KID board to interview candidates for board vacancy

Three Kennewick Irrigation District members have applied for the open seat on the district’s board.

Bill McKay has applied after running unsuccessfully for the KID board against board member Gene Huffman in 2015.

McKay, who also is a candidate for election to the Kennewick City Council, is a former Idaho dairy farmer, a semi-retired banker, and the owner and manager of a self-storage facility.

James Holmes of West Richland also has applied. He is a charter member of the Red Mountain American Viticulture Area. In 2015 KID completed a $20 million project to bring Yakima River water to the mountain’s slopes, contributing to vineyard development there.

The third applicant is retired civil engineer Raman Venkata of Richland.

The position is vacant after Patrick McGuire, who had served on the board for more than eight years, resigned.

The Benton County Commission will pick a new board member to fill the position through the end of the year. An election will then be held to fill the seat for 2018, the remaining year of McGuire’s term.

The KID board is scheduled to interview the candidates after discussing several other agenda items at its meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at 2015 S. Ely St.

The board has the option of whether or not to recommend a candidate to the county commission.

A decision is expected either at the Tuesday meeting or its meeting on July 6. The July meeting has been rescheduled to a Thursday because of Independence Day.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 7:08 PM with the headline "KID board to interview candidates for board vacancy."