Mix of veterans and newcomers advance in Tri-Cities city council races

The 2019 elections may lack the fireworks of a presidential election, but the outcomes will play a far more direct role in the daily lives of Mid-Columbia residents.

Tuesday’s primary was the kickoff for a round of races that will deposit newcomers onto the Kennewick, Pasco and Richland city councils — the bodies that decide which roads to fix, where development can happen and how to allocate police resources, among other local work.

The top two finishers in each race advance to the Nov. 5 general election.

Tuesday’s election results will be updated Wednesday afternoon by the auditors of Benton and Franklin counties.

Kennewick

With two races featuring no incumbent and one with a recent appointee, new faces were a given.

Tuesday’s primary narrowed the field of 12 candidates running for three posts to six people, giving voters a clearer picture of who the newcomers could be.

Position 5: Chuck Torelli, the appointed incumbent, will face Chariss Warner, a Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission executive, in the race for Position 5, the at-large seat vacated by Matt Boehnke when he was elected to the state House of Representatives.

Torelli received 2,622 votes and Warner received 1,902, or nearly 51 percent to 37 percent.

A third candidate, Brandon Pocasangre, received 680 votes or nearly 13 percent.

Position 6: Brad Beauchamp, a housing developer, will apparently face Ed Pacheco, with the Hanford Patrol and the city’s planning commission chairman, in the race to succeed Paul Parish in his at-large seat. Parish is not seeking re-election.

Beauchamp received 2,135 votes and Pacheco received 1,007, or nearly 39 percent to 18 percent.

The other candidates were Uby Creek, 16 percent, David Spaulding, nearly 14 percent and Brian Griffin, about 13 percent.

Position 7: James “Jim” Millbauer, a Hanford pipefitter, will apparently face Russel Del Gesso, a business owner, in the race to succeed the late Steve Young. Millbauer received 2,007 votes and Del Gesso received 1,128, or nearly 37 percent to 21 percent.

Young, who filed to run for re-election shortly before his death in May, received 967 votes or nearly 18 percent.

The other candidates were Lindy Verhei, who received nearly 12 percent and Radona “Liz” Deveraux received 12.5 percent.

The city council appointed Ed Frost to serve in Young’s seat until the November general election is certified.

Frost, who is not a candidate, will surrender the seat to the winner of the Millbauer-Del Gesso match once the November election is certified.

The winner of the other two races will take office at the council’s first meeting in January. The council will select a one of its own at that time to serve a two-year term as mayor.

The Benton County Auditor released preliminary results Tuesday night. The election will be certified on Aug. 20.

Pasco

A former Democratic candidate for Franklin County commissioner and the former chair of the county’s Republican Party could be heading toward a showdown for a seat on the Pasco City Council.

Despite their political histories, they are seeking a nonpartisan seat being vacated by former Mayor Matt Watkins.

Zahra Roach, an educator and Pasco planning commission chair, and Patrick Guettner, a retiree and former party chair, received the most votes for the at-large position in the first counting of ballots Tuesday night.

Watkins, who is not seeking re-election, served on the council 16 years and was chosen by other council members to be the city’s mostly honorary mayor. The role does not automatically go to his successor on the city council.

Roach has received 2,549 votes and Guettner has 1,531, or 50 percent to 30 percent. Roach unsuccessfully ran against Clint Didier in the 2018 race for Franklin County commissioner.

The third candidate, middle school teacher Abel Campos, has received 1,035 votes, or 20 percent.

The Position 7 race was the only race in Franklin County with three or more candidates, making it the only race on the ballot.

In partisan years, all races appear on the primary ballot, even those with only one or two candidates. But this is a nonpartisan year, so only actual primaries are tallied.

Pasco City Council Positions 2 and 5 are also up for election.

Incumbent Ruben Alvarado is running unopposed to retain his Position 2 seat.

Incumbent David Milne will face challenger Isaac “Ike” Myhrum in the Position 5 race on Nov. 5.

The next tabulation of ballots not counted Tuesday is scheduled for Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Richland City Council

Richland voters have sent three veteran city councilmembers to the general election, according to preliminary results.

Robert J. “Bob” Thompson, Phil Lemley and Brad Anderson all appeared to survive serious primary challenges to advance.

Pos. 1: Thompson will advance to the general election with 1,937 votes or 33 percent of the votes cast.

The race for the second place in the four-way race was too close to call until additional ballots are tallied. Lillian “Randy” Slovic received 1,315 votes or 22.4 percent.

She was leading Kalen Finn by seven votes. Fourth-place finisher Wendi Warner was just a few votes behind at 1,281.

Thompson currently serves as the city’s mostly honorary mayor.

Post. 2: Incumbent Brad Anderson will face off against Shir Regev.

Anderson received 2,694 votes to Regev’s 2,245, or nearly 46 percent to 38 percent. A third candidate, Larry Stanley, received 946 votes, or 16 percent.

Pos. 5: Incumbent Phil Lemley, a Hanford retiree, will face challenger Lisa Thomas, a nurse. Lemley received 2,404 votes and Thomas 2,156, or 40 percent to 36 percent.

The other candidates were Kurt Maier, who received 961 votes (16 percent) and Mike Luzzo, who received 444 (7.5 percent).

Pos. 6: Councilman Terry Christensen will face off against Kyle Palmer. This race was not on the primary because it had only two candidates.

All Richland council races are elected from the city at large.

Richland ensures four seats — a majority of the seven-member council — face re-election every other other year by giving a two-year seat to the person who wins the November election with the least number of votes.

Thompson holds the two-year term after narrowly winning re-election in 2017.

The new council members will take office in January. At that time, the council will select one of its own to serve a two-year term as mayor.