The race is on: ML school board, Quincy City Council seats contested after second day of candidate filing
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 10 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | May 19, 2021 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — One of the seats on the Moses Lake School Board will be on the primary ballot in August, a Moses Lake City Council member will face a challenger, and there are two contested Quincy City Council races. Also, recently appointed Grant County Superior Court Judge Tyson Hill will run to retain his seat.
Tuesday was the second day of candidate filing for offices open in the 2021 election.
Three candidates filed Tuesday for Position 4 on the Moses Lake School Board, bringing to four the number of competitors for the seat. Candidates filing Tuesday included Kevin Fuhr, Matt Paluch and James Liebrecht.
Fuhr is the Moses Lake Police chief and was interim Moses Lake city administrator for part of 2019. Rachel Roylance Gallachi filed for the position on Monday, With at least four candidates, the race will be on the primary ballot Aug. 2.
The incumbent is Elliott Goodrich, who announced earlier this year he didn’t plan to run for a second term.
Incumbent Moses Lake council member Mike Riggs will be challenged by Deanna Martinez for Position 1. Incumbent council members Karen Liebrecht and David Curnel filed for re-election.
Mark Fancher filed for council Position 4, currently held by Daryl Jackson.
Incumbent Vickey Melcher will be challenged for her seat on the Moses Lake School Board by Noah Zemke. It would be Melcher’s second term.
Hill will run for a two-year term. He was appointed to the Superior Court bench in April, replacing John Antosz, who retired earlier in the year.
There are at least two contested races for the Quincy City Council. Oscar Romero filed Tuesday for council Position 5, setting up a race with Dave Dormier. The incumbent is David Day.
Eduardo Castaneda-Diaz filed for council Position 4, challenging incumbent Andrew Royer, who filed Monday. Castaneda-Diaz ran for the Washington state House of Representatives in 2020.
Quincy mayor Paul Worley filed for a second term.
Ben Addink filed for Position 2 on the Ephrata City Council, the seat currently held by Mark Wanke. Ryan Piercy filed for a seat on the Royal City City Council. The incumbent is Gary Fanning.
Incumbent Corey Everett filed for a new term on the Othello City Council, and incumbent Tony Acosta filed for re-election to the Mattawa City Council.
Nick Trejo filed for Position 2 on the Wahluke School Board, currently held by Jesse Chiprez. Luke Jenne filed for Position 5 on the Wahluke board. Lorraine Jenne is the incumbent.
Incumbent Liliana Garcia filed for a new term on the Quincy School Board, as did Ephrata School Board incumbents Anita Walter and Jim Adams for their board.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
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Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.