13 Richland candidates talk housing, homelessness and safety. Ballots due Aug. 5
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- Richland voters face Aug. 5 primary with four city council seats on ballot.
- Candidates reflect broad geographic, generational and political diversity.
- Campaign finance reports show wide fundraising gaps among active candidates.
Richland voters will have several chances to change the geographic makeup of city leadership in 2025. Four of seven seats are up for election in 2025.
Voters will choose from about a dozen candidates who represent all quarters of the city.
Second, voters will consider in November altering the city charter to elect the council from districts instead of citywide at-large races.
Proponents say at-large voting concentrates power in affluent neighborhoods and changing it will improve representation.
Opponents call it gerrymandering and say it will result in leaders accountable to individual neighborhoods instead of the city as a whole.
The process starts with the the Aug. 5 primary to determine which two candidates in each race advance to face-off in the November general election.
All four races will appear on the ballot though only three are true primaries. A fourth is a two-way race that is on the ballot despite the third candidate pulling out after the deadline to withdraw.
The in-name-only primary is for Position 3, featuring incumbent Sandra Kent and two challengers, Patricia “Pat” Holten and Robert Walko.
Walko told the Tri-City Herald he is no longer in the race after learning he is ineligible for the post. Kent and Holten will advance to the Nov. 4 general election.
Generally, candidates are running four-year terms.
Richland’s system of government gives the candidate who wins with the least votes a two-year term. That ensures at least four of seven seat are on the ballot in city council election years.
Meet the candidates
Position 4
Incumbent Ryan Lukson is not seeking reelection and three candidates filed for his open seat: John Maier, Donald “Donnie” Landsman and Jordan Lee.
John Maier is a 2025 Hanford High School graduate with plans to study cybersecurity in college. He is a volunteer bike mechanic and lives in central Richland with his parents.
His father, Kurt Maier, is an incumbent council incumbent running for reelection in Position 6.
The younger Maier said he is interested in promoting affordable housing and engaging youth in public life in the voters’ pamphlet.
He has not raised any money, according to campaign disclosures.
Donald “Donnie” Landsman is an experienced candidate.
In 2015, he unsuccessfully challenged former Councilman Terry Christensen for his council seat. He ran for Benton County commissioner in 2020.
He has lived in Richland since 1977 and hails from the city’s north side. He owns a home in Mesa, Ariz., which he describes as a retreat.
Landsman said he would champion business-friendly policies and advocate for transparency in municipal government.
He wants to balance growth with preserving Richland’s character in the voters pamphlet. He has raised $5,700, according to campaign filings.
He opposes district-based elections and volunteered to help write the “con” statement for the voters’ pamphlet.
Jordan Lee did not submit candidate statements to either the voter’s pamphlet or the chamber guide.
He also has not filed campaign finance or personal financial disclosure statements with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, a legal requirement for all candidates seeking elected positions in the state.
In a phone call with the Tri-City Herald, Lee acknowledged but did not explain why he missed the deadlines to participate in the voters guide or to comply with Washington campaign law.
Lee moved to Richland about three years ago. He lives in central Richland and works as a line cook at Endive Eatery.
Lee said he was motivated to file for election because he wants a more compassionate approach to people who are underserved, underrepresented and unsheltered in Richland.
Position 6
Incumbent Kurt Maier, who was elected to a two-year position in 2023, is being challenged by Kyle Saltz and Joshua Arnold.
Kurt Maier is a systems administrator at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and lives in central Richland. Son John is seeking a separate seat representing Position 4.
Code reform and housing affordability are two of his longstanding priorities. Maier is the driving voice behind Richland’s current work to rethink the parking codes that lead to oversized and underused parking lots in the city’s core.
He has not raised any money, according to campaign finance statements.
Joshua Arnold is a mechanical engineer for the Department of Energy and lives near Keene Road in south Richland.
He is a longtime chair of the annual Christ the King Sausage Fest. As a council member, he would prioritize thoughtful development, according to his statement in the voters’ pamphlet.
Kyle Saltz is an Army veteran and has worked for the Hanford Patrol for eight years.
He serves in the U.S. Army Reserve and is active in veterans causes, including the Benton County Veterans Court program. He lives in south Richland.
He said he would prioritize safety, addressing homelessness and finding ways to make city government more efficient.
Saltz has raised $10,220 for his campaign.
Position 7
Incumbent Ryan Whitten drew three challengers: Joshua Short, Tony Sanchez and Colin Michael.
Ryan Whitten is an instrument technician for Energy Northwest and lives in central Richland, near Lee Boulevard and Craighill Park. He was appointed to a vacant seat in 2023 and won election to the remaining two years of the term that November.
A Navy veteran, Whitten said he hopes to continue to give back to the community through service on the city council. Community safety is his top priority, he said in the voters statement.
He has not raised any money, according to campaign disclosures.
Joshua Short is a software developer for the Washington Department of Ecology and lives in north Richland. He previously ran for city council in 2023.
Short said he loves the city’s outdoor spaces and would bring the voice of north Richland to the council in the voters guide. He told the Herald he is seeking public office “because the price of indifference to public affairs is unacceptable.”
“I believe I’ve got something to offer,” he said.
He has not raised any money, according to campaign disclosures.
Tony Sanchez is a physicist at the LIGO Hanford site observatory and lives in the Queensgate area of south Richland.
He moved to Richland three years ago to be part of the Nobel Prize-winning research observatory on the Hanford reservation. He would work to make Richland a welcoming place where young people spend their time and money.
Colin Michael is an engineer for the Department of Energy and lives Saint Street and the Columbia River in north Richland.
He would prioritize making Richland a place where families thrive by promoting safe neighborhoods and strong businesses. He supports development visitor destinations along the Columbia River waterfront.
He has raised about $440, according to campaign disclosures.
Three Richland council members are not up for election in 2025: Theresa Richardson, Jhoanna Jones and Shayne VanDyke.
Richardson is Richland’s honorary mayor. The new council will choose members to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem for the next two years in January 2026.
Endorsements
City council posts are by law nonpartisan, however, some local organizations do weigh in.
The Benton County Republic Party issued endorsements in two Richland council races. It endorsed Pat Holten in her bid to unseat Kent in Position 3, and Kyle Saltz in his bid to unseat Maier in Position 6.
The Tri-City Association of Realtors endorsed candidate in all four Richland races: Pat Holten in Position 3, Donald Landsman in Position 4. Kyle Saltz in Position 6 and Ryan Whitten in Position 7.
Every vote counts
Washington conducts all elections by mail. Ballots were mailed July 18 and must be postmarked by election day to count. Voters do not need to use stamps to send allots back.
Voters may register in person until election day. Go to votewa.gov to check your voter registration or for information about registering.
The voters pamphlet is available online at .bentoncountywa.gov/pview.aspx?id=55305.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 1:35 PM.