MOSES LAKE - Kris Dexter is leading Tom Bennett in early results of the election for the one contested seat on the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District (MLIRD) Board of Directors.

Dexter received 171 votes to 144 for Bennett in balloting at the polling place Tuesday, said MLIRD administrator Beth Yonko. Absentee ballots remain to be counted, she said, and the board scheduled a special meeting Monday to count the remaining ballots. "We will find out (who won the election) on Monday when we start counting those absentee ballots," Yonko said.

Dexter said he was grateful to the people who voted for him, and that if he's elected he wants to provide some positive input and leadership on the board.

"We'll see what happens when they count the rest of the votes," Bennett said.

The district will face some fiscal challenges, Dexter said, with the cost of repairs to the North Dam.

Property owners living within the district are eligible to vote. Landowners are awarded two votes for each parcel of property, Yonko said.

Three members of the five-person board - Mick Hansen, Ron Covey and Bill Bailey - resigned earlier this year, according to previous stories in the Columbia Basin Herald. Mary Perry was appointed to the board in May, replacing Hansen. Richard Teals was appointed to fill Covey's position in November.

Both would have been required to run for election if other candidates had filed for either seat. Since neither seat drew another candidate, both Perry and Teals were appointed to the board for three-year terms.

Dexter also was appointed in November, and Bennett filed for the seat, which prompted Tuesday's vote. The winner will serve a three-year term.