Candidate Filing Week 2024 begins May 6
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 4 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | April 23, 2024 5:32 PM
OLYMPIA — Citizens who want to run for public office in Washington will have their chance in early May, according to an announcement from the Washington Secretary of State’s office.
The opportunity to declare candidacy formally for the 2024 elections opens May 6 at 8 a.m. online and at elections offices across the state, according to the announcement. Mailed declarations are being accepted now and must be received with payment no later than 5 p.m. on May 10, when filing week ends.
During the May 6-10 filing period, candidacies can be declared for more than 400 federal, state, judicial, legislative, county and other offices scheduled for 2024 elections, according to the announcement. All statewide executive offices, all congressional seats, a U.S. Senate position, and the majority of state Legislature seats will be on the ballot. This year for the first time, candidates for Superior Court and all legislative districts must file with the Office of the Secretary of State, which can be done via the office’s website, by mail, or in person.
Full information on state offices and filing fees can be found at the Office of the Secretary of State’s Elections website. Applicants are encouraged to file online if possible, the announcement said.
“Filing for candidacy online is the easiest option, and you can do it from the convenience of home,” Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs wrote in the announcement. “This year, the candidate filing period is a week earlier than in prior years, so we’re providing notice to the public early to ensure everyone interested in running can get prepared.”
Applicants who do not wish to file online can print a Declaration of Candidacy form and mail it along with a check payable to the Office of the Secretary of State, P.O. Box 40229, Olympia, WA, 98504-0229. State candidates may also file in person at the Secretary of State’s office in the Legislative Building, 416 Sid Snyder Ave. SW in Olympia.
All candidates for federal, statewide, legislative, Court of Appeals, and Superior Court positions must file with the Office of the Secretary of State online, in person, or by mail, according to the announcement. For filing questions, contact the Elections office at (800) 448-4881 or [email protected].
“Serving as an elected official is an opportunity to help your community,” Hobbs wrote. “Holding office enables you to be involved with crucial decisions, whether at the local, state, or federal level.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.