Update: Richland school races uphold recall decision, incumbents sweep council

Richland voters had a tough decision ahead of them this election cycle. With the majority of their school board recalled and residents pushing for broader representation on the city council, the races had the potential to reshape policy in the city and its schools.

But after results were updated Wednesday afternoon, it looked like voters chose to keep their council intact, while reinforcing that the school board recall was what the majority of voters wanted.

The first round of votes released in Benton County is the tally received through 4 p.m., Wednesday. About 32,400 ballots have been counted and 10,000 remain. Results will be updated Thursday afternoon.

The election will be certified on Nov. 28.

Richland City Council

Richland City Council members saw a group of challengers looking to bring a wider geographic area of the city into the fold. Most of the current council lives in or around a single neighborhood, because all of their seats are at-large.

With those challenges also came ideological divides as the city must begin to tackle a plan for housing, growth and development.

Four winners will serve four-year terms, while the one who wins with the fewest votes will receive a two-year term.

In the Position 1 race, incumbent Jhoanna Jones was looking to keep her seat in a challenge from Allison Ball. Jones had 7,097 votes, or 63%, to Ball’s 4,129 votes, or 38% on Wednesday.

In the Position 2 race, Mayor Pro Tem Theresa Richardson had a tough race against challenger Elizabeth “Liz” Vann-Clark. Richardson had 6,839 votes, or 60%, to Vann-Clark’s 4,484 votes, or nearly 40%.

In the Position 5 race, appointed incumbent Shayne Van Dyke held off challenger Gregery Levy. Van Dyke had 7,573 votes, or nearly 68%, to Levy’s 3,597 votes, or 32% on Wednesday.

In the Position 6 race to replace outgoing Councilman Terry Christensen, Kurt Maier had 6,335 votes, or 56.3%, to Kent Madsen’s 4.869 votes, or 43%.

And in the Position 7 race, appointed incumbent Ryan Whitten had 6,538 votes, or 58.4% to Joshua Short’s 4,634 votes, or 42%.

Richland Schools

Two of the three recalled seats on the Richland school board were up for election, and one incumbent who was not recalled faced a tough challenge.

Richland Director No. 3

In the race for the Director No. 3 position, Chelsie Beck led with 9,194 votes, or 60% to Nino Kapitula’s 5,987 votes, or 39%.

The winner will serve a four-year term.

Beck is a chemist who works at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). She has two children who attend Richland schools.

Kapitula is a small business owner and former insurance professional. She has three children who attend class at a private Christian school.

The race for the Director No. 3 seat is the only without an incumbent.

Semi Bird, the former school board member who was ousted by voters over the summer in a recall election, decided instead to run for governor as a Republican in 2024.

Richland Director No. 4

In the race for the Director No. 4 seat, Kari Williams attempted to win back her seat after being recalled in August, but was coming up short.

Katrina Waters has a majority of the votes with 8,513 votes, or about 56% to William’s 6,739 votes, or 44%.

The winner will serve a four-year term.

Williams is a former elementary school teacher who holds a master’s degree in education from the University of Utah. She’s a full-time, stay-at-home mother with five children who attend class at every level in the school district.

She alongside two other school board members were recalled by a majority of voters over the summer over an illegal vote to make COVID face masks optional in Richland schools.

Waters is a chief scientist of biological sciences research at PNNL. Her three children graduated from Richland schools.

Richland Director No. 5

Incumbent Jill Oldson faced a stiff challenge to keep her seat. She is one of only two directors left on the board after the recall.

Oldson leads the Director No. 5 race with 8,195 votes, or nearly 54% to Gene Nemeth’s 7,027 votes, or 46%.

The winner will serve a four-year term.

Oldson, a former marketing executive, is running for a second term to bring some continuity to the board.

Nemeth is the parent of four children, all with special needs, who says student achievement has declined under Oldson’s leadership.

He’s a retired 26-year Navy captain who currently works in PNNL’s facilities and infrastructures operations department.