Tri-City races already heat up as 2017 election season kicks off

Kalen Finn, 30, dropped in on Richland City Council meetings as a high school student at Richland.

He graduated in 2005 and went on to earn a bachelor’s in political science from Central Washington University. The Hanford worker decided to run for office after the city council’s recent decision to impose a $20 car license fee to help pay for the Duportail Bridge and street repairs.

Unhappy with the process and the decision, Finn filed Monday to challenge Richland Mayor Bob Thompson.

Finn is one of a wave of challengers expected to seek public office this fall.

In another race in Kennewick, already four candidates have announced plans to run for the city council at-large position being vacated by Bob Parks.

Election season kicked off Monday, the first day of filing week for 43 positions in Franklin County and 55 in Benton County.

Local election officials anticipate a larger-than-usual crop of candidates following the polarizing 2016 presidential election.

Day one brought new challengers in races across the board, from Richland City Council to the Port of Kennewick. Candidates can file online through May 19.

The odd-year election is focused on nonpartisan, local positions on city councils, city councils, school boards, fire districts, ports and even cemetery districts.

For the full list of open seats and filing instructions, consult bit.ly/Benton2017Elections or bit.ly/Franklin2017Elections.

Kennewick

City Council

Ward 2: Incumbent Greg Jones filed for reelection and drew a challenger in Shane Fast, who could not be reached Monday. Steven Lee, co-owner of a Finley marijuana dispensary, indicated he will run for the post, as well.

Ward 4 (at-large): Four candidates have confirmed their interest in the at-large post being vacated by Bob Parks. Jim Millbauer, who previously announced his candidacy, filed Monday, as did Bill McKay and Christy Watts, who recently retired as marketing director for Ben Franklin Transit. Leo Perales, an activist who announced in April his intent to run, is expected to file this week.

Watts is a 25-year Kennewick resident who recently retired from the transit agency. Her background includes raising money for Tri-Cities Prep and leading a successful campaign to dedicate sales tax proceeds to public transit.

Watts said she’s always been interested in public service. She has no major complaints about the city of Kennewick, but said the all-male elected council needs both gender and ethnic diversity.

“I think that a woman’s perspective when it comes to livable communities and family and what we want to see in our community is every bit as important as a man’s,” she said. She would focus on building partnerships with public and private agencies to better the community.

Port of Kennewick

Position 3: Incumbent Skip Novakovich, owner of Esprit Graphics and Communications, filed for re-election. He drew a challenger in Rick Reil, a longtime civic leader.

Reil is a lifelong Benton County resident and Vietnam Era veteran of the Air Force. He is a 34-year member of the Trios Health board and past Kennewick Man of the Year. He owns Real Life Photography and is a published author and writer.

Reil praised the district’s broad interest in economic development, including its redevelopment work at Vista Field and the Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village effort. Reil said three-member boards need reasonable turnover.

Pasco

City Council

Position 3: Incumbent Saul Martinez filed for-re-election. Rick Rios, a community activist, filed against him.

Rios moved to the Mid-Columbia as the child of migrants and went on to college. He returned to Pasco six years ago to lead Latino Rebels, a voice for the Latino community.

Rios said he is running to gain a greater understanding of the city after spending more than two years focused on the Antonio Zambrano-Montes shooting and other issues, including a new system of electing city council members to bring greater diversity to the city.

Rios said he would work to focus the city’s development interests in revamping what it already has in Pasco’s older neighborhoods. But his primary mission is to provide the Latinos who comprise 56 percent of Pasco’s population a strong voice in their future.

“People want to get involved. But they have to feel that their involvement means something,” he said.

School Board

Position 4: Erin Hall Lewis, a parent, is challenging incumbent Sherry Lancon.

Hall Lewis, 37, said she’s watched the district mishandle it’s relationship with the public in recent years, and she wants them to do better. She raised concerns about how the district dealt with discipline issues, school boundaries and home-schooled students.

“There needs to be more open communication, and parents and students need to be incorporated into the decision-making process,” she said.

Her children have attended six different Pasco schools. “I’ve seen a lot of different environments,” she said. “Some of them have been great. Some of them have been less than great.”

She wants to change the perception that Pasco schools are not good. An opinion, she said is costing the district students. The district’s good qualities need to be emphasized, she said.

Richland

City Council

Position 1 Kalen Finn, a lifelong Richland resident, filed for the seat currently held by the mayor.

Finn, who coordinates equipment for Washington River Protection Solutions at the Hanford site, said the council should have considered other locations for the Duportail Bridge and other ways to pay for it.

And if elected, he would advocate for economic development and activities that recognize Richland’s cultural and ethnic diversity. He said he was frustrated when the council rejected a popular proposal to install a public market along George Washington Way.

“Pasco is going to have an awesome market by the river,” he said.

Thompson, who practices law in Pasco, had not filed for re-election as of Monday.

Position 4 The seat being vacated by David Rose has drawn one candidate — Ginger Wireman, an education outreach coordinator for the state Department of Ecology at the Hanford site.

With her children mostly grown, Wireman said she has time to devote to the city. She wants the council to work harder to be accessible to citizens by holding meetings in schools and parks. Citizen engagement and inclusiveness are her top priorities.

She said Richland has an unfortunate history of acting against the wishes of citizens, citing the move to extend Rachel Road across the Amon Basin Nature Preserve and the Columbia Point South extension.

She would push the city to take clearer steps to embrace diversity and said she’s frustrated the council has not acted even after many citizens have asked for a declaration of support. “People are hurting,” she said.

School board

Position 1 Matthew Bishop, a parent and Republican precinct committee officer, is challenging three-term incumbent Heather Cleary for her spot on the Richland School Board.

Bishop, 38, wants increased transparency, accountability and more focus on parents’ rights. He feels like the school board members have divorced themselves from the needs of district parents.

“They’re there when they want our vote for a bond, but otherwise they’re not there,” he said.

He plans to make himself available to community organizations that want to meet with him.

Bishop is the father of three students, two in high school and one in middle school. Along with his time with the Benton County Republican party, he served on the Benton Franklin Head Start board and the Ben Franklin Transit Citizens Advisory Committee.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Tri-City races already heat up as 2017 election season kicks off."