Local seats up for election draw flurry of candidates
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 24, 2021 1:00 AM
EPHRATA — Two Moses Lake City Council seats and two on the Moses Lake School Board will be on the primary ballot.
Royal City and George residents also will vote on a city council race on the primary ballot. And, all Quincy City Council and Moses Lake council seat races will be contested. The mayors of Quincy, Ephrata and Mattawa will also face challengers.
The filing period for seats up for election in 2021 ended Friday. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary Aug. 3 advance to the general election in November.
Current Moses Lake Mayor David Curnel will face Judy Madewell and Devin Deitrick in the primary. Incumbent council member Karen Liebrecht also faces two challengers, Dustin Swartz and Eric Eleazar Salgado.
An open seat on the Moses Lake School Board attracted four candidates. Kevin Fuhr, James Liebrecht, Rachel Roylance Gallacci and Matt Paluch will compete for the seat vacated by Elliott Goodrich. Goodrich announced earlier this year he did not plan to run for a second term.
Incumbent Vickey Melcher will face two challengers for her Moses Lake school board seat, Paul Hill and Noah Zemke.
Three candidates, Ryan Piercy, Michael Christensen and Stanton Fanning, will compete for a seat on the Royal City City Council.
George City Council member Julia Schooner has two challengers for her seat, John Ammons and Katrina Rodiguez.
Quincy Mayor Paul Worley is being challenged by Luke Garrison, currently a city council member. Mattawa mayor Maria Celaya will face Sun Hwang in the general election; Hwang currently sits on the Mattawa council. Ephrata Mayor Bruce Reim will be challenged by Mohammad Said.
Incumbent Mike Riggs will face challenger Deanna Martinez in the race for the seat on the Moses Lake council. Mark Fancher and Plasido S.D. Lindsey will compete for the third open seat on the Moses Lake council. Incumbent Daryl M. Jackson did not file for re-election.
Three seats are open on the Quincy council, and all are contested races. Andrew Royer was the only council incumbent who filed for re-election, and he is being challenged by Eduardo Castenada-Diaz. Peter D. Shelton and Jeff Spence will compete for the seat being vacated by Garrison, and David Dormier and Oscar Romero are running for the third open seat. David Day did not file for re-election.
Dave Tweedy will be challenged for his seat on the Soap Lake City Council by Karen Woodhouse. Ben Addink and Kathleen Harris will run for an open seat on Ephrata City Council. Incumbent Mark Wanke did not file for re-election.
Incumbent Warden School Board member Bryce Cox will be challenged by Brandi Arredondo. Quincy School Board member Liliana Garcia also drew a challenger, Chad Lower.
Nick Trejo will challenge incumbent Jesse Chiprez for a seat on the Wahluke School Board, and an open seat on the Wahluke board attracted two candidates. Luke Jenne and Cynthia de Victoria will compete for the seat vacated by Lorraine Jenne.
Incumbent Susan Carbon will be challenged by Brian McGowan for a seat on the Samaritan Healthcare board. Gary Jacobsen will challenge incumbent Barbara Spence for a seat on the commission of Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata.
Incumbent Port of Moses Lake commissioner Kent Jones will be challenged by Kris Dexter. Incumbent Port of Othello commissioner Deena Vietzke also drew a challenger, Patrick Simmons.
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
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
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.