Local candidate filing looms

EPHRATA — Filing week begins May 16 for people who want to run for offices on the ballot in the 2022 general election at the county level in Grant and Adams counties.

All candidates wanting to run for office must file by 4 p.m. May 20.

All offices up for election in 2022 have filing fees. Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt wrote in a press release that fees must be paid when the candidate files. Those fees are non-refundable.

Offices up for election in Grant and Adams counties include one county commission seat in each county, the sheriff, prosecutor and auditor.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Anna Gigliotti will be on the ballot also. She was appointed to the position in October 2021, replacing David Estudillo, who was appointed to federal judgeship.

Both Adams County District Court judge positions are up for election, and so are all three Grant County District Court judges’ seats. The incumbent Adams County judges are Andrea Russell and Carolyn Benzel. The district court incumbents in Grant County are Brian Barlow, Nick Wallace and Brian Gwinn. Wallace and Gwinn were both appointed in 2021, Gwynn to replace Tyson Hill and Wallace to fill a vacancy left by Janis Whitener-Moberg upon her retirement.

Hunt wrote that all candidates for judge or prosecutor positions must be attorneys licensed to practice in Washington state.

The seat for Adams County Commission District 3 will be up for election in November. Terry Thompson is the incumbent.

Grant County Commission District 3 is also up for election. Grant’s third district includes Quincy, Royal City and Mattawa. Cindy Carter is the incumbent.

Two seats are up for election on the Grant County Public Utility District commission. The winner in PUD Commission District 2 will finish the remaining two years of the term. Terry Pyle is the incumbent, appointed in 2021 to fill the seat after the death of commissioner Dale Walker. The second PUD commission seat is for four years. Nelson Cox is the incumbent.

Both the Grant and Adams county sheriff positions will be up for election. Dale Wagner is the incumbent in Adams County, and Tom Jones in Grant County. Jones has announced he is not running for reelection.

The Grant County Prosecutor job is open for election, and will be for a four year term. Kevin McCrae is the incumbent; he was appointed to the position when former prosecutor Garth Dano retired in December 2021.

The Adams County Prosecutor position also will be on the ballot. Randy Flyckt is the incumbent.

Auditor positions in both counties will be open for election. Hunt is the incumbent in Adams County, and Michele Jaderlund in Grant County.

The treasurer’s job will be on the ballot in both counties. Darryl Pheasant is the incumbent in Grant County and Kayla M. Meise in Adams County. So will the assessor’s job in both counties. Melissa McKnight is the incumbent Grant County Assessor; Veronica Rodriguez is the incumbent in Adams County.

The Grant County Coroner position also will be open for election. Craig Morrison is the incumbent.

Those interested in running for any of the offices above may file online, if eligible. Candidates for Grant County offices can file at www.votewa.gov, and for Adams County offices at www.co.adams.wa.us.

Candidates may file by mail or in person as well. Candidates for Grant County offices file from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 16 through 20 at the Auditor’s Office in the Grant County Courthouse, 35 C St. NW, Ephrata. Adams County candidates can file in person from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 16 through 20 at the county elections office, 106 W. Main St., Ritzville.

Cheryl Schwizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.