Stevens reelected, Taylor wins commission seat

MOSES LAKE — Incumbent Grant County Commissioner Richard Stevens maintained a comfortable lead to retain his seat and serve a fourth, four-year term, leading challenger Robert Dove by more than 4,500 votes.

“I’ll just keep working,” Stevens said Tuesday evening. “People know where to find me. I’ll be at the courthouse, and they can come see me.”

In the race to fill the county commission seat being vacated by Carolann Schwartz, retired Moses Lake Fire Chief Tom Taylor maintained a solid 7,200 vote lead against challenger Nathan Pack.

“Hopefully, this lead will hold, and I am confident it will,” Taylor said. “I’m looking forward to working with the new commissioners, and I’m hoping we can spark some new energy for Grant County.”

Taylor said his most important goals were “responsible spending” and bringing more business to Grant County.

Neither Dove nor Pack responded to the Columbia Basin Herald’s request for comment.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, in the race for Commission Seat No. 1, Stevens received 11,446 votes, or 62.3 percent, compared with Dove’s 6,922, or 37.7 percent. In the race for Commission Seat No. 2, Tom Taylor held a substantial lead with 12,978 votes, or 69.4 percent, compared with Nathan Pack’s 5,714 votes, or 30.6 percent.

Stevens said, however, that votes would be counted at the courthouse for the next few days at least, and the election wouldn’t be certified until Nov. 29.