Grant County, PUD, Legislative races set

Seven vying for two PUD Commission seats

GRANT COUNTY — Many Grant County political races will be decided by September primary ballots this fall, following the closing of a weeklong candidate filing period Friday.

With the exception of seven people vying for two commission seats at the Grant County Public Utility District, just two of nine races in Grant County and one of three races in the 13th District of the state Legislature will be decided in November.

In the 13th Legislative District senate race, GOP state Sen. Joyce Mulliken of Moses Lake has taken a seat on the Eastern Washington Growth Management Hearings Board and will not seek re-election. State Rep. Janea Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, is leaving her house seat to run for the open senate seat, and faces a challenge by Kittitas County Democrat Lisa Bowen.

In Grant County, Incumbent Auditor Bill Varney and incumbent Treasurer Darryl Pheasant, both Democrats, are seeing challenges on the Republican side by William (Dan) Stout of Moses Lake and Todd Buys of Quincy for their respective seats. The races will be decided in November.

At the Grant County Public Utility District, four people are vying for the Commission District No. 1 seat of retiring Commissioner Vera Claussen. Ron Baker of Moses Lake, Terry Brewer of Soap Lake, Alan Cain of Grand Coulee and David Stevens of Wilson Creek have all filed for the seat, which represents eastern Grant County. The four candidates will be whittled to two in September's primary.

The second PUD commission race must also go through a primary, as incumbent Commissioner Bill Bjork of Moses Lake faces a challenge from Moses Lake Planning Commission Chairman Bob Bernd and Moses Lake farmer Dale Walker in his bid for re-election to the District B at-large seat.

The top two PUD candidates in each race will be decided in September, moving forward to the general election Nov. 7. The September primary is also where three races for Grant County elected positions will be determined.

Republicans Eric Briggs of Ephrata and Cindy Carter of Royal City have each filed for the Grant County Commissioner District No. 3 seat currently held by Commissioner Deborah Moore. Moore announced earlier this year that she will not seek re-election.

Incumbent Democratic Grant County Clerk Kenneth Kunes of Moses Lake switched parties and will run for re-election as a Republican. Kunes will face a challenge in the September primary from Ephrata Republican Kimberly Allen.

Republican incumbent Assessor Laure Grammer of Moses Lake also faces a primary challenge in her bid for re-election, from Moses Lake Republican Norm Lancaster.

In the state House of Representatives seat being vacated by Holmquist in her state Senate run, two Republicans have filed to take her place. Former Kittitas County Commissioner Max Golladay and Moses Lake businesswoman Judy Warnick both will vie for the position in September's primary.

The candidates may have all filed, but the citizens group looking to change the way the courthouse is governed still has another week to turn in signatures to put a freeholders election on the November ballot.

Varney said the group wishing to get a freeholder election on the ballot has until Aug. 7 to get the sufficient number of signatures to petition the county and have voters decide if they want to start the process to review the county's government. The citizens group needs 10 percent of the turnout of the last general election to qualify for the ballot, which Varney said amounts to 1,965 registered voter signatures.

In other Grant County races, incumbent Republican Coroner Jerry Jasman is running unopposed in his bid for re-election, as are incumbent Republicans Prosecutor John Knodell and Sheriff Frank DeTrolio. Incumbent District Court Judges Richard Fitterer and Janis Whitener-Moberg are also unopposed in their bids for re-election to the nonpartisan positions.

In the state Legislature, Incumbent GOP state Rep. Bill Hinkle of Cle Elum is running unopposed in his bid for re-election to his 13th District house seat.

Ballots for the Sept. 19 primary election will be sent out to voters Sept. 1.