EPHRATA - Mary Perry, Tom Bennett and Kris Dexter remain the only three candidates in the running for the vacant seat on the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District's Board of Directors.

The three candidates expressed interest in the position earlier this month, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald article. The application period for the position closed Friday, and no additional applications were received by the county commissioner's office.

Commissioner Cindy Carter said the committee that will select the new MLIRD director will meet on April 28 to go over applications, form interview questions and finalize dates for interviews.

The committee is made up of the three commissioners as well as a representative from the Bureau of Reclamation, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the county planning department, she said.

The seat on the board of directors has been vacant since early March, when former director Mick Hansen resigned from his position. The person commissioners appoint will serve the remainder of his term, which ends in December.

In his application, Bennett said he wants to serve on the board because, "I am interested in seeing Grant County grow, and making the centerpiece, Moses Lake, an even greater draw for vacationers, fishermen and hunters."

In an interview Monday, he said ensuring a clean lake was a top priority for him. Other issues at the top of his priority list were finding a new general manager and getting the North Dam repaired.

Perry also said hiring a replacement for general manager Curt Carpenter, who submitted his resignation letter in late March, was of major importance as was fixing the dam.

She said she would work to make sure the current dredging program continued if she were to sit on the board.

"I have attended close to 95 percent of the meetings for the past two and a half years," she said in an interview this week. "I have seen the district make some positive growth and I would like to see that continue."

Perry ran for a seat on the board in December, but lost to directors Bill Bailey and Jeff Foster.

Dexter said he was interested in serving on the board because of the lake's importance to the city. In his application, he called the lake the "crown jewel" of Moses Lake.

He also said he would push for orderly, productive meetings for the benefit of the public.