President staying put after heated campaign

The president of the Kennewick School Board appeared to be keeping her seat Tuesday night, while an attorney was edging out a worker safety manager for the other spot up for election.

Dawn Adams, the board president, had 6,220 votes, or nearly 60 percent, according to the Benton County elections department. Her challenger Uby Creek had 4,190 votes, or about 40 percent.

In the other race, attorney Heather Kintzley was edging out Jason Armstrong, a worker safety and health manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with 5,474 votes, or about 55 percent.

Armstrong had 4,556 votes, or about 45 percent.

The results won't be official until the election is certified Nov. 24. There still are more than 1,000 ballots left to count in Benton County races.

The Kennewick School Board election was tense, with candidates in both races disagreeing about educational philosophy. The campaign also stirred up debate about the district's relationship with two reading foundations based in Kennewick.

Creek questioned the money the district paid the foundations to run some programs, while Adams is a staunch supporter.

Adams, 48, a vice president for Parsons in Pasco who's been on the Kennewick board for eight years, said she's glad the campaign is over.

"I appreciate the confidence (voters) have expressed by voting for me. I intend to the use the next four years to provide the same kind of consistent leadership that I've provided the last eight years," she said.

Creek, 47, who coordinates community resources for families in the school district's Early Childhood Education Assistance Program, said her involvement in the district will continue no matter the final results.

Creek said she got into the race to draw attention to important issues and encourage more involvement in the school district. "I'll continue to do what I do, and show up (to board meetings) and keep holding people accountable for my tax dollars," she said.

One critical issue the school board will face in the next few years will be shrinking resources. State funding for K-12 education throughout Washington has been slashed because of state budget woes, and more cuts could be coming.

Districts also will be dealing with changes to math and science education and a new state assessment system.

Kintzley, 31, an attorney for the city of Kennewick, said she's excited to join the board and put the intense campaign behind her. Working to reduce the dropout rate will be a top priority, she said.

"I plan to serve to the best of my ability," said Kintzley, who is Adams' niece. "This is going to be a great opportunity for me and hopefully for the community."

Armstrong, 39, who has children in the district, said he entered the race because he's passionate about education and helping kids -- and that won't change.

"I really appreciated all (the voter) support," he said. "The whole experience has been enjoyable and a lot of fun. I'll still be an active parent, an active member of the community."

The next updated ballot count is expected today.