Update: Names released of 12 applicants for Steve Young’s Kennewick council seat

A former city councilman and six people campaigning to be Kennewick council members are among those who have applied to be appointed to an open council seat.

The city of Kennewick released the names of the 12 applicants on Thursday in response to the Tri-City Herald’s request filed under Washington’s Public Records Act.

The city had previously said it would wait until Friday, saying it needed time to give the city council a full list of candidates seeking the temporary appointment. One will replace Councilman Steve Young, the city’s former mayor, who died in May.

The appointee will serve until late November, after the general election is certified and Young’s elected successor can be sworn in

Three of the six candidates who are running for election are hoping to get a jump on the job by getting appointed first. They are Lindy Verhei, Russel Del Gesso and Jim Millbauer.

Verhei is a leasing consultant for low-income housing and a former council candidate. Del Gesso is owner of Ed and Moes Pawn Shop in Kennewick and several other businesses. Millbauer is a Hanford pipefitter who like Verhei previously ran for city council.

The other candidates are:

• Bob Parks, former Kennewick City Councilman. Parks retired from city politics in 2017 after three terms in office. Parks said he’s uninterested in running for election, but retains his passion for city politics.
• Ryan Brown, chief deputy prosecuting attorney for Benton County is chief legal adviser to the county’s elected board of commissioners.
• Leo Perales, office manager for Materials Testing and Inspection, previously ran for city council as well as the state Senate. He is a community advocate, as well as member of the Benton County Planning Commission and the Kennewick Housing Authority board.
• Robb Heston, a parks and recreation board member is active in a variety of volunteer roles, including 2nd Harvest, Kiwanis, Rotary and the Benton Franklin Humane Society.
• Cameron Fordmeir, outpatient services manager at Lourdes Counseling Center, is active in the Benton and Franklin Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition, the Crisis Intervention Team and the Benton and Franklin Recovery Coalition.
• Ed Pacheco, a city volunteer who works in security at Hanford for the Department of Energy. Pacheco chairs the Kennewick Planning Commission and is a candidate for another council position up for election this year, the Position 6 seat being vacated by Paul Parish.
• Uby Creek, former diversity commissioner and educator, serves on the Mirror Ministries board and the board of the Hispanic Academic Achievement Program. She is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, the salvation Army and other community-building groups. Like Pacheco, she is running for the Position 6 seat.
• Ed Frost, retired Ben Franklin Transit Services executive, is a former member of the city’s planning commission and diversity commission. He served three terms on the Kennewick School Board and is active in the Human Services Coalition and Alliance for a Liveable and Sustainable Community.
• Brooke Yount, owner of a Kennewick custom picture framer business, is a past candidate for appointment to the council. She is active in the business community, including administering the First Thursday ArtWalk.

The appointee will join the council’s six other members who are responsible for setting policy for the city of 83,000 and overseeing the city manager who administers a $357 million biennial budget.

Interviews and vote planned Saturday

The city council meets at 8:05 a.m. Saturday at city hall, 210 W. Sixth Ave., to interview candidates.

The interviews will be in public. The council will recess to executive session to discuss the matter, which is allowed under Washington’s Open Meetings Act.

Then, the council will vote in public on its selection and the appointee will take office Tuesday.

Young died May 16 during the candidate filing week following a battle with cancer. He had filed to run for re-election just two days earlier.

The Aug. 6 primary ballot will list Young’s name along with the candidates who hope to be elected: Verhei, Millbauer and Del Gesso and Radona Deveraux. Former Mayor Vic Epperly filed but withdrew.

This story was originally published June 6, 2019 at 12:48 PM.