Port race set for November face-off between the incumbent and its former director
Christy Rasmussen and Scott Keller will run for a six-year term on the Port of Benton commission in the Nov. 7 general election after emerging as the top two finishers in the Aug. 1 election primary.
Rasmussen, the appointed incumbent, received 1,517 votes while Keller, the port’s retired director, received 1,271 votes, or 47% to 39%, according to preliminary results released by the Benton County Auditor after the polls closed.
The results reflect 3,225 votes cast. The results will be updated at 4 p.m., Aug. 2 and the election will be certified Aug. 15.
A third candidate, Clif Dyer, whose name was misspelled on the ballot, received 433 votes or 13.5% of the total.
Rasmussen, an educator and Hanford trainer, was appointed to represent the port’s northern district in 2021 when Bob Larson retired with two years left on his term.
She cast her role as a leader who will take the port into a clean energy future while building on its vast resources to serve the business community.
Keller worked for the port for more than 30 years, including 17 as its executive director. He retired in 2019.
He said he wants to return to the organization he once led, saying he supports its activities but believes it needs to do more to support small business.
Dyer, owner of Sundance Aviation at the Richland Airport, entered the race because he was frustrated by a move to raise rents for tenants such as him.
The port’s three-member elected commission is the policy-making body for the port, a sprawling public entity responsible for economic development in an area that extends from the Columbia River in Richland to the Yakima River in Prosser.
It has an operating budget of $7.6 million and operates the airports in Richland and Prosser, a rail line in Richland and an extensive wine park in Prosser. It is chiefly supported by revenue from property taxes, leases and grants.
This story was originally published August 1, 2023 at 8:56 PM.