Port of Benton, school board races and other election letters to the Tri-City Herald

Hagarty their pick for port position

Jane Hagarty has our vote for Port of Benton commissioner.

Jane has raised her family and ran a business in Prosser. She has been dedicated to serving Prosser and the region through her exemplary leadership skills as Port of Benton Commissioner. We have seen first hand her abilities to collaborate partnerships with the City of Prosser, Prosser School District and other public and private agencies. Without a doubt, Jane is the best candidate for the position!

The Port of Benton has been a significant economic development driver for the region. And, it has been due to Jane’s ability to envision the future and help implement focused partnership goals of manufacturing. clean energy and value-added agriculture that we have seen success and prosperity through her efforts as a team player.

Won’t you please join us in supporting Jane Hagarty for Port of Benton Commissioner on Nov. 2?

Don Aubrey, Prosser City Council

Jeanie Aubrey, Prosser School Board member

Ex-educator likes Steinert, Rodgers

As a lifelong educator, I am always interested in local school board elections. With all of the angst regarding COVID-19, conspiracy theories about critical race theory, etc., I decided to take a close look at this year’s Kennewick School District candidates. After reviewing all of the written material I could find, I personally interviewed the two candidates (who) I felt, based on their primary campaign rhetoric, best met the needs of the district at this critical time.

My conclusion is that Erin Steinert and Scott Rodgers are the candidates to help lead Kennewick School District into the future. Both have backgrounds that will bring strengths to the board at this potential inflection point. They both base decisions on science and carefully researched evidence, not on what they have learned from a Facebook meme. Both are strong in their convictions about a strong academic program supplemented by quality arts programs, career education and sports.

For a strong Kennewick School District, mark your ballot for Erin Steinert and Scott Rodgers.

Dr. Bob Valiant, Kennewick

Danica Garcia her pick for RSD spot

I met Danica (Garcia) two years ago while directing a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) camp for K-12 students in our region. I was so pleased to meet her as she is an extremely bright, insightful, and competent educator. Aside from discussing K-12 curriculum, Danica and I have spoken at length about her plans as a (Richland) School Board candidate. I can’t imagine a better qualified candidate who cares so deeply for each and every RSD student. She has done extensive research on current RSD retention rates and best practices for optimizing our educational system. She also understands the importance of bringing education and industry together with the purpose of helping students understand the myriad opportunities that exist in our area.

We are fortunate to have Danica as an RSD School Board candidate. She will be a tremendous advocate for our students. The combination of her academic and community experiences makes her an exceptionally well-rounded and capable candidate. I highly recommend that you vote for Danica!

Jillian Cadwell, Ph.D., West Richland

Riley is best pick to help Prosser

Declining student enrollment, falling test scores, budget shortfalls: These are not the signs of a healthy school district. They are the current conditions of Prosser School District.

Despite the best intentions of those who have been serving on the Prosser School Board, our community needs to change the board’s makeup to provide local students the best education possible and to rectify these conditions.

We hope that you will join us in voting for Elisa Riley for Position 3. Elisa grew up in Prosser, graduated from Prosser High School and returned, with her husband Ben, to raise their family and have their careers in Prosser.

Elisa is well acquainted with the district’s current challenges; she is committed to addressing them and to improving communication between the school district and the community.

Prosser School District needs to change its current approach to education; Elisa has the skill set and determination to help lead that effort.

We urge you to vote for Elisa Riley.

Candace Andrews and Rick James, Prosser

State requires nonpartisan races

In Washington state, certain races have been legally nonpartisan since the 1940s, according to the state’s Constitution and state statute. In an effort to avoid the growing political corruption of the time, Washington state lawmakers approved legislation that led to the nonpartisan nature of city council, school board, port commissioner, public hospital district and fire district races.

Nonpartisan races free candidates from declaring party affiliation. It has long been argued that political parties don’t have a direct bearing on providing basic public services. Perhaps you know the quote attributed to former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia: “There is no Democratic or Republican way to pick up the garbage.”

It’s important that we preserve the nonpartisan nature of these local races. There’s plenty of partisan tribalism at play in other arenas. Nonpartisan bodies are more likely to see cooperation between elected officials who may come from different partisan backgrounds. It engenders an approach to governance that is more fact based and seeks practical solutions versus being ideologically based and inherently biased.

Be an informed voter this election cycle and look beyond party endorsements. Consider who is truly the best candidate for the job and ready to serve our communities.

Justin Raffa, Richland

Hagerty gets his backing for port

In a few short weeks, it will be time to cast our votes for many important positions. One will be for commissioner for the Port of Benton. Jane Hagarty is running for re-election to the port and has served in this position for many years.

She was instrumental in bringing the USS Triton submarine sail to our port, which has become a point of interest to people who live here as well as to tourists and cruise ship passengers who visit our city. In Prosser, she helped Chukar Cherries develop their business and become a national success.

Jane is a member of many organizations in Prosser, such as the Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce and other community groups. Jane has been a resident of Prosser since she was a small child. She raised her family there and also owned two businesses. We need proven leadership on the port. I recommend a vote to re-elect Jane Hagarty.

Robert D. Larson, Richland

Kennewick needs Rodgers, Steinert

Tomorrow’s leaders are struggling today. Our kids lack the education they need and deserve because a persistent and deadly disease — COVID-19 — has denied them the in-person teaching environment, educational facilities and social interactions that can lift them to positions of leadership in tomorrow’s increasingly competitive world. Kennewick schools had multiple challenges before COVID; increasing enrollment, inadequate funding, teacher shortages and the lack of modern facilities negatively impacted student achievement.

There’s a lot of catching up to do. That’s why who we choose to serve on our school boards in so important. I spent time reviewing candidate campaign websites, viewing candidate forums and reading interviews. I also had the pleasure of talking with the retiring president of the Kennewick Board, Dawn Adams. My judgment is that the two best candidates running for the board are Scott Rodgers (1), and Erin Steinert (2). Scott is an attorney, having graduated cum laude in 2008. He also has an MBA, and multiple undergraduate degrees, with honors. Erin is the director of the Bechtel Planetarium & Observatory at CBC. She was a double major in math and physics in college. She’s taught thousands of kids over a 17-year career in education. Please join me in voting for Scott Rodgers and Erin Steinert for Kennewick School Board.

Richard V Badalemente, PhD, Kennewick