Nicolas Martinez DunningThurston County CommissionerElection day, November 3, 2026
I'm a former Lacey councilmember, a combat-disabled veteran, and the founder of West Coast Fitness.
Trusted voices
Sheriff Derek Sanders and three mayors have endorsed my campaign. So have more than 600 neighbors and businesses.
Derek Sanders
Sheriff, Thurston County
Andy Ryder
Mayor of Lacey
Debbie Sullivan
Former Mayor of Tumwater
JW Foster
Former Mayor of Yelm
Qualifications
Council service, board service, and a business that makes payroll. I'm ready to bring that countywide.
Local government and regional boards that shape housing, air, pensions, and the Nisqually watershed.
I make payroll, build teams, and organize neighbors. The work stays close to daily life here.
Education, military service, and years of volunteering.
West Coast Fitness, 2025
South Sound Business of the YearAlso named Best Place to Work. Built in Lacey. Serving neighbors every day.
Meet Nic
I built West Coast Fitness in Lacey, a 24/7 gym that employs my neighbors.
I served ten years in the Marine Corps and the Washington National Guard.
I finished first in the August primary and I'm asking for your vote on November 3.
Finished first in the August primary
Sheriff Derek Sanders, Mayor Andy Ryder, and former mayors Debbie Sullivan and JW Foster
Neighbors and businesses standing with this campaign
Priorities
Washington State is dead last in the country for police officers per person, 51st out of the 50 states and D.C. We have 1.37 officers for every 1,000 residents, while the national average is about 2.3. In Thurston County, the Sheriff's Office has 113 deputies for about 149,000 people in the unincorporated county. In the Sheriff's area, aggravated assaults rose 22% in 2025, from 176 to 215, and the county cut about $2.5 million from the Sheriff's budget for 2026, around 4%. The jail is built for 390 people, and the Sheriff says it needs 40 to 80 more cells. I will work with Sheriff Sanders and the courts so response times, the jail, and the justice system all stay funded and working. I will protect deputy and jail funding first when budgets get tight.
The 2026 count found 1,058 people homeless in Thurston County, up from 883 last year. That is 175 more neighbors, about 20% more in one year, and 520 of them were sleeping outside, up from 389. The system we have is not working. In the county's own 2025 survey, 212 people said they didn't know where to go for help, and 185 said they asked and never heard back. I will back recovery-based housing, where people get a stable place to live along with treatment and support to stay sober and get back on their feet. And I will report the results back to you in plain numbers.
Total people counted homeless in Thurston County: 883 in 2025 and 1,058 in 2026. People sleeping outside: 389 in 2025 and 520 in 2026.
On January 1, 2026, county permit fees went up. For a typical 2,000 square foot new home, the county's own estimate is about $2,600 before and about $3,900 now, a 50% increase. Meanwhile the median home in Thurston County sold for $545,000 in August, and about one in three households already spends too much of its income on housing. I want Thurston County to be a place that welcomes people who want to build. I will freeze these fees where they are, and I will tie any future increase to faster, more predictable permit times, with the county reporting its turnaround times in plain numbers.
My priorities are budget integrity, public safety, practical answers to homelessness, and small business.
Four questions that guide how I will serve.
Yard signs, doorbelling, phone calls, and neighborhood shares move this race. I'd love to stay connected.
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