Largent resigns from Whitman County board

Whitman County Commissioner Michael Largent is resigning after 18 years of service.

The longtime public servant announced his resignation during the commission’s Monday morning meeting. Largent will leave the elected position in January. The process to fill his seat will begin early next year.

Largent, 65, was elected to the commission in 2006. He’s tied with Grant County Commissioner Cindy Carter for being the longest-serving county commissioner in Washington.

He started his career in politics working as a Senate aid for the Washington State Legislature during the 1999 and 2000 sessions.

Along with serving on the commission, Largent is actively involved in the Whitman County Association of Wheat Growers, he’s a member of the Farm Bureau and he serves on the Snake River Salmon Recovery board.

In 2021, he also served as president for the Washington State Association of Counties.

Largent said the main reason he chose to resign was because he felt in his heart it was time.

“To be quite honest,” he said, “I was starting to lose some of the fire in the belly that you need for a position like this. Once you recognize that, it’s time to move on.”

Leaving the position will free up time for him to spend on the farm. The lifelong Whitman County resident runs his family farm near Colfax and Dusty. He may also get involved in ministry work, which is something he’s always wanted to do.

One of the biggest challenges of the job was dealing with finances. Early on, he said some of the county’s financial statements were not auditable.

“Getting to a place where our constituents could have faith and confidence that their tax money is being spent was a huge challenge,” he said. “But we’ve come a long way since then.”

One of his largest accomplishments was working to make the county financially transparent. Largent was part of transitioning to a new accounting system called New World, which allowed Whitman County’s finances to consistently be documented and traceable.

Largent said he can’t take all the credit for the county’s achievements over the years. Most progress has been made by staff and people working for the local government.

He’ll miss working with fellow commissioners Art Swannack and Tom Handy. Largent said they’ve worked well as a team and he is very fortunate to have them as peers.

He said his successor must be willing to work collaboratively and be a graceful person. He said a good commissioner has the capacity to play well with others and develop respectful relationships with all sorts of people.

Those interested in the position can contact the Whitman County Republican Central Committee, who will choose three candidates for the post. Commissioners Swannack and Handy will then make an appointment of the nominations to fill the seat.

Applicants must live in District 3, which includes parts of Pullman’s Military and Sunnyside hills, along with Colfax and southwestern Whitman County. The appointee will need to run for election in the fall next year.

“For the last 18 years this has been my life,” he said. “I’m going to miss it horribly. I leave with such graciousness in my heart for the people I’ve worked with and I serve.”

Largent encourages anyone wanting to apply to call him at (509) 432-3984.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.