Update: Franklin County GOP sweeps in Pasco city, school races
Pasco Republicans had a clean sweep Tuesday night, winning all races where the local Franklin County party endorsed candidates.
The winners of Pasco’s four council races will join a body that will be deciding how the city is going to tackle an estimated influx of 60,000 new residents over the next 20 years.
School board races resulted in the board losing two appointed incumbents.
Voters are deciding many of these seats for the first time with several appointed members of both the council and the school board up for election.
Franklin County Elections Department has tallied more than 11,300 ballots, according to updated counts posted Wednesday evening. The department will be busy counting late-arriving ballots in the days to come; it’s unclear how many are still outstanding.
City Council
As infrastructure work begins for the Broadmoor development, and future growth north of Burns Road with newly annexed neighborhoods, many residents are looking to the council to prevent more infrastructure woes.
Recently Pasco’s council has dealt with split votes about allowing retail cannabis and has seen significant citizen push back regarding its animal shelter, after a nonprofit was found to have been neglecting animals in their care.
Seven elected officials serve on the Pasco council, six representing neighborhood-based “council districts” and one serving all citizens in an “at-large” capacity.
District 2
Appointed District 2 incumbent Joseph “J.R.” Campos will lose his seat.
Challenger Charles Grimm had 620 votes, or 60%, while Campos had 410, or 40%.
Campos was looking to win a first full term on the council against Grimm’s appeal as a conservative alternative.
Council District 2 encompasses large portions of Southeast Pasco and neighborhoods that lie along the Columbia River. The winner will serve a four-year term.
Campos works as a planner with Washington River Protection Solutions and Grimm is the owner of Grocery Outlet on Road 68.
Campos ran on his time on the Pasco City Council and planning commission, and as someone who knows the area’s diverse set of strengths and challenges.
Grimm said his run was about “protecting our quality of life” and establishing a more forward-looking leadership on the Pasco City Council.
His candidacy was sparked by disagreement over the statewide COVID lock downs in 2020 and 2021. Grimm has also been critical of the city council’s flip-flop decision on cannabis, and believes there was a lack of direction from the council.
District 3
Irving Brown Sr. has lost his appointed seat to a conservative challenger.
Challenger Leo Perales had 1,500 votes, or 64%, to Brown’s 840 votes, or 36%.
Council District 3 encompasses northeast parts of the city, including the Tri-Cities Airport and Columbia Basin College. The winner will serve a two-year term.
In 2021, Brown and Perales ran for this seat, but were beat out by Nikki Torres. After Torres resigned to run for state senate, because of changes due to redistricting, Brown was appointed to the seat by the council.
An assistant manager with Atlas Technical Consultants, Perales is running to provide the next generation the same opportunities that current Pasco residents have taking advantage of.
His top priorities include connecting the homeless with drug and mental health services; cracking down on panhandling and camping; studying and implementing policies and procedures to make housing more affordable in Pasco; and reforming oversight of the Tri-City Animal Shelter.
Brown has dealt with racist backlash in the form of an anonymous letter to the city and vandalism of his campaign signs.
District 5
In the District 5 race, incumbent David Milne easily held off a challenger with 1,700 votes, or 72%, to James Czebotar’s 650 votes, or 28%.
District 5 encompasses neighborhoods in the southwest part of the city, including homes around Chiawana Park and Chiawana High School. The winner will serve a four-year term.
Czebotar told the Herald editorial board that he was running because he was fed up with what he felt was the city’s code enforcement being weaponized to harass neighbors.
Milne is a small business owner who started Milne Nail, Power Tool and Repair more than two decades ago. He has been critical of the current council majority and feels like the body needs stronger leadership. Milne first ran for council in 2015, but lost. He was elected in 2017 and has served since.
Public safety is Milne’s top priority for the city. He’s also running to provide “smart growth” over the Broadmoor area developments, oversight of the Tri-City Animal Shelter, to keep taxes low and ensure a “small government footprint in our community.”
At-Large Pos. 7
In the at-large race to replace outgoing councilwoman Zahra Roach, Peter Harpster took 4,800 votes, or 58%, to Kim Lehrman’s 3,500 votes, or 42%.
This seat is city-wide, and the winner will serve a four-year term.
Lehrman and Harpster raised more money for this race than any other in the Tri-Cities.
Harpster is a self-employed project manager, who believes his expertise and perspective in land development consulting is needed on the city council. He also serves on the Franklin County Planning Commission. He said he would have voted against allowing retail cannabis.
Lehrman is a Chiawana High School teacher who serves on the Pasco Planning Commission and ran on her good stewardship in the education community and her grassroots organizing capabilities. Lehrman said that studies show retail cannabis sales to people 21 and older can reduce the risk of black market access to youth, but she is unsure how she would have voted given her knowledge of the issue and moral values.
While Harpster believes his experience in development would be a boon to the city, Lehrman said she believes it will bring conflicts of interest.
Pasco School Board
Pasco’s School Board had three incumbents up for election, each eager to continue their work on the board. But only one appears to be on the path to retaining his seat after results began rolling in Tuesday night.
At-large seat
Former Pasco School Board member Steve Simmons is winning over recently appointed board member Rosa Torres.
Simmons leads the race with 5,600 votes tallied so far, or 56%, to Torres’ 4,300 votes, or 44%.
Incumbent Rosa Torres is running to maintain the seat she was appointed to after Simmons resigned from the board.
Simmons resigned in order to avoid a conflict of interest and allow his wife to take a job with the school district, and then began a run to win back his seat.
Torres is a finance manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She’s endorsed by the Pasco Association of Educators teachers union.
Simmons is an electrician and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in project management from Columbia Basin College.
Simmons was first elected to office in 2021 and again in 2022. He has children in the district, one of whom is in special education, and is endorsed by Franklin County Republicans.
He resigned shortly after being sworn in after the second election. Simmons applied to get back on the board, but the school board instead appointed Torres to the seat.
This is the school board’s sole at-large seat, which means whoever is appointed will represent all constituents of the school district.
Whoever is elected will serve a two-year term.
Director District 1
Vincent Guerrero, another Pasco School Board appointee, is losing his seat.
Challenger Steve Norberg is winning with 2,200 votes, or 59%, to Guerrero’s 1,500 votes, or 41%.
Guerrero was appointed earlier this year to a seat vacated by former school board member Scott Lehrman.
He works as a recreation specialist with the city and has two children in Pasco schools.
Norberg is a professor and regional forage specialist with Washington State University. He’s endorsed by Franklin County Republicans.
District 1 encompasses neighborhoods in southwest Pasco. Whoever is elected will serve a four-year term.
Director District 2
John Kennedy will win a second term on the Pasco School Board.
He was elected to the seat in 2022, but has to run again this year due to redistricting. He faces a challenge from Gabriel Lucatero.
Kennedy has a commanding lead over Lucatero. He has 700 votes, or 72%, to Lucatero’s 280 votes, or 28%.
Kennedy is an adjunct professor of history and American studies at Columbia Basin College and Washington State University Tri-Cities.
Lucatero is a parent of six children in the school district. He works as an estimator with Kustom US Restoration.
District 2 encompasses neighborhoods in southeast Pasco. Whoever is elected will serve a four-year term.
