Hanford High athlete is latest election challenger. His dad is already on city council
Richland voters later this year will have the chance to elect a father-son duo to the city council.
Filing week for elections this year closed 5 p.m. Friday. More than 130 candidates in both Benton and Franklin counties filed paperwork to run in nearly 90 local, nonpartisan races.
On Monday, council incumbent Kurt Maier filed for a second term. Then, late Thursday, his 18-year-old son John registered for another seat on the council, one that’s being vacated by Ryan Lukson, a former mayor.
John Maier doesn’t graduate from Hanford High School for another month, but he said he’s running anyway because he feels the current council wants to keep things static and he wants to pave a path for betterment in the city. He says he wants to be a voice for the youth and disenfranchised, citing housing affordability as a main issue.
“I want to be able to voice their opinions on the city council and do what’s best for everybody, especially those who can’t go out and elicit change themselves,” John Maier said.
Running for city council comes with its own set of responsibilities. In addition to the lengthy paperwork that needs to be filed with the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, and the $152 filing fee to run for a Richland seat, candidates and elected officials alike must follow the state’s finance regulations and laws around campaigning. Once elected, good attendance is required to keep your seat.
The elder Maier, 45, tells the Tri-City Herald that he either is “inspiration or competition” to his son.
“Over the past several years I’ve been on the library board and then later on city council, it’s been a part of our family’s life for a while now,” Kurt Maier said. “He kind of grew up here watching his parents serve his community.”
But John Maier says he’s definitely been inspired by the change his father has been able to enact while on council. It’s showed him he can make a difference.
The two have talked about him running for public office, but not city council specifically. He explained to his son that it’s “a real thing you have to take seriously.”
Kurt Maier says he always talks during council meetings about how more people should run for office.
“And I think (John) took me seriously,” said the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory IT engineer.
John Maier played defensive end for Falcons football and currently throws discus for their track and field team. He says he works weekends at a bike shop, which helped him afford the filing fee.
He plans to take a gap year after graduation, and later enroll in an online college program to study cybersecurity.
If both are elected, John Maier said don’t expect him to side with his dad on everything.
“I’m not going to side with him just because he’s family. If we have a different view on things... We can discuss it and we have to make peace with that,” he said.
The Maiers aren’t the only Richland family to make local politics a domestic affair. Mayor Theresa Richardson’s son, Jet, serves on the city’s planning commission.
Francesca Maier, Kurt’s wife, also previously served as recently as 2024 on the city planning commission.
Both will campaign for the primary.
John Maier will face Donald Landsman and Jordan Lee to see who will succeed departing Councilman Lukson in the Position 4 seat.
Kurt Maier will attempt to defend his Position 6 seat from three challengers: Kyle Saltz, Joshua Arnold and Fiain Uir.
Races with two or fewer candidates will automatically advance past the primary election and appear on the general election ballot.
The top two primary candidates who receive the most votes will move on to the general election.
A special filing period will open Aug. 9-11 for offices that received no registration from candidates.
Races on primary election ballot
Kennewick City Council Ward 1: Jason McShane, Tina Gregory and Austin Miller.
- Kennewick City Council Ward 3: John Trumbo, Warren Hughs and Douglas Perez.
Kennewick City Council At-Large: Brad Klippert, Danielle Schuster and Gloria Tyler Baker.
- Kennewick School Board Pos 1: Micah Valentine, Robert Franklin and Mike Luzzo.
- Richland City Council Pos. 3 : Sandra Kent, Pat Holten and Robert Walko.
Richland City Council Pos 4: Donald Landsman, John Maier and Jordan Lee.
- Richland City Council Pos. 6: Kurt Maier, Kyle Saltz, Joshua Arnold and Fiain Uir.
Richland City Council Pos 7: Ryan Whitten, Colin Michael, Tony Sanchez and Joshua Short.
- Connell City Mayor: Shelly Harper, Patricia Barrera and Irineo Salas.
- Prosser City Council Pos 2: Jackie Kimble, Vance Glasscock and Bill Jenkin.
Grandview School Board Pos 5: Amanda Rodriguez, Cecilia Lamas Noriega and Elena Olmstead.
Contested races on general ballot
- Pasco School Board District 3: Amanda Brown and Steve Christensen.
- Pasco School Board District, At-Large: Scott Lehrman and Valerie Torres.
- Pasco City Council District 3: Leo Perales and Bryan Verhei.
- Pasco City Council District 6: Melissa Blasdel and Calixto Hernandez.
Kennewick School Board Pos 2: Gabe Galbraith and Nicolas Uhnak.
Richland School Board Pos 1: Bonnie Mitchell and Jacques Bakhazi.
- Port of Kennewick District 2: Tammy Kenfield and Raul Contreras Gonzalez.
Port of Benton District 1: William O’Neil and Rory Keck.
West Richland City Mayor: Fred Brink and May Hays.
West Richland City Council Pos 1: John Smart and Nancy Aldrich.
- West Richland City Council Pos 3: Robert Perkes and David Cole.
- West Richland City Council Pos 4: Richard Bloom and Braden Sloughter.
- Prosser City Council Pos 1: Maricruz Mendoza and Julie Mercer.
Prosser City Council Pos 3: Harold Lewis and Felix Cortes.
- Prosser School Board Pos 3: Eric Larez and Elisa Riley.
- Connell City Council Pos 2: Terri Cerna and Patrice Hebel.
- Connell City Council Pos 3: Michelle Welch and Frankie Meraz.
- Connell City Council Pos 4: Joe Escalera and Duey Dixon.
- Kahlotus City Mayor: Michael Robitaille and Maria Cruzan.
- Othello School Board District 3: Juan Garcia and Birdie Fought.
This story was originally published May 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM.
