Local levies pass in the Primary - Bell, Claypool move to General Election ballot in Lind

Maintenance and Operation (M&O) levies in Lind, Washtucna and Ritzville passed after the announcement of the Aug. 4 Primary results.

The Primary ballot also hosted three candidates for State Representative and Lind Council Position No. 4, with two candidates being selected to move on to the General Election ballot.

In the Lind Council Position No. 4 race, Incumbent Paula Bell received 69.93 percent of votes. Opponent John Claypool received 27.75 percent of votes, and Opponent Richard Baldwin received 3.92 percent of votes.

The two candidates with the majority of votes, Bell and Claypool, now move on to the General Election ballot in the fall. The winner of the Nov. 3 race will move on to serve a four-year term for the Lind Town Council.

The Legislative District No. 9 State Representative Position No. 1 race remains close with three candidates on the ballot.

In Adams County, Incumbent Mary Dye received 50.64 percent of votes. Richard Lathim received 27.87 percent of votes, while Kenneth E. Caylor received 21.49 percent. The total vote count for the race in Adams County is 1,396.

In the initial statewide results, Dye maintained the lead with 47.86 percent. Lathim and Caylor remain in a contested race, with Caylor leading with 26.68 percent of votes, and Lathim has 25.46 percent. The margin between the two candidates is a difference of 187 votes.

The top two legislative candidates move on to the General Election ballot for election in the fall.

All M&O levies required a super majority to pass, requiring 60 percent of voters to approve the local levies.

Washtucna had two levies on the ballot, with the Cemetery District levy passing with 88.51 percent of votes in favor of the levy. The total votes in favor of the levy are 77, with 10 rejecting the levy.

The levy had an increase of $1,000 from prior years, due to the rising costs of maintaining and operating the cemetery. The levy money is for landscaping, general upkeep of the ground and gravesites, and working to install new piping throughout the cemetery.

The Washtucna Park and Recreation District No. 2 M&O levy passed with 65.56 percent in favor. With a total of 90 ballots collected, 59 people voted in favor of the levy.

After the levy failed a couple of years ago, resulting in the pool being closed, the Washtucna community has successfully passed multiple M&O levies to help ensure the Washtucna Pool remains operational for the upcoming year.

The Park and Recreation District No. 4 in Ritzville went to voters with a $30,000 increase M&O levy. The levy passed with 68.66 percent of voters approving the measure. A total of 568 voters cast a ballot for the Ritzville levy.

The Park and Recreation District increased the M&O levy this year to help with resurfacing costs at the Ritzville Water Park, which will cost nearly $65,000. The board wanted to ensure the Ritzville Water Park could remain open and safe for patrons, as well as provide summer employment opportunities of locals.

The Lind Park and Recreation District No. 3 M&O levy passed with 74.11 percent of voters casting a ballot in favor of the levy. With a total of 197 ballots tallied for the levy, 146 of the votes went in favor of the levy.

The Lind M&O levy amount remains the same as previous years, staying at an estimated $.25 per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The levy funds are used for the operation of the Lind Swimming Pool during the upcoming year.

With an estimated 100 ballots left to count, the Adams County Auditor’s Office counted again on Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. Those results were not available at press time, but are posted on the Adams County website. The certification date for the Primary is Aug. 18, for the M&O levies.

There are a total of 6,275 registered voters in Adams County, and 1,464 ballots were tallied in the initial count, showing a voter turnout of 23.33 percent.

The Nov. 3 General Election ballots host elections for legislative district positions, local school district directors, Hospital District No. 2 commissioners, fire district commissioners, park and recreation commissioners, cemetery district commissioners, and local council positions for area cities and towns.

For updated results, visit http://co.adams.wa.us and follow the Elections tab. For more information on the Primary, contact Adams County Elections Administrator Jacque Laird at 659-3247.