MOSES LAKE - Incumbent Ron Covey will retain his seat on the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District board of directors after final election results released Tuesday placed him ahead of challenger David Skaug.

Covey received a total of 1,618 votes while Skaug received 1,407 votes. The final tally includes votes from ballots cast at the polling place last week and votes from absentee ballots counted Monday, MLIRD board secretary Sheri McFall said.

Preliminary results released last Wednesday had Skaug in the lead with 1,034 votes compared to 486 votes for Covey.

Last week's results also showed Jeff Foster and Bill Bailey leading in the race for the two new director positions. Foster had 702 votes and Bailey had 711 votes at the time.

The pair held on to that lead through the absentee count.

Foster received a combined total of 1,995 in-person and absentee votes, earning him the three-year term, while Bailey received a total of 1,476 votes, earning him the two-year term.

Mary Perry received a total of 1,251 votes and Larry Tracy received 921 votes.

Covey said it was not an easy race, especially since he was down close to 550 votes after the first count.

"But we anticipated that we would garner more of the absentee votes than my opponent," he said. "And I would like to thank the rate-payers who supported my bid for re-election, I look forward to serving as director for another three years."

Bailey also said he appreciates the support he received from voters, as it was a close race for the two new director seats as well. Tracy had 696 votes after the first count and Perry had 600 votes.

"The popular vote the day of the election was fairly close and I think it showed there was a fair amount of interest from the people," he said.

Bailey said he is ready to get right to work on some of the bigger issues facing the district, including the Moses Lake Dam.

"We need to gather all the information we can from all the sources that are available and decide what course of action is in the best interest of the rate-payers," said Bailey. "It's critical we find out all alternatives and ramifications and cost for each alternative."

Covey also agreed the board should make the improvements to the dam a priority next year.

"I feel it's extremely important to move forward with the North Dam project," he said. Covey said the district is currently working with engineering group STRATA to put together design specifications.

"We hope to have it done by the end of March, and I feel it's going to be an asset as far as the district is concerned especially if we are able to get the federal funding as we anticipate," he said.

Bailey also said the hydraulic dredging project is still a major issue for rate-payers.

"I'm very much in favor (of hydraulic dredging), I always have been, but it has to be done efficiently," he said. "I maintain that in some cases other types of silt removal may be more cost-effective than dredging."

Bailey said he will encourage the board to have information put together on what the current dredging project has cost the district since its inception as well as what it continues to cost each year.

"Not only that we have to have a number measurement of the volume of material that's been removed from the lake so we can weigh cost to volume and get a cost per cubic yard," Bailey said. "Those are the issues that dramatically affect literally, rate-payers or not, all the people around Moses Lake, so those are the first items of business I want to get a handle on."

Foster also expressed gratitude for his supporters.

"I am very humbled by the results," he said. "I'm looking forward to serving."

Foster said he wants to get to work on implementing some of the ideas and solutions he discussed during his campaign. In a previous Columbia Basin Herald article, he said he supports the effort to rebuild or replace the Moses Lake Dam.

Foster also said he was in favor of the dredge, but thought the board should still look at all options.

Covey, Bailey and Foster will be officially sworn in during the first MLIRD board meeting in January.