Richland Voters Leaning Towards Recall in Primary Election

Both Benton and Franklin Counties have released the first tally of votes from the August 1st Primary Election.

With nearly 60-thousand registered voters in Benton County, 15,331 ballots have been counted so far with an estimated 3,500 votes to count. In Franklin County, the current tally of ballots is 209 out of 1,184 registered voters with an estimated 51 ballots to count.

10 races are up for grabs including the three Richland School Board recall measures. Supporters of the recall say directors Audra Byrd, M. Semi Bird, and Kari Williams knowingly violated the law when they voted to go mask optional during the pandemic.

Other races on the ballot include mayor in the City of Prosser and city council position in Connell.

BENTON COUNTY

CITY OF PROSSER Mayor	Total Votes	Vote %
Gary Vegar	362	55.61%
Randy Taylor	176	27.04%
Harold Lewis	112	17.2%
WRITE-IN	1	0.15%

CITY OF RICHLAND Council Pos. 6
Marc Newman	2,447	25.3%
Kent Madsen	2,483	25.67%
Kurt H. Maier	4,686	48.45%
WRITE-IN	56	0.58%

PORT OF BENTON-DIST 2 Commissioner District 2
Christy Rasmussen	1,517	47.04%
Cliff Dyer	433	13.43%
Scott D. Keller	1,271	39.41%
WRITE-IN	4	0.12%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Director No. 3
Nino Kapitula	3,627	26.74%
Tony Gonzalez	2,505	18.47%
Chelsie Beck	7,343	54.13%
WRITE-IN	90	0.66%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Director No. 4
Kari Williams	3,637	26.76%
Aaron C. Riggs	3,236	23.81%
Katrina Waters	6,668	49.05%
WRITE-IN	52	0.38%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Director No. 5
Gene Nemeth	5,187	38.22%
Jill Oldson	7,779	57.32%
Matthew J. Bishop	541	3.99%
WRITE-IN	64	0.47%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Richland School District, Position 1 Recall
Recall Yes	7,694	56.21%
Recall No	5,993	43.79%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Richland School District, Position 3 Recall
Recall Yes	7,725	56.4%
Recall No	5,971	43.6%

RICHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT 400 Richland School District, Position 4 Recall
Recall Yes	7,581	55.34%
Recall No	6,118	44.66%

Franklin County

CITY OF CONNELL Councilmember, At Large, Position 5	Total Votes	Vote %
Preston Hart	108	51.92%
Patrice Hebel	48	23.08%
Stephanie Hallman	48	23.08%
WRITE-IN	4	1.92%

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7 Best Bike Trails in Tri-Cities, Washington

Cycling is HUGE in the P-N-W. Portland, OR is considered the best biking city in the United States. Seattle is ranked #9. Not one of Tri-Cities made the nationwide ranking. However, we do have a lot of fantastic biking trails. We have the 7 best. Do you have a favorite? And, is there one that didn't make our list? Let us know.

Gallery Credit: Patti Banner

Source: Richland Voters Leaning Towards Recall in Primary Election