Our Voice: Return those primary election ballots

Ballots for our state’s Aug. 2 primary election should be in voters’ hands.

And that means it’s time to make your choices.

While the general election in November, featuring the circus that our presidential campaigns have become, is getting all the attention, next month’s vote carries its own weight.

The fields for our next delegates to Congress will be narrowed by the primary vote, as will many of the statewide races. The races for governor and lieutenant governor, for example, both feature 11 candidates. The primary will winnow that to two candidates per race, as it will in others with three or more on the ballot.

Locally, we have some important items that deserve your attention. Residents in two Benton County Fire Districts are being asked to provide support.

In District 4, voters are being asked to renew the Emergency Medical Services Levy and remove its expiration date to provide a long-term, stable funding source. District 4 serves 17,000 residents in 52-square miles, including the city of West Richland.

The majority of calls for response from fire departments these days have nothing to do with fires. In District 4 in 2015, EMS calls accounted for 63 percent of all emergencies and 77 percent in the first quarter of this year. EMS calls have increased 57 percent for the fire district since voters approved funding for the program in 2010, according to the district’s website.

In Benton City, District 2 is seeking to renew its expiring tax bond, which was approved in 1996 to build two fire stations and buy two engines. Those engines, which the district calls its “workhorses,” are now 20 years old and in need of replacing. The $1.525 million bond would be repaid in 15 years.

We’ve also presented our case for why Kennewick voters should approve a sales tax increase to expand and improve the Three Rivers Convention Center and Toyota Center. The main project, called The Link, would create a much needed performing arts space as well as expand capacity for conventions that are quickly outgrowing our facility. Improvements to the aging Toyota Center are also part of the package.

Tourism and conventions are significant economic drivers and our community needs to remain competitive to attract those all-important dollars. If you had any doubt on the impact, hopefully you were out last weekend to see the droves of folks frequenting area restaurants and hotels while in town for one of the annual Jehovah’s Witness events.

With the number of folks running for public office, take some time to do your homework. It might be a little daunting, but it’s pretty easy to weed out those who are taking the task seriously from those who aren’t when you start reading through the biographies in the Voters’ Pamphlet.

It can even be a little entertaining.

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 4:07 AM with the headline "Our Voice: Return those primary election ballots."