Board Information

Matt Watkins, Chair

Mayor - City of Pasco

Mayor Matt Watkins was elected to the Pasco City Council in 2004, and was elected as Mayor by the council in 2010.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in social science from Washington State University and currently works as a software engineer for Lockheed Martin Information Technology in Richland, Washington.  His term on the City Council expires on December 31, 2019.

Mayor Watkins’ grandparents settled in Eltopia during the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project farming asparagus and in Pasco with a downtown laundry service.  Matt’s hobbies include competitive long-distance motorcycle riding, as well as he has toured the U.S. and Canada extensively, and has finished the “Iron Butt Rally” twice.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Bob Koch, Vice Chair

Commissioner - District 2 - Franklin County

No biography at this time.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Rick Miller

Commissioner - District 3 - Franklin County

No biography at this time

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Steve Becken

Council Member - City of Prosser

Council Member Steve Becken has served on the Prosser City Council since November of 1991 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy.  During his tenure, Steve has served as Mayor Pro-Tem and acted as the City’s representative on various Boards and Committees.  His employment with Benton County, until his retirement after 38 years, has given him the needed experience to successfully service in any capacity.  He, along with his wife Barbara have dedicated many hours to various community organizations during the 36 years they have lived in Prosser.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Richard Bloom

Council Member - City of West Richland

Council Member Richard Bloom is serving his second term on the West Richland City Council.  He stated working for the Department of Energy contractors in October 1980.  He has worked for several contractors both at the DOE Hanford site and the Rocky Flats site, outside of Denver.  Richard retired in 2011 from his position as an Environmental Control Officer for the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

Richard is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and graduated from Loyola University in New Orleans and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge with degrees (BS and MS) in Physics.  He served in the Navy from July 1976 to October 1980 and achieved the rank of Lieutenant.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Lisa Stade

Council member - Benton City

Biography is forthcoming.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Bob Thompson

Mayor - City of Richland

Bob Thompson has served on the Richland City Council since January 1994 and as mayor from January 2000 to January 2004. Mr. Thompson received a B.A. in political science from Washington State University, and he has a J.D. from Willamette Law School. He is currently in private practice. He has held memberships in the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association, the Washington Defenders Association, the Western State Trial Lawyers Association and the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

Mr. Thompson is past president of the Benton Franklin County Health Department and president of Dial Help. He has served as vice chair of the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA), a national coalition of cities and counties located adjacent to Department of Energy facilities and has been recently appointed as chairman. Mr. Thompson was also appointed in May of 2009 to the Environmental Management Advisory Board (EMAB) by Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Mr. Thompson is a lifelong resident of the City of Richland.

Current Term

January 1, 2017 - December 31, 2019

John Trumbo

Council Member - City of Kennewick

Councilman Trumbo was elected to the council effective January 2014. His priorities are to ensure open and accountable government, growing industrial development, revitalizing the riverfront and downtown Kennewick and addressing issues that affect the oldest and historic areas of the city. As a retired journalist, he advocates public involvement in, and knowledge about, local government.

Current Term

January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2021

Shon Small

Commissioner - District 2 - Benton County

District 2 Commissioner Shon Small was elected to the Board on January 1, 2011. Shon has served Benton County for 26 years with 20 of those years working in Law Enforcement for the Benton County Sheriff's Office.

Shon was born in Seattle, Washington and moved to Grandview when very young. He attended Grandview High School receiving a football scholarship at Walla Walla Community College. While there, he majored in Criminal Justice, preparing him for a future career as a Police Officer.

During his career as a Deputy Sheriff, he had the opportunity to work as a Field Training Officer, member of the Metro Drug Task Force, Incident Commander of the Benton County Clandestine Lab Team, a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) and was chosen to be a member of the Sniper Observation Team (SOT).

In 2005, he was assigned to the Detective Division at the Sheriff’s Office monitoring registered sex offenders and assigned to serve on the Multi-Agency Sex Offender Risk Assessment Committee.

In 2006, Governor Gregoire appointed Shon to serve as a Commissioner on the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission overseeing the state’s budget of $30 million and how it is used to meet training needs for cities and county police officers. 

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019

Norma Nelson

Non-Voting Union Member - Teamsters Local 839

As a 26 year Dial-A-Ride driver and the Teamster Shop Steward, Norma Nelson was appointed to the Ben Franklin Transit Board of Directors in 2011, as the Non-Voting Union Member. She represents the interests of the three Teamsters bargaining groups at Ben Franklin Transit and members of the community. 

Special Committees
Vice President of Teamster’s Local 839, Pasco WA. President of the Joint Council #28 Women Caucus. The Joint Council represents members in Washington State, parts of Canada, and parts of Alaska. Their mission is to be involved in their communities and empower women to be involved in their Unions. Norma has been elected by the Teamster’s Local 839 to be a Delegate and Alternate to the International Committee for the election of the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters 2000, 2005, 2011, 2016.

Civic Organizations
Norma is very involved with preventing domestic violence, both in the Tri-Cities and around Washington State. She also, in collaboration with the Teamsters Union, does several fundraisers for Camp Primetime, which sends disabled children to a camp in the mountains, at no cost to their families.

Current Term

January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2019