Mayor Pro Tem Fred Brink of West Richland was recently elected secretary of the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). The secretary serves on the association’s board of directors and executive committee and is second in line to become president.

"It is an honor to be elected as secretary by the AWC board of directors,” said Mayor Pro Tem Brink. “I look forward to working with my fellow board members and AWC's outstanding staff to enhance AWC’s ability to deliver advocacy, education, and services to all the cities and towns of Washington state."

The AWC board of directors is the association’s governing body. The board is comprised of 25 directors, 23 of whom are mayors or city councilmembers from Washington cities or towns, and two non-elected city officials who also serve as the president and past president of the Washington City/County Management Association.

Mayor Pro Tem Brink has served on the West Richland City Council since January 2018 and as Mayor Pro Tem since January 2020. He also serves as a commissioner for Benton County Fire District #4 and on the Benton County Law and Justice Council.

Active within AWC for several years, Brink has served on the AWC board since 2022. He currently serves on the Education and Training Advisory Committee; as AWC’s representative to the Washington State Emergency Management Council and the governor’s Forensic Investigations Council. His previous contributions include work on the AWC Statement of Policy Committee as well as the AWC Legislative Priorities Committee. He has earned AWC’s Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership.
  
Mayor Pro Tem Brink’s professional experience includes six years of military service as an officer in the U.S. Navy; 25 years in federal law enforcement as a special agent of the FBI, retiring at the senior executive service level as a Special Agent-in-Charge; and 10 years as a national security program manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

“Working with Mayor Pro Tem Brink over the last year has been a pleasure,” said AWC CEO Deanna Dawson. “He has an ability to bring pragmatic solutions to the table and improve the outcomes for our 281 cities and towns. We are excited to have him as AWC secretary and in a leadership role on the board, working together to build strong cities.”

“During Mayor Pro Tem Brink’s tenure on the city council, he has exemplified strong leadership skills and compassion,” said West Richland Mayor Brent Gerry. “AWC is fortunate to have such a humble, committed, well-spoken individual on its team.”

“Since I met him back in 2017 as we ran for the same open seat on council, Mayor Pro Tem Brink has always shown a focus on weighing his decisions with careful consideration to all of the facts,” said West Richland Councilmember Kate Moran. “He looks at issues fairly and approaches with an open mind. Fred has become a great asset as our city's Mayor Pro Tem and as my friend.”

AWC serves its members through advocacy, education, and services. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's cities and towns before the state legislature, the state executive branch, and with regulatory agencies. Membership is voluntary. However, AWC consistently maintains 100 percent participation from Washington’s 281 cities and towns.

AWC also provides training, data and publications, and programs such as the AWC Employee Benefit Trust, AWC Risk Management Service Agency, AWC Workers’ Comp Retro, AWC Drug and Alcohol Consortium, and AWC GIS Consortium.

A complete list of AWC board of directors is available on the association’s website.