Election caps contentious year for Kennewick council. 3 seats are in play

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct candidate Jim Millbauer’s position in support of the city’s cannabis moratorium.)

Three of the seven seats on the Kennewick City Council are on the Nov. 5 ballot.

The election will settle who succeeds the late Steve Young and offers the city’s voters a chance to choose fresh faces following a year of conflict in city government.

In Kennewick’s council-manager form of government, the elected council sets policy, adopts a budget and oversees the city manager, Marie Mosley. Mosley manages day to day affairs and the city’s $357 million budget.

The past year saw a division form on the council, leading to split votes on even some routine matters.

The angst surfaced after Councilman Steve Young, the former longtime mayor, became the target of a recall effort.

Critics said Young’s role in an $8.1 million judgment for discrimination and retaliation involving his former employee at Mission Support Alliance rendered him unfit for office.

The recall faltered but Young asked the city to cover his legal fees. The council voted 3-2 to pay the fees, revealing a division that persists today.

The division was on display again when the council voted 5-2 to censure Councilman John Trumbo for misusing his public position to privately investigate a rumor involving Councilman/Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee.

Trumbo and Lee are not up for election this year.

There was more controversy this fall when now-ousted Fire Chief Vince Beasley announced the city was attempting to fire him after a 37-year career with the city fire department. The move prompted the city to disclose that there were were performance issues.

The outcome of the Nov. 5 election will certainly alter the balance on the council, which will choose a new mayor and mayor pro tem from its ranks in January.

The three positions on the Nov. 5 ballot are at-large, meaning they represent the entire city rather than an individual district. Ballots have been mailed and must be postmarked or returned by election day to count.

Position 5

Appointed incumbent Chuck Torelli, a retired Hanford worker, is being challenged by Chariss Warner, a director at the Tri-Cities Union Gospel Mission in Pasco.

Torelli and Warner were among the 31 candidates for appointment in January after former Councilman Matt Boehnke resigned to take a seat in House of Representatives.

Torelli got the nod, but Warner was a close second.

Torelli is campaigning on a “policy over politics” platform while Warner is campaigning as a Christian who studies issues from all perspectives but leans to the conservative side.

Both say they want the council to heal its divisions. Warner, who has received financial support from Councilmen John Trumbo and Bill McKay, said she will not automatically vote with them.

In a reflection on their differing philosophies of government, Torelli said he supported “The Link,” the city’s failed attempt to raise the sales tax to update and expand the Three Rivers Convention Complex. Warner opposed using city funds for the proposal.

Torelli has raised nearly $47,000, including more than $32,000 of his own money. He has spent more than $49,000 in the campaign, according to financial reports to the Washington Public Disclosure Commission.

He has not received contributions from sitting council members.

Warner has raised $9,100 and spent about $5,500, according to PDC filings. She received $625 from McKay and $345 from Trumbo.

Position 6

Brad Beauchamp, a self-employed real estate developer, and Ed Pacheco, a canine handler for the Hanford Patrol, union leader and chairman of the Kennewick Planning Commission, are running to succeed Councilman Paul Parish, who is not seeking re-election.

Beauchamp is running as a businessman with an insider’s view of planning, permitting and zoning. Pacheco promotes strong planning and public services and advocates for local preferences for contractors on city projects.

Both are running as fiscal conservatives. Beauchamp has no prior city experience. Pacheco has a long civic resume that includes promoting the 2014 Benton County Public Safety Sales tax, the voter approved tax that funds extra officers, prosecutors and crime-reducing initiatives.

Beauchamp has raised about $4,800 and spent $7,600, according to his PDC reports. He contributed $3,000 to his own campaign. He received $625 from Councilman McKay.

Pacheco registered as a mini filer and will not raise more than $5,000.

Position 7

Russel Del Gesso, owner owner and president of the Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership, and James “Jim” Millbauer, a union official and longtime Hanford pipefitter, are running to succeed the late Steve Young.

Young died in May shortly after filing for re-election.

Because Young died in office, the winner of the race will be sworn into office in late November as soon as the election results are certified instead of waiting to be sworn in in January.

Ed Frost is serving as the interim councilman until a successor is elected.

Millbauer is a 32-year Kennewick running as a problem solver who will work collaboratively with the rest of the council. DelGesso said prosperity and building a future for the next generation is his priority.

Kennewick’s moratorium against cannabis businesses was a key primary talking point in the primary election.

Millbauer respects the moratorium but favors a new referendum vote in the city. He would support the outcome.

Del Gesso would continue the moratorium.

Del Gesso has raised nearly $12,500 and spent about $11,100, according to the PDC. He contributed $2,000 to his own campaign.

Millbauer has raised $25,100 and spent nearly $24,700, the second highest amount spent in Kennewick this year, according PDC filings.

Neither Del Gesso nor Millbauer has received financial support from a sitting city council member, according to the most recent PDC filings.

This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 5:00 AM.