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As candidates for the Franklin County Commission, Neva Corkrum and Brad Peck naturally don't see eye to eye on everything.
But on one of the main issues, redrawing the commissioner district boundaries, they don't even agree that it should be an issue.
"Redistricting has never been an issue in Franklin County, and quite frankly, I don't know why it is this time," said Corkrum, who is trying to retain her nearly 20-year position on the board.
Corkrum, a Democrat, and Peck, a Republican, face off for Position 1 on Nov. 4.
Corkrum, 74, has been a county commissioner since 1989 and says she is seeking her final term.
Peck, 49, is a public information officer for Energy Northwest and owner of Pasco's historic Moore Mansion.
He said redistricting was the main reason he got into the race.
"I think it's a major issue," he said. "When you get a clear message from the community that they want you to redistrict, that they want representation, and you ignore that, ... it almost rises to the point of self before community."
The county commission over the past two years discussed redrawing commissioner districts because one of them -- District 3 -- had grown to have twice as many people as each of the other two.
The commission looked at four maps proposed by the county auditor but in late May tabled the issue until after the election, saying time had run out.
Corkrum defended that decision, saying state law doesn't require districts to be redrawn when they become disproportionate. Rather, they have to be redrawn after the census in a way that makes them generally equal in population, she said.
The county commission in April and May drew large audiences advocating redistricting, but Corkrum said not one person called her to ask for it. She said she believes the push for redistricting was politically motivated.
Peck said the perception in the community was that Corkrum didn't want to redistrict because it would have expanded her area, increasing the number of potential candidates who could run against her.
Corkrum has roots in Pasco, having graduated from high school there and attending the same downtown church since 1945. Her employment with the county goes back decades, as well. She worked in the county extension office and was a chief deputy auditor and county auditor before becoming a commissioner.
"I will still be a part of this community after I'm out of office," Corkrum said. "I have the time and the desire to still serve. I think I'm a young 74."
If re-elected, she said she'll continue working to find federal money to build a new route for Road 170, covered by a landslide in 2006, and to develop a public access route to Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area.
She also wants to increase funding for the Benton-Franklin Health District and to reach a solution on the county's jail space needs.
Peck said the county needs a long-term strategy for industrial growth and development to support the tax base and offset the strong residential growth in recent years.
In response to recent discussions about where to build the next bridge over the Columbia River, Peck suggested putting one south of the Tri-Cities as part of a Highway 395 bypass around Finley.
That would reduce truck traffic on the blue bridge as well as spur light industrial and manufacturing development downriver, said Peck, a former lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.
"I like a challenge. I like difficult issues that require critical thinking, that require getting input from a wide variety of audiences," Peck said, "and being able to take all that, bring it together, come to a conclusion and present it in a way that's articulate and gives the voters, who ultimately should be making these decisions, a choice."
If elected, he'll reduce his job at Energy Northwest to parttime or do consulting as time permits.
