City council, school board seats on ballot in Adams County

RITZVILLE — Mayoral seats, city councils, school boards and hospital boards are among the offices open for election in Adams County in the November general election. The filing period is May 15-19.

Some of the offices come with a filing fee, which must be paid at the time of filing. Residency requirements also are different for different offices.

Four Othello City Council seats will be on the ballot in 2023. In Othello all council seats are at-large, open to anyone who lives within the city limits. The incumbents in the four open seats are Angel Garza, Jon Erickson, Mark Snyder and Danae Valdez.

Ritzville, Washtucna and Hatton will be choosing mayors in 2023. Linda Kadlec is the incumbent in Ritzville, Rhea Isaac in Hatton and Brian Hille in Washtucna.

Ritzville voters also will be choosing four council members. Ritzville uses a ward system, where candidates must live in the ward they represent; the council also has at-large seats.

Marsha Reimers Smith is the incumbent in the at-large job. Dede Boyer (Ward 1), Debbie Chapman (Ward 2) and Dennis Chamberlain (Ward 4) are the incumbents in the other positions.

There are four seats open on the Hatton Town Council; the incumbents are Terry Quandt, Terri Case, Eric Rawson and Linda Anderson. Voters will be choosing three members of the Washtucna Town Council. The incumbents are Donna Stoess, Catherine Blankenship and Dustin Swartz.

The Lind Town Council has two seats up for election. The incumbents are Myra Horton and James Dworshak.

Many school districts in Adams County actually stretch across multiple counties. Each has director districts, which means candidates for those seats must live in the specific district. Some also have at-large seats.

Three seats are open on the Othello School Board, one at large. The incumbent in the at-large seat is Thalia Lemus. Kelli Camp is the incumbent in District 1, and Sharon Schutte is the incumbent in District 2. Three seats also are open, one at-large, in the Warden School District. The at-large seat is held by Kasandra Campos; Rick Martin (District 3) and Dave Whitney (District 2) are the incumbents for the other seats.

The Lind School Board has four open seats, and there are three positions up for election on the Ritzville School Board. The two districts have separate school boards, but a combined high school. Reid Phillips (District 2), Greg Galbreath (District 4) and Erin Repp (District 3) are the incumbents in Ritzville. In Lind, the incumbents are Jim Weidemann (District 1), Kevin Starring (District 5), Gregory Schmunk (District 4) and Jani Melcher (District 2).

Three seats also are open on the North Franklin School District board, all for director district seats. The incumbents are Terry Utecht (District 2), Patti Walker (District 1) and Jon Fox (District 5).

Currently there’s one open position, District 2, on the Washtucna School Board. People interested in running for that seat can contact the Adams County Auditor to see if they qualify. Two other board positions will be on the ballot, both for director districts. The incumbents are Jeremy Jessop (District 3) and Ginger McKenzie (District 1).

Voters will be choosing three people for the Odessa School Board, one at-large. Christine Crossley is the at-large incumbent. Ed Deife (District 2) and Carmen Weishaar (District 3) are the incumbents in the other positions. The Benge School Board has two open positions, for Director Districts 1 and 5. Two other seats on the five-member board will be on the November ballot. Chet Clinesmith (District 4) and Ellen Bachman (District 3) are the incumbents.

The LaCrosse School Board has three open seats, all at-large. The incumbents are Danielle Dorman, Seth Weekes Jr. and Terry MIller.

Sprague and Lamont have a combined district, but separate school boards. Three positions will be open on the Sprague School Board, all in director districts. Judi Ringwood (District 1), Tracey Korthuis (District 4) and Clayton Wilken (District 2) are the incumbents.

All five positions on the Lamont School Board will be on the November ballot, and all are at-large. One is vacant. The four incumbents are Todd Billigmeier, Josh Fritts, Julie McDaniel and Chet Swift. Three positions will be up for election on the Endicott School Board; the district is combined with the St. John School District, but has a separate board. The Endicott positions are all at-large. The incumbents are Jana Mathia, Marv Schmick and Nancy Anderson.

One seat is open on the Port of Othello commission; Ken Schutte is the incumbent.

Three seats are up for election, one vacant, on the East Adams Rural Healthcare Commission. The incumbents are John Kragt (District 3) and Stacey Plummer (District 5).

The Othello Community Hospital Commission will have two positions on the November ballot. The incumbents are Bob Carlson (District 3) and Susan Long-Hosek (District 5).

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.