Races shaping up as candidate filing continues
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 8 months AGO
Races are shaping up for the Mattawa and Soap Lake mayor’s jobs, seats on the Moses Lake City Council, Quincy School Board and Samaritan Healthcare commission, among others, as candidate filing week approaches its end. The Grant County Courthouse is pictured.
FILE PHOTO
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 18, 2023 5:53 PM
EPHRATA — Mattawa Mayor Maria Celaya will face at least one challenger for her office, and the race for an at-large seat on the Samaritan Healthcare board will be on the primary election ballot. One race on the Moses Lake City Council also will go to the primary election. Filing for offices up for election in 2023 began Monday and ends today.
Celaya filed for reelection and will have at least one challenger, Jaime Gutierrez, as of Thursday. Incumbent Soap Lake Mayor Michelle Agliano filed for reelection, and will face Alan DuPuy, who filed earlier in the week.
Incumbent Dale Paris filed for reelection to the Samaritan Healthcare commission, a seat for which two candidates had already filed. Joe Ketterer, Joe Akers and Paris will be on the primary election ballot Aug. 1.
At least one seat on the Coulee City Town Council will be on the August primary ballot. Linda Huber, Brandon Jorgensen and Erin Correra have all filed for the position.
Brandon Penix filed for the second open seat on the Samaritan Healthcare board. Incumbent Katherine Christian filed for reelection earlier in the week.
Gerrit Klein is the third candidate to file for a seat on the Moses Lake council. Victor Lombardi and incumbent David Eck already had filed.
Two incumbents on the Quincy School Board will face challengers. Jack Foglesong filed for reelection and will be challenged by Rita Keene. Shannon Durfee filed for the seat held by Heather Folks-Lambert, who filed for reelection
Port of Quincy commissioner Patric Connelly, who filed earlier in the week, will face a challenge from Joe Harris. Elizabeth Tapia filed for a seat on the Port of Mattawa commission; the incumbent, Lauri Dayton, had not filed as of Thursday.
Carla Mayberrry Urias filed for a seat on the Moses Lake School Board, challenging incumbent Susan Freeman, who filed earlier. Incumbent Alanya DeGooyer filed for reelection and will be challenged by Kirren Jensen, who had already filed.
K.L. (Buck) Naff filed for reelection to the Grant County Fire District 5 (Moses Lake) commission; he will be opposed by Andrew Koeppen, who filed earlier. Two town council incumbents in Coulee City will face challengers. Incumbent Steve Bond filed for reelection and will be challenged by Jennifer Schwartz, and incumbent April Harward filed for a new term and will be challenged by Richard Heiberg.
Two city council incumbents will have challenges for their seats in Electric City. Incumbent Brian Buche will be challenged by Thomas Levi Johnson, and incumbent Cheryl Hoffman by Blake Martin.
Two Ephrata City Council seats will be contested, but as of Thursday neither of the incumbents had filed. Mike Warren and JoBeth Wilson had filed for one of the two seats as of Thursday, and Michael Durfee and Beau Lamons filed for a different seat.
One seat will be contested on the Quincy City Council, and the incumbent had not filed for reelection as of Thursday. Marcus Westra and Manny Rodriguez have filed for the seat.
For the city of Warden, Rasaelia Martinez is currently the only mayoral candidate to have filed. For city council member number four, Dario Pruneda is currently running unopposed. For council member position five, Brittney Pittman, Leilani Pruneda, Jesus Martinez and Lori Watson-Esparza have filed as candidates. Martinez currently serves in position four on the council.
Two people had filed for the job of Grand Coulee mayor as of Thursday, Kimberly Christensen and Mike Eylar.
Correction: Information for candidates for the city of Warden has been corrected and incorporated in the story above.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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