Richland school recall shapes board races. Could an ousted candidate win her seat back?

Candidates supporting the Richland schools recall effort were buoyed by the turnout, with one incumbent who was being recalled earning just enough votes to try and get her seat back in November.

The top two candidates who receive the most votes in the Aug. 1 primary election will face off in the Nov. 7 general election.

Updated election results will be posted 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Benton County Elections Division expects there are 3,500 more ballots left to be counted.

Director 3

Three candidates are running to replace outgoing school board member Semi Bird. He’s leaving his seat at the end of the year to focus on a run for governor.

The seat could steer the direction of the school board.

Chelsie Beck, 34, a chemist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is leading the race with 7,343 votes or 54%, after Tuesday’s vote count.

She has two kids who attend Richland schools and says she’s running to “return the focus back to education and help prepare our students for the future.”

She’s endorsed by both the Richland Education Association and Washington Education Association teacher unions.

Nino Kapitula, 34, a small business owner and mother to three private school students, appears to be moving on to the next election with Beck.

Kapitula has received 3,627 votes, or 27% in the race, so far.

She is running to protect parental rights, prioritize academic excellence and advocate for transparency and American values in schools. Kapitula is also endorsed by the Benton County Republican Party.

Tony Gonzalez, 61, a journeyman electrician at the Hanford site, appears to be trailing. He had 2,505 votes, or 18%.

He is the only candidate in this race with previous experience in publicly elected office, having served a decade on the Grandview School Board. Gonzalez and his wife moved to West Richland five years ago to be closer to their four grandchildren, two of whom attend Richland schools.

Director 4

In the Director 4 position Incumbent Kari Williams was facing Katrina Waters and Aaron Riggs.

Waters leads the race with 6,668 votes, or 49%. Williams looks to be just holding onto a spot on the November general election ballot with 3,637 votes, or 27%, while Riggs trails with 3,236 votes or 24%.

Williams is a former elementary school teacher who holds a master’s in education from the University of Utah. Williams is now a stay-at-home mother with five kids who attend class at almost every level in the school district — from elementary to high school.

Katrina Waters is a chief scientist of biological sciences research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a mother of three Richland graduates.

Aaron Riggs is a network analyst for Energy Northwest and parent of four children attending class in Richland schools. He served 11 years in active duty in the U.S. Marines and is currently in the Army reserves.

A separate ballot measure for a recall effort against Williams was succeeding Tuesday night with 7,581 votes for “Yes” or 55%. That means she will be removed from her seat, but if she wins the November election, she can take the position back next January.

Director 5

In the Director 5 position incumbent Jill Oldson was being challenged by Gene Nemeth and Matthew J. Bishop.

Oldson leads her challengers with 7,779 votes, or 57%. Nemeth looks to be moving onto the November general election with 5,187 votes, or 38%, while Bishop trails with 541 votes or 4%.

Oldson, 57, a former marketing executive in the hospitality industry and substitute para educator, is the second-most senior board member on the Richland board.

She’s been involved with the district for about 18 years and helped form the White Bluffs PTO in 2008. She raised two students who graduated from Richland High School.

Nemeth is a retired 26-year Navy captain. He led nuclear facility operations and readiness at the Waste Treatment Completion Company, a Bechtel subcontractor at the vitrification plant, for the last seven years.

He recently left that job and is now working in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s facilities and infrastructure operations department. He is is a parent of three Richland school graduates with special needs.

Bishop is a parent and a former Benton County Republican precinct committee officer, according to previous Herald reports.

He did not return previous requests for comment from the Herald or fill out his voter pamphlet information.