Leading up to the Tuesday, Nov. 4, general election, Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto and former mayor JW Foster highlighted several of their key endorsements from around Yelm, Thurston County and Washington.
Joe DePinto
DePinto, who was elected in 2021, listed his top endorsements as state Reps. Andrew Barkis and Matt Marshall, each Republicans of the Second Legislative District. Additionally, he listed state Sens. Jeff Wilson and Paul Harris along with Thurston County Commissioners Rachel Grant, Carolina Mejia and Emily Clouse as important endorsements.
The current mayor also sports endorsements from Pierce County Commissioner Amy Cruver, Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kerns, Lacey Deputy Mayor Malcom Miller, Tumwater Mayor Pro-Tem Leatta Dahlhoff, Roy Mayor Kimber Ivy, Bucoda Mayor Callie Carpenter, and the Thurston County Republican Party. More information about DePinto can be found on www.JoeDePinto.com.
In a unique twist, DePinto also claims that he received an endorsement from his opponent, Foster.
DePinto shared a screenshot of a conversation between him and Foster from May 8, 2024, months before Foster was defeated by Rachel Grant (then Rachel Dreon) in the Thurston County commissioner District 2 race.
The text message reads:
DePinto: “Sorry for the late text. I’m about to publicly endorse you on my Facebook page. I think you will do a good job. Can I count on your endorsement if I run for reelection for mayor?”
Foster: “Yes, and thank you for your confidence.”
JW Foster
In response to DePinto’s claims of his opponent’s endorsement, Foster told the Nisqually Valley News on Sunday, Sept. 21, that he did not intend to imply an endorsement for DePinto’s potential second term as mayor.
“I recall speaking with Joe about the possibility of him running for the state representative position when (JT) Wilcox retired, in which case I would have endorsed him for that position. I did not intend to imply that I would endorse him for another term as mayor. But I suppose it would be hard to fake that text. So apparently, I did say that then. Odd, since I have not been pleased with his work as mayor,” Foster said on Sunday, Sept. 21. “And besides, that was well over a year ago, and my mind was changed about his suitability and my own desire to serve again.”
Foster, who served as Yelm’s mayor from 2016 to 2021, claims endorsements from Washington state Rep. Lisa Parshley, of District 22, along with former Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza. Additionally, Foster has endorsements from several other local mayors, including Olympia’s Dontae Payne, Lacey’s Andy Ryder and Tumwater’s Debbie Sullivan.
Foster also has endorsements from several former Yelm city councilors, including Trevor Palmer, EJ Curry, Tad Stillwell and Bob Isom. According to his website, Foster also sports an endorsement from current Yelm City Councilor Tracey Wood. From further out in Thurston County, he claims endorsements from Olympia City Councilor Dani Madrone, former Thurston County Commissioner Gary Edwards, and former Medic One Director Kurt Hardin.
Finally, his endorsements concluded with Port of Olympia Commissioner Bob Iyall, from the Patriots of Liberty and from Thurston County Realtors Association. His vast list of community endorsements can be viewed on his campaign website, www.fosterforyelm.com.
Co-endorsements
The two candidates each listed several endorsements from the same candidate, which DePinto described as “co-endorsements,” including Tenino Mayor Dave Watterson and from non-elected officials and groups such as the Olympia Masterbuilders.
However, Foster claimed the co-endorsement from Watterson for DePinto and himself was not accurate — and that the Tenino mayor’s endorsement was strictly for the former Yelm mayor. Watterson did not respond to the NVN’s request for comment by the newspaper’s deadline.
