5 takeaways from this week’s hottest Tri-Cities school and city council races

Some interesting story lines are emerging in Tri-Cities as the dust settles from the Nov. 7 general election.

Voters mostly supported incumbents, but there were some surprising shakeups and shifts in this year’s local city council and school board elections.

Election results will be certified by county canvassing boards by Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Here are five takeaways from this week’s results:

1. GOP sweep in Franklin County

Republicans in Pasco didn’t just have a good night at the polls — they had a great night.

All six candidates endorsed by the Franklin County Republican Party won.

Charles Grimm, Leo Perales, David Milne and Peter Harpster were elected or reelected to the Pasco City Council. Steve Norberg and Steve Simmons won seats on the Pasco School Board.

And they won handily, too. All six GOP-endorsed candidates led their opponents by double-digit percentage margins.

Four of them beat out incumbents who had been appointed in recent months by either the city council or school board.

“I really think the community wanted a realignment, and I think the races not being as close is what really speaks to that,” said Stephen Bauman, chair of the Franklin County Republican Party.

Normally local races in off-year elections are “nonpartisan,” meaning candidates don’t declare party affiliation. But local Republicans have been willing in recent years to back candidates in nonpartisan races where they see opportunity.

Some Democrats are waking up to that reality. The Benton County Democrats this cycle backed a candidate who won a seat on the Prosser City Council, but Democrats in Franklin County continued their practice of not endorsing in nonpartisan races.

Bauman said what worked for the Republicans this cycle was backing candidates whose values aligned with voters and working hard on the campaign trail. Their candidates also had relevant experience in running small businesses, development or education.

It also will be the first time in many years that conservatives have held a strong majority on the Pasco council.

“Voter turnout was unfortunately very low,” said Ana Ruiz Kennedy, chair of the Franklin County Democrats, in a statement. “The election was decided by 15% of all registered voters. The candidates that won made sure that their supporters got their ballots in.”

Pasco is among the youngest cities in Eastern Washington, and yet young voters just didn’t return ballots.

Rates of returned ballots in Pasco among voters between the ages of 18 and 54 was low when compared with turnout across Washington state.

Less than 10% of Pasco voters between the ages of 18 and 24 returned their ballots, compared with more than half of voters 65 and older did.

2. Richland voters affirm controversial recall

Voters in the Richland School District have had enough with the hoopla.

The school board results mark a strong reaffirmation of the Aug. 1 primary election results that ousted three public officials over an illegal vote to defy Washington state COVID mandates last year.

The Benton County Republican Party appears to have failed in its effort to take back control of the Richland School Board. All three endorsed candidates — Nino Kapitula, Gene Nemeth and Kari Williams — are failing in their races.

Instead, voters have selected three candidates backed by the teachers union — Jill Oldson, Chelsie Beck and Katrina Waters — to serve out the next four years.

“I think (voters) are looking for stability on the board,” said Brian Brendel, one of the four petitioners who orchestrated the recall. “They’re looking for people who can adhere to the oath of office and recognize that, by design, it’s not a partisan office.”

Voters over the summer chose to oust Williams, Audra Byrd and Semi Bird over their February 2022 vote.

The decision put the school district in legal jeopardy, as well as risked state apportionment dollars, and forced administrators to close schools for two days before the board ultimately chose to walk back its decision.

The seats held by Bird and Williams were up for election this year. Bird declined to run for a second term, opting instead to focus on his 2024 campaign for governor, while Williams campaigned to get her seat back.

Voters ultimately chose her challenger, Waters, who was leading Wednesday’s vote count with a 12-point advantage.

“This gives us the chance to move forward and get back to the business of educating our kids to the best of our ability, as opposed to arguing over politics,” Brendel said.

3. Kennewick schools keep a moderate, but shift right

The new Kennewick School Board will be very green.

While voters chose to reelect Michael Connors to a second term, two new school board members will replace a pair leaving.

Brenda Gledhill and Josh Miller won election to the board and will take their seats in December. They’ll offer a more conservative approach to school issues, both promising to prioritize parental rights and engagement.

Connors, a moderate Republican, will be the only school board member in Kennewick with more than two years of experience. He defeated a conservative challenger in Dustin Petersen this week.

“We’re focused on student outcomes,” Connors wrote in a election eve Facebook post. “We’re pro-parental rights. We support our staff and teachers. We also reject fringe ideological agendas from both sides of the political aisle.”

Will the new school board be more willing to dive into “culture war” issues that have been filling the agendas of school boards across the nation? Only time will tell.

But Kennewick will have bigger issues to face in the coming months and years, with a continued spending deficit and declining rates of kindergarten enrollment.

4. Incumbents rule in Kennewick, Richland races

City council voters in Richland and Kennewick chose experience over a new direction this week.

Incumbents in Richland and Kennewick won overwhelmingly over their challengers.

Chuck Torelli, Brad Beauchamp and Jim Millbauer all won reelection to their seats on the Kennewick City Council.

Millbauer was the only one who faced a challenger. He beat out Ted Owens by more than 10 percentage points.

Jhoanna Jones, Theresa Richardson, Shayne VanDyke and Ryan Whitten all earned another term on the Richland City Council.

Kurt Maier will be the new face on Richland City Council. He will replace longtime Councilman Terry Christensen.

Even West Richland City Council incumbent Kate Moran won reelection, fending off a strong conservative challenger in David Cole.

However, Port of Benton voters chose Scott Keller, the former executive director, over an appointed incumbent for the seat vacated by Bob Larsen.

5. Huge shakeup on the Prosser City Council

Prosser’s city council has found itself at the center of heated public debate, and Tuesday’s election indicates a sea-change coming to the council.

Residents have been vocal about opposition to a failed bond to rebuild the city hall and police station after a fire, at a much higher price tag. Even after the bond failed last November, residents did not stop pushing for the council to abandon plans for expanding its footprint rather than just rebuilding.

The vitriol in the election last year was apparent when a “Karen” effigy was put up by city employees, allegedly targeting a resident who had been leading opposition to the bond proposal.

After Tuesday election, a new council will be deciding how Prosser replaces its city hall and police station. The city council will have four new city council members.

Two incumbents — Mayor Randy Taylor and Councilwoman Stephanie Groom — are losing their reelection bids to challengers.