Grant Co. primary election ballots set after filing last week
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 months, 3 weeks 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 12, 2025 1:05 AM
EPHRATA — All three open seats on the Quincy City Council will be on the primary ballot, along with the Grand Coulee mayor’s job and one seat on the Soap Lake School Board. The mayors of Ephrata and Quincy will also face challengers. Candidate filing for the 2025 election was last week.
Three candidates filed for each of the Quincy council seats, meaning the field will be reduced on the primary ballot. Rob Madera and Lupe Hernandez will challenge incumbent Jeff Spence, while incumbent Andrew Royer will face Rey Esparza and Josue Madera in the primary. Pete Shelton and Ricardo Ruesga Loera will challenge incumbent Dave Dormaier.
Grand Coulee Mayor Ruth Dalton will face challenges from Chantel Crowe and Micah Seekins for her seat. Dwight Deines, Soap Lake school board incumbent, will run against Rebecca Leavell and Mark Novik.
The primary election is Aug. 5. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes advance to the general election in November.
Quincy Mayor Paul Worley will be challenged by Manny Rodriguez. Ephrata Mayor Bruce Reim will compete for his seat against Steve Oliver. Coulee City Mayor ShirleyRae Maes also faces a challenger, Don Rushton.
Moses Lake City Council incumbent Deanna Martinez will face a challenge in the November general election from Jeremy Davis. Joel Graves and Jim Perez will be running for an open seat on the Moses Lake council; incumbent Judy Madewell did not file for reelection.
One position on the Coulee Dam town council drew two candidates, incumbent Merv Schmidt and Ronald Toulou Jr. Two positions on the Coulee City council will be on the November ballot. Incumbent Richard Heiber will face Tammy LaFleur, and Robert Schnelle will challenge incumbent Mel LaFleur.
Cheryl Hoffman and Jeremiah Seekins will be running for an open seat on the council in Electric City. Incumbent Donald Redfield did not seek reelection. Incumbent Robbin Boyce will be challenged by Bradley Oliver for the other open council seat in Electric City.
Juan “Jerry” Garcia and Birdie Fought will run for an open seat on the Othello School Board. Incumbent Ken Johnson did not file for reelection, opting to run for Othello mayor instead. An open seat on the Moses Lake School Board also attracted two candidates, Lila Baker and Mike Nordsten.
Warden School Board member Shawn Clausen will run against Ryan Arredondo for the seat. Wahluke board member Luke Jenne is being challenged by Elia Mendoza for his position. Karen Elizabeth Wapato will challenge incumbent Buffy Nicholson for a seat on the Grand Coulee School Board.
Randy Zolman held two offices, one as the commission chair for Quincy Valley Medical Center, the other as Grant County Fire District 3 commissioner. Both were on the ballot, and according to state law, Zolman couldn’t run for both offices. He opted to run unopposed for GCFD 3 commissioner. Ronald Huxtable will run unopposed for the open seat on the QVMC board.
Incumbent Quincy Mayor Paul Worley, left, filed for a new term but will need to beat Manny Rodriguez to retain his office.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.