Filing period next week for Adams County offices

RITZVILLE — Two Adams County towns will be electing mayors, most will be electing city council and school board members, along with fire, parks and recreation and port district commissioners. The filing period for the 2025 election is May 5 through 9.  

Adams County Auditor Heidi Hunt said candidates won’t be able to file in person or by mail. 

“It’s all online,” she said. 

A link to the filing process is available on the auditor’s website at Elections | Adams County, Wash. 

People who need help with the process can visit the elections office, 106 W. Main St., Ritzville, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hunt said. The Adams County office in Othello will not be open for filing, she said. 

The online filing portal is open from 8 a.m. May 5 to 4 p.m. May 9, she said, and candidates must file within that timeframe. Any fees must be paid at the time of filing. 

Voters in Othello and Lind will be picking a mayor in 2025. The incumbents are Shawn Logan in Othello and Paula Bell in Lind.  

Five of the seven seats on the Ritzville City Council will be up for election in 2025. The city is divided into five districts, called wards, and candidates for those seats must live within that ward. There are also two at-large seats, which can be filled by anyone living within the city limits.  

Both of the at-large seats will be on the ballot. The incumbents are Jen Verhey and Michelle Plumb. The seats for Ward 2, Ward 3 and Ward 5 will be on the ballot also. Brooke Scheel is the incumbent in Ward 2, William Green in Ward 3 and Mike Schrag in Ward 5.  

Four seats are up for election on the Washtucna Town Council, all at large. The incumbents are Gina Flower, Brian Hille, Frederic Blauert and Gary Mames Jr. Three council seats are open in Lind; London Dew, Annavaun Dobbins and Jeremiah Shea are the incumbents. 

Othello voters will be picking three people for the city council. The incumbents are Genna Dorow, John Lallas and Corey Everett. Four seats are open on the town council in Hatton, one of which is vacant. The incumbents in the other three are Ignacio Mendoza, Sadelle Garza and Terry Briggs. 

Some school districts cross county boundaries, Othello and Warden among them. Four of the five positions on the Warden School Board will be on the ballot. Shane Cox. Tiffany Hymas, Bryce Cox and Shawn Clausen are the incumbents in Warden. 

Three seats are open on the Othello School Board. The incumbents are Aaron Gerber, Ken Johnson and Lindsy Molette Prows. 

Lind and Ritzville are a cooperative district, which means the students from both districts and go to the same schools, but there are two separate school boards.  

Both school boards will have three seats up for election in 2025. One seat is vacant in Ritzville; Tia Kubik and Scott Carruth are the incumbents for the other two seats. The three incumbents in Lind are James Weidemann, Adam Labes and Andy Wahl.  

Three seats are open on the Washtucna School Board; the incumbents are Derrick Kehn, Steve Crouse and Jacob Sitton. The LaCrosse School Board also has three seats open in 2025. Danielle Dorman, Morgan Bennett and Harmon Smith are the incumbents.  

The North Franklin School Board will have three seats up for election; a small portion of the district is in Adams County. The incumbents are Lori Mercer, Pat Hailey and Hannah Shaw. Two seats are open on the Benge School Board. Heather Clinesmith and Dean Kerr are the incumbents. The Odessa School Board will have two seats up for election, where Janie Steward and Sheena Starkel are the incumbents.  

All five seats are up for election on the Othello Parks and Recreation District board. The district no longer operates the Othello Community Pool or PJ Taggares Park, but it is the organization managing the bond approved by voters to pay for the existing pool. As a result, Hunt said, the district hasn’t disbanded. 

“They still have a (role) and they’re still a functioning district,” she said. 

In addition, Hunt said disbanding the district would require a vote by the commissioners.  

“They can’t disband the district without action,” she said.  

One seat on the board is vacant; Rolando Cerillo, Frank Vasquez, Robert Pruneda and Kim Coreson are the incumbents.  

Two seats are up for election on the Ritzville Parks and Recreation District board; the district operates the Ritzville swimming pool. Chantel Beierman and Stephanie Stokoe are the incumbents.  

One seat is vacant of the three on the ballot for the Lind Parks and Recreation District, which operates the Lind pool. Kelsey Kramer and Andrea Steinmentz are the incumbents in the other two seats. 

The Washtucna Parks and Recreation District will have four positions on the ballot, one of which is vacant. The incumbents for the remaining positions are Alta Hunt, Audra Christianson and Tracee Sitton. The district operates the Washtucna pool. 

Positions will be up for election in one port district, two hospital districts, three cemetery districts and a water district.  

    The Othello City Council seats held by Corey Everett, left, and John Lallas, right, will be up for election in 2025.
  

    The filing period opens Monday for a number of Adams County offices, including the Othello City Council seat held by Genna Dorow, left, and Othello mayor, held by Shawn Logan, right.