Tri-City election officials brace for wave of candidates after Trump

Donald Trump may have been elected President in his first run for public office, but for most would-be politicians, a stint on a city council, school board or port commission is the customary first step into elected life.

Local elected offices offer long hours and low pay, but the barriers jumping in are minimal.

You must live in the district you want to represent and pay a modest filing fee. The amount is typically a fraction of the job’s salary, if any.

May 15-19 is candidate filing week in Benton and Franklin counties, as well as statewide.

It offers one of the first tests of the commitment many made after the presidential election to get involved in shaping the future of their communities. The primary election is Aug. 1, with the top two finishers advancing to the Nov. 7 general election.

Presidential politics may garner the headlines, but in reality, city councils, school boards and other local entities play a far larger role in the day-to-day lives of citizens as they decide which roads to repave and which neighborhoods attend what schools.

Filing for Kennewick City Council will set candidates back $119 to $139.

It costs $135 to $165 to file for a post on the Richland City Council and $120 for any seat on the Pasco City Council.

For West Richland, a city council run costs $60 while the mayor’s post, a paid position, is $480.

Budget-minded politicians can file for free to run for their local school or fire district board, among others.

Franklin County Auditor Matt Beaton anticipates a bumper crop of candidates for Pasco City Council, which adopted a new system of electing members that is meant to draw a more representative group of candidates. And it means all seven council positions are up for grabs.

“We’re excited. We think the attention that the reorganization that Pasco chose to do will result in greater participation,” said Beaton, the county’s chief elections officer.

The odd-year election is chiefly focused on city councils, school boards, port commissions, hospital boards and similar local government, where seats are officially nonpartisan. There are two exceptions — Benton County is holding off-year elections to complete the terms of the county treasurer and sheriff, both partisan posts formerly held by Republicans.

Treasurer Duane Davidson resigned after being elected state treasurer while Sheriff Steven Keane retired for health reasons.

In all, Franklin County has 48 positions up for grabs and Benton county has 55.

The list of open seats for Franklin County is posted at bit.ly/Franklin2017Elections For Benton County, it is posted at bit.ly/Benton2017Elections.

Like Beaton, Benton County Auditor Brenda Chilton said the presidential election focused interest in elected office. She welcomes newcomers to the process, noting that the nonpartisan local races are more influential on the everyday life of the community than national ones.

“It’s the most grassroots of offices,” she said.

The positions may be nonpartisan, but local political parties are encouraging sympathetic candidates to run.

The Benton County Democratic Central Committee is promoting filing season to would-be politicians. David Rose, chairman, said it is focused on the Kennewick City Council, which has four seats up for election, and the Richland School Board, which has two.

Rose said the party is interested in Kennewick’s at-large post being vacated by Bob Parks, as well as the Ward 3 position held by John Trumbo, one of the council’s more outspoken conservatives.

Two candidates, Latino activist Leo Perales, and Hanford pipefitter Jim Millbauer, have announced plans to run for the post. In a separate race, Steven Lee, co-owner of a Finley marijuana dispensary, plans to run against Greg Jones for his Ward 2 seat.

Rose, whose uncle serves on the Richland City Council, sees an opportunity to bring newcomers to local office. He said national politics is stirring interest not only among Democrats, but Republicans who are concerned about what’s happening at the federal level.

“It was almost a hidden blessing that Donald Trump got elected. We may have an opportunity to turn a deep red area into a lighter red one, or even blue,” he said. “We’re looking at everything.”

Bill Berkman, chairman of the Benton County Republican Party, agrees that the presidential election stirred new interest in elected office.

“The level of general activism has begun to increase,” he said.

While he’s seen interest rise in uncontested seats, such as the one Parks is vacating in Kennewick, he hasn’t yet seen people surface to challenge incumbents who plan to seek reelection.

“I’m seeing kind of a mixed bag,” he said.

Berkman said the county Republican party is actively recruiting candidates and will likely endorse candidates.

In Benton County, candidates may file online at bentonelections.com from 9 a.m. May 15 until 4 p.m. Friday May 19. Candidates may file in person at any of the auditor’s three offices: 5600 W. Canal Drive in Kennewick, 1010 Wellsian Way in Richland and 620 Market St. in Prosser.

Benton County candidates can learn more about the ins and outs of the process as well as resources at a training session at 6 p.m. June 1 at the Richland Library, 955 Northgate Drive.

In Franklin County, candidates may download the declaration of candidacy at bit.ly/FranklinElectionDeadlines. The county will hold a workshop for candidates from 6 to 7:30 p.m. May 23 at the election center, 116 N. Third Ave., Pasco.

This story was originally published May 8, 2017 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Tri-City election officials brace for wave of candidates after Trump."