Tye Menser, the Democratic incumbent on the Thurston County Commission for District 3, is certified for the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot. He is running unopposed, according to his response in our candidate questionnaire.
Asked why he is seeking re-election, Menser said in our questionnaire: "I have served two terms as County Commissioner and seen Thurston County through transformative change … I have been leader on issues connected to criminal justice reform and and environmental protection, and I want to continue this important work."
Candidate information
Party: Democratic
Family: "My wife Deyana is a first-grade teacher in the Olympia School District. My son, Kaloyan, and daughter, Noelle, are graduates of Capital High School and now students at the University of Washington in Seattle," Menser said in our questionnaire.
Education: "Harvard University, A.B., Government, 1993. University of California at Berkeley, J.D., 1997," Menser said in our questionnaire.
Work history: "I was an attorney for 21 years prior to running for office in 2018," Menser said in our questionnaire. "… My career included seven years as a public defender for the Alaska Public Defender Agency, part of that time representing Native Alaskans above the Arctic Circle in Kotzebue, Alaska."
Elected office: Thurston County commissioner, District 3, 2019 to present.
Experience and public service
Menser has served on several regional and state boards, according to his campaign website and the Thurston County commissioner page. Those include president of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance board of directors, vice chair of the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and a councilmember on the Washington State Building Code Council. He also serves on the Washington State Association of Counties board of directors.
On the issues
Budget: Asked about a first-campaign promise he has not kept, Menser said in our questionnaire: "I promised in 2019 to always make the hard financial choices necessary to balance the budget. Although we got the budget balanced through 2023, rising costs and revenue shortfalls opened large budget deficits beginning in 2024 that we had to take head-on in 2025." He added: "As a result, we have created a long-term financial strategy to balance the budget over a three-year timeframe and try to mitigate service impacts to our residents."
Five-member commission: Asked whether the expanded board has worked better or just slower, Menser said in our questionnaire: "There have been many benefits to the five-member County Commission. Communication and collaboration have been enhanced since now two Commissioners do not constitute a 'quorum' and require a public meeting to talk about county business."
Mazama pocket gopher habitat: Asked whether the county has gotten the habitat plan right, Menser said in our questionnaire: "Within the limits set on Thurston County by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Endangered Species Act, we took an innovative, multi-prong approach to allow development projects move forward for the lowest cost and time delay possible."
Past accomplishments: Menser said in our questionnaire that he "served as Chair of the County's Board of Health throughout the COVID-19 pandemic" and that the county, "unlike most counties, spent a significant portion of our federal relief money to support local businesses and local economic infrastructure." He also cited housing work: "I reversed the efforts of my predecessor to tear down the network around housing decisions and restore a collaborative partnership … through the Regional Housing Council."
Endorsements
Menser lists endorsements from Olympia Mayor Dontae Payne, Tumwater Mayor Leatta Dahlhoff, Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder, Lt. Gov. Denny Heck, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, state Sen. Jessica Bateman and state Reps. Beth Doglio and Lisa Parshley, according to his campaign endorsements page. Organizational endorsements include Washington Conservation Action, the Sierra Club's Washington State Chapter and the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council.
