Kennewick mayor and councilman appear to be voted out of office

Kennewick Mayor Don Britain was trailing challenger Gretl Crawford in his bid for re-election to the city council.

All four Kennewick City Council candidates endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party, including two incumbents and two newcomers, were leading by strong margins in the ballots counted Tuesday night.

An estimated 10,000 ballots are yet to be counted from voters across Benton County.

The apparent new makeup of the council will switch its dynamics, with the council tending to split four to three on some contentious issues.

But both Britain and Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Lee, who now are sometimes part of the four-vote majority, appear to be voted out of office.

Votes counted so far favored not only Crawford over Britain, but also political newcomer Loren Anderson over Lee. And Councilmen John Trumbo and Bill McKay, who tend to be part of the three-vote minority, appear to be re-elected.

Crawford received 5,830 of the votes counted so far, or 58%, to Britain’s 3,852 votes, or 42%.

Crawford, a developer, owns Gretl Crawford Homes and Interiors and It’s All in the Details store.

She wants to promote development and jobs, including by addressing traffic impact fees for new houses and businesses and other potential barriers for new businesses to Kennewick.

Britain works for Ben Franklin Transit after being fired from his job as a Washington state Department of Social and Health Services case manager after he failed to report a relationship with one of his clients.

He is negotiating a settlement with the Washington state Executive Ethics Board, which found reasonable cause that he violated the Ethics in Public Service Act in his former state job.

Britain could not immediately be reached Wednesday about the election.

He has served on the council since 2009, and was selected by fellow council members to serve as mayor since 2018.

Voters do not choose the mayor. Instead the council elects a mayor from among its seven members.

During his years on the council the Southridge area was developed, the Bob Olson Parkway was completed, construction began on the Highway 395 interchange and partnerships with the Home Builders Association and Port of Kennewick were improved, Britain said before the election.

Anderson, Lee

Anderson, a dentist, was winning by the largest margin for the Kennewick Council seats in votes counted Tuesday night.

Anderson had 6,139 votes, or 67%, compared to 2,960 for Lee, or 32%.

Anderson ran a quiet campaign, saying he wanted healthy options for city residents. A Benton County Republican Party flier said he also supported “community” and term limits.

Lee owns cannabis stores — including one in Finley — and he often provides significant financial support to struggling community groups. He served one term on the council and was selected by fellow council members as the mayor pro tem.

On the council, he focused on economic development, access to the arts, and attracting young professionals and their families to Kennewick and retaining them.

“Congratulations to Councilman-elect Anderson,” Lee said on Wednesday. “I hope he spends the next four years endeavoring to make the community we live in a better place for his kids and mine.”

McKay, Short

McKay, a small business owner and developer seeking a second term on the council, received 5,253 of the votes counted so far, or 57%.

His opponent, Ken Short, a member of the Kennewick city planning commissioner and Hanford site worker, received 3,940 votes, or 43%.

McKay campaigned on cutting wasteful spending, upholding property rights and streamlining the city’s planning and public work regulations.

Short said he wanted to invest in city parks, waterfronts and downtown and was fed up with “petty infighting and toxic partisanship” on the city council.

Trumbo, Lohr

Trumbo, who is seeking his third four-year term on the council, received 5,380 votes counted so far, or 58%.

His opponent, union electrician Jason Lohr, received 3,824 votes, or 41%.

Trumbo, a retired newspaper reporter, said in his campaign literature that he supports opening council meetings with a voluntary prayer and supports the U.S. Constitution, as conceived by the founding fathers.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 9:23 PM.