Othello candidate forum Oct. 7
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 months, 1 week 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. | September 30, 2025 4:34 PM
OTHELLO — Othello-area voters will get a chance to listen to candidates for local offices at a forum Oct. 7 at The Showhouse, 130 N. Broadway Ave., Othello. Showhouse co-owner Tania Morales said the forum is the continuation of what its former and current owners consider a public service.
“The previous owners, the Reicherts, actually have held several candidate forums here,” Morales said. “And community members have approached us and told us, ‘You guys should consider doing this.’”
School board positions are among the races on the 2025 ballot, which makes it difficult to use school district locations, she said.
“The Showhouse has a stage, and lights and sound and everything. This is where the Reicherts (sponsored) them. A lot of people came up to us and said, ‘Hey, you guys should do this.’ And we (said), ‘We’ve never done it before,’ and then we just said, ‘Hey, why not?’ So, we decided to go for it,” she said.
Othello School District Superintendent Pete Perez will be the moderator.
“He already came up with the questions, and he’s going to give them to the candidates two days before the event. It won’t be one of those ‘gotcha’ events – we’re not trying to put anyone on the spot. They’ll have time to come up with their answers,” Morales said.
Community members are being encouraged to submit questions online by Oct. 2. Whether or not the submitted questions are used will depend on the amount of time available.
“If we feel like, ‘Hey, that’s a good question,’ maybe towards the end we’ll add some of those,” Morales said.
Questions can be submitted at forms.gle/RU62ScqK737wWrLz6.
Attendees also will have the chance to talk to individual candidates after the question-and-answer portion ends.
“We’re asking (candidates) to stick around. That way if people want to talk to them, they can,” Morales said.
Organizers are trying to get commitments from all candidates in local races in the Othello area, she said, and have affirmative answers from most of them.
The 2025 election focuses on local races, including the Othello City Council, Othello School District, the Othello Community Hospital District and Grant County Fire District 5. Some candidates are running unopposed.
Shawn Logan and Ken Johnson are running for Othello mayor. There are three city council races on the ballot; one candidate, Marc Spohr, is running unopposed. Genna Dorow and Kelli Camp are running in one of the contested races, and Alma Carmona and Oscar Lopez in the other.
Three positions are up for election on the Othello School Board. Aaron Gerber is running unopposed for one seat, and Lyndsy Molotte Prows is running for another. Juan “Jerry” Garcia and Birdie Fought are running for the third seat.
John Lallas and Martha Logan are running for one of two open positions on the Othello hospital board. Shirley McCullough is running unopposed for the second position.
Jim Shade is running unopposed for a position on the Adams County Fire District 5 Commission. Gary Weaver is the only candidate for the open position on the Adams County Port District 1 commission.
Othello candidate forum
Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m.
The Showhouse, 130 N. Broadway Ave., auditorium 1
Moderator: Pete Perez, Othello School District superintendent
A forum for candidates running for office in and around Othello will be Oct. 7 at The Showhouse.ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
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