Careful with other people’s money.
Rick Viall is a Chelan County wealth advisor and business owner. He is running for Treasurer because at some point he stopped asking “who should step up?” and started asking, “why not me?” After years spent building a career in fiduciary stewardship and financial management, this is the season of life where he finally has the bandwidth to serve the county he loves.
His work is built on fiduciary thinking, regulatory compliance, and disciplined financial management. Two years ago he left W-2 employment to start his own advisory firm so he could pursue this calling more intentionally; today he oversees four businesses with six associates — and growing. A Washington State University graduate with an associate degree from Wenatchee Valley College, he is a past president of the Wenatchee Valley College Foundation and has held leadership roles with several civic and foundation organizations.
As Treasurer, his priorities are practical. Safety comes first: strictly following the county's investment policy and statutory guidelines. He brings deep experience in compliance and security — protecting client investments, safeguarding private information, and serving sensitive populations with care, including helping facilitate the Financial Fitness sessions of the National Council on Aging's Aging Mastery Program, where he taught seniors to budget, guard against scams, and protect what they have built. He will push for stronger coordination between the Treasurer, Auditor, and other county departments, better audit preparation, and modern financial software.
More than any of that, Rick loves Chelan County and its people. It is home for Rick, his wife, and their two sons — and on a Saturday you are as likely to find him out walking the Lake Chelan shoreline or the Columbia, or up in the foothills, as anywhere else. He sees the county's character in its orchards, the smell of sage, and the morning light on the mountains. He believes gentleness can be a strength, that at the county level most problems are practical before they are political, and that the people's money deserves careful, respectful stewardship for every resident alike.
Why these tools exist
The data behind them was always public. It just lived in PDFs, spreadsheets, and certified levy sheets that assume you already know the vocabulary. None of it required new authority or a budget — it required someone deciding that “publicly available” and “actually understandable” are different standards, and that the second one is the one that matters.