CONNELL -- Connell City Council candidate Bob Widows wants you to vote, just not for him.
It's too late to withdraw from the Nov. 3 race, so he's stumping for the other guy.
"I think (Mayor Gary Walton) does a pretty good job," Widows said. "I couldn't do a better job."
Widows, a 63-year-old farm laborer, entered the mayor's race because he "thought more people would run."
Now, Widows is having second thoughts about his run for the four-year position.
"For one thing, I think it's more trouble than I want to get into," he said.
The incumbent Walton, 61, has spent 24 years serving Connell, with 12 as its mayor. He said the community's slumping economy is its biggest issue. To attract and sustain new businesses, Walton, who works for CenturyTel, said more homes need to be built. That's happening, he said, citing two housing developments that could add hundreds of new houses to the town.
Candidate Lee Barrow, who is running for at-large Position 4 on the council against Esther Daza-Bailie, agrees Connell's economy needs to be addressed. Barrow, a 43-year-old detective with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, said the city needs to strengthen its economic development efforts and put more signs along Highway 395 to bring motorists off the road and into town.
"I think we need to promote Connell," he said.
This is Barrow's first run at a city council position. He unsuccessfully ran for a spot on the Franklin County Commission last year.
Daza-Bailie wants to strengthen connections with groups like the chamber of commerce to promote the city and boost its economy. How that boost will take shape, she said, is up to the residents.
"I see the city right now as really having to find an identity to market," she said. "The city itself will have to decide how that identity will look."
Daza-Bailie, a counselor at Connell High School, lived in Connell as a child and moved back to town about two years ago. If elected, she said, she'd act "more as a support and a voice for the people" as opposed to "coming in and saying, 'This is what I want.' "
Daza-Bailie, 36, spent time in Colombia as a child. She is bilingual, an asset she said would be useful in communicating with Connell's Hispanic community.
Connell city council members are paid $1,200 annually. The mayor is paid $3,600 annually. The council meets twice each month.
The general election is Nov. 3, and ballots will be sent out Friday.
For more election coverage, go to www.tricityherald.com/election.
-- Drew Foster: 509-585-7207; dfoster@tricityherald.com
Similar stories:
5 late-filers vie for Prosser City Council
5 late-filers vie for Prosser City Council
PROSSER -- Voters in Prosser have an abundance of late-filer candidates seeking to fill city council positions in Tuesday's election.
Prosser's Position 7 seat was open during the Aug. 16 primary when incumbent Terry G. Chambers chose not to seek re-election. That prompted five candidates to enter the race.
They are Debbie Breitenfeldt, Larry Walter, Jim Macica, Tammy McKiernan and Scott Hamilton.
Longtime incumbent faces longtime challenger for Kennewick council seat
Longtime incumbent faces longtime challenger for Kennewick council seat
KENNEWICK -- Rather than calling it quits after 24 years, Robert "Bob" Olson is running for another term on the Kennewick City Council.
And right along side him on the ballot is perennial challenger Betty Klundt, who has tried to unseat him in the past four elections, and newcomer Gloria Tyler Baker, owner of a car dealership.
The top two vote-getters in Tuesday's primary election move on to the general election Nov. 8.
Coin toss could decide Kahlotus City Council race
Coin toss could decide Kahlotus City Council race
A coin toss could settle who will serve on the Kahlotus City Council.
Bob Hagans, a write-in candidate, is tied with Molly Robitaille, the only candidate who filed for Position 5, according to preliminary results.
If the tie of 21 votes each stands after a recount at 9 a.m. next Monday, the race will be decided with a coin toss, said Diana Killian, Franklin County elections administrator.
Retired PNNL worker, lawyer vie for Richland council seat
Retired PNNL worker, lawyer vie for Richland council seat
A retired Pacific Northwest National Laboratory worker and a practicing lawyer who heads up the Benton County GOP are vying for Richland City Council Pos. 6.
The position is being vacated by Sheila Sullivan, who opted not to run for a third term.
Sullivan has endorsed candidate Terry Christensen, recently retired from PNNL and who serves as chairman of the Richland Parks & Recreation Commission, while opponent Patrick McBurney's website says he has earned endorsements from Attorney General Rob McKenna, and State Reps. Larry Haler and Brad Klippert, among others.
Lawyer, sales executive vie for seat on Richland council
Lawyer, sales executive vie for seat on Richland council
An incumbent Hanford lawyer and a Canon senior sales executive currently serving as chairman of the Richland Planning Commission are vying for a seat on the Richland City Council.
Sandra Kent, 46, a senior labor and employment lawyer for CH2M Hill, was appointed to the council in 2008 to fill a vacancy when former Mayor Rob Welch resigned.
She was elected in 2009 to fill the remainder of that term, and now is seeking her first full term in Position 3 on the council.
Print
Email Story
