Quincy voters support one-year hospital levy

by CHARLES H. FEATHERSTONE
Staff Writer | August 6, 2021 1:05 AM

MOSES LAKE — Grant County election officials continue to count ballots and post unofficial results from Tuesday’s primary election.

In Quincy, 64% of voters, or 751, in Grant County Hospital District 2/Quincy Valley Medical Center approved a one-year, $825,000 levy to support the medical center.

In the contest to occupy Quincy School Board Direct District 5, Chad Lower remains in the lead with about 49%, or 516 votes, and is slated in November to face Liliana Garcia with 29%, or 309 votes. Enrique Henry Hernandez came in third with 22%, or 230 votes.

In the Moses Lake School District, about 54% of voters, or 2,256, firmly rejected the proposed three-year, $7 million per year replacement levy. To pass, the levy needed 50% plus one in favor.

The three-way contest for Director District 2 is still led by incumbent school board member Vickey Melcher with 51%, or 2,056 votes, followed by challenger Paul Hill with 33%, or 1,302 votes. Noah Zemke came in third with 15%, or 611 votes.

Vying for MLSD’s Director District 4 seat, Moses Lake Police Chief Kevin Fuhr maintains a lead with 40%, or 1,650 votes, followed by Rachel Roylance Gallacci with 36%, or 1,466 votes. Both will face off in November.

Coming in third was Matt Paluch with 16%, or 644 votes, with James Liebrecht a distant fourth with 7%, or 290 votes.

In the city of George, the three-way vote for the Council Member 4 seat sees Julia Schooler in the lead with a two-vote lead with 13 votes, 39%, ahead of John Ammons with 11 votes, 33%, followed by Katrina Rodriguez with nine votes, 27%. Schooler and Ammons will face off in November.

In the city of Grand Coulee, Ben Hughes maintains a huge lead in the race for Council Member 1 with 79 votes, 68%, with his nearest rival Tracy Justice Wright garnering just 20 votes, 17%, followed by Frank Jones with 13 votes, or 11%. Hughes and Wright will face off again in November.

In the town of Hartline’s race for Council Member 2, Goldye Moyer maintains a solid lead with 18 votes, 55%, against competitors Brian Sayler with 13, 39%, and Mark Frye with two votes, or 6%. Moyer and Sayler will face off in November.

Finally, in the two open city council seats in Moses Lake, Karen Liebrecht maintains a slight lead in the close race for Council Member 2 with 36%, or 695 votes, followed by Eric Eleazar Salgado with 32%, or 602 votes, and Dustin Swartz with 31%, or 597 votes.

Judy Madewell remains ahead in the count to win Council Member 5 with 45%, or 858 votes, ahead of incumbent David Curnel with 43%, or 802 votes, and Devin Deitrick came in third with 11%, or 207 votes.

The Grant County Auditor’s office reports it has counted 5,576 ballots countywide and has 1,425 remaining to tabulate. The turnout is about 18% of the county’s 31,750 registered voters. The next ballot count will be released late Monday, with final results set to be certified on Aug. 17.