stint, he started looking for a place to live and thought the best opportunities came in Washington. So he moved here and worked a variety of jobs. He’s now studying electrical engineering at Spokane Falls Community College and driving part-time for Uber and Lyft. So why does he want to be a state legislator? He says part of it comes down finding the identity of today’s Democratic party.
The other Democrat in the race is Dave Wilson. Wilson is a Midwest native who has lived in Spokane for about 35 years. He founded Interface Computer School, later sold it and now does some business consulting. Wilson has run unsuccessfully for Congress has an independent, but now he’s chosen to run for the legislature under the Democratic Party banner.