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The ballots are in the mail
- By Review Staff
- Published 07/30/2008
- Front Page
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WAPATO — The Yakima County auditor placed primary ballots in the mail early July 30, and area voters should receive their ballots and be ready to vote by the end of this week.
Voters have until Aug. 19 to turn in their ballots, either at the auditor’s office or by mailing them in, to have their choices recorded in the vote tally.
Voters will receive just one ballot in this year’s primary, something new from years past when voters declaring themselves Republicans received one ballot and those Democrat got another.
All races will be on the ballot with the exception of the race for President.
Expect to see all candidates listed, even if there just one person running as a Republican and one as a Democrat. For example, in the race for congress in the 4th Congressional District, expect to see incumbent Doc Hastings running as a Republican and challenger George Fearing as a Democrat.
The top-2 will then continue to the general election in November, even if both candidates are from the same party.
The Aug. 19 primary vote will determine the next Yakima County Superior Court Judge, and will eliminate two of four candidates for Yakima County Commissioner in District 2, allowing the top-2 survivors to continue their campaigns until the November general election.
With the announced retirement of Judge Robert Hackett, Jr., two Yakima attorneys, David Elofson and Rob Lawrence-Berrey vie for a place at the Superior Court bench. The primary vote will determine which of them will become the next judge.
The four candidates for the Yakima County Commission, District 2, are incumbent Commissioner Ron Gamache, Wapato Mayor Jesse Farias, Union Gap Councilman Dan Olson and Toppenish farmer Kevin Bouchey.
District 2 includes the southwest portion of Yakima County, an area west of the Yakima River and south of Tieton Drive in Yakima. The district extends east to Benton County, south to Klickitat County and southwest to Skamania County.
Since Farias is the only Democrat running for this position, there will be two Republicans in the general election in November if Farias is not one of the top-2 after the primary vote.
All four candidates participated in a Commissioner Candidate Forum at the Wapato Community Center July 22, and again at the Yakima City Council chambers July 24.
Some 50 people from Wapato, Toppenish, Harrah, Outlook, Yakima, Union Gap, Sunnyside, Granger, Zillah and Moxie attended the Wapato forum hosted by Yakima Valley Newspapers and moderated by reporter Rob Chandler.
About half the participants were from a local group opposed to allowing factory dairy farms on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Several said their plight with the dairies has been totally ignored by the county.
Several area residents said they liked the opportunity to meet neighbors and friends, and to talk with the candidates afterwards.
Everyone, including the candidates, was very cordial and friendly this night, except for one gentleman who challenged the forum ground rule to not ask the candidates directly, but to have all questions prescreened and asked by the moderator.
When moderator Chandler told him that this was one of the ground rules agreed upon by all the candidates, the gentleman responded that this was “like communism.”
At the end of the forum, the man approached incumbent Commissioner Gamache and screamed at him about how little the county had done to protect his home from nearby factory dairies on Pumphouse Road west of Toppenish. Gamache quickly left the building.
The other candidates stayed to talk with constituents. Dan Olson and Kevin Bouchey hung around for another hour.
In response to questions about CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), Gamache said, “We got to have dairies. We got to have our milk and cheese.
“The county does not have any laws controlling dairies or the number of cows that can be put on an acre,” Gamache said. “The dairies are governed by the EPA and the state. There is nothing the county can do other than zone the property.”
About CAFOs, Kevin Bouchey said, “You got to have business. Without business, there is nothing to encourage employment. What can you do?
“The dairy people are working within the law,” Bouchey said.
Bouchey was not sure what else could be done to regulate CAFOs on the Yakama Indian Reservation.
Of all the candidates, Dan Olson was the only one to tour the Harrah and Pumphouse Road area to investigate the impact of
—See FORUM pg. 3
CAFOs with members from the anti-dairy group.
“If new legislation is needed to regulate the dairy situation, that is what we need to do,” Olson said. “It is not fair to write off part of the county because it is west of the Yakima River.
“There is deeded land in that portion of the county,“ he said, “and the county needs to take charge to actually respond to the legitimate needs of the non-Native people living there.”
Jesse Farias said he did not know enough about CAFOs to suggest a solution, but he would study the problem.
On the issue of allowing sex offenders from the West Side to settle in the Yakima Valley, Gamache said, “There is not much the county can do to regulate sex offenders who want to move into the county. They have served their time, and if they have registered, it is up to state law on how they are treated.”
Olson said he would get tough on sex offenders who registered but wanted to live in the county.
Both Bouchey and Farias said they did not know enough about the problem to comment.
The candidates were asked what they had done in past years to make the lives of area residents better.
Gamache said he went to White Swan clean-up days to help the youth clean up yards.
Gamache also said he did a lot of behind-the-scenes work on the annual Yakima Hoop-Fest basketball tournament, hauling basketball hoops downtown in his own truck, putting baskets up and then taking them down afterwards.
He said he lobbies in Olympia for Yakima County all the time, besides his other duties as commissioner. He supports and attends as many functions within the district as he can.
Olson said he started a youth program in Union Gap for basketball, sports and other after-school activities. He volunteers his time to supervise the kids when they are playing and to see that the youth facility remains open. He is the treasurer of the organization, and he makes sure bills are paid.
“We have anywhere from 400 to 500 kids who play basketball and baseball,” he said. “We just added football. We get kids from White Swan, Wapato, Harrah and Toppenish. We get them from all over the Valley.”
Olson said he has also played a major role in the economic development of Union Gap, including the mall, the new Costco and bringing in new businesses for the empty land near Costco. He knows the developers and he knows the right people to bring new businesses into the area, he said.
Bouchey said, “What I do for this community is own a business. We supply six individuals with full-time work. There are 100 people-employees who are seasonal.”
Bouchey said his community service in the past includes owning a business and sitting on committees with various agricultural commissions, like the asparagus commission.
In describing how he has made the lives of local residents better in years past, Farias talked about his years of service with state government. He had a budget of over $100 million when he ran the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, he said.
“What I want to do for the people of Yakima County is educate our people,“ he said, “Educate our young people for job skills and our adults on how they are responsible for their kids so they can recognize drug abuse and gang activity.”
Farias described how he taught two hours a night, two nights a week, on educating parents on spotting drug abuse with their kids and gang activity.
“I listen to people, and I am available,” he said. “If you go to city hall, you will find my address and cell phone number. People call me all hours of the day and night. Sometimes it is about a broken fence or the water in their yard won’t turn on.
“Not only do I get the job done, but I know people with the Yakama Nation as well,” he said.
Farias said he has gotten $100,000 from the Yakama Nation over the past two years to keep the city swimming pool open in Wapato. He is currently working with the Yakama Nation to establish a Boys & Girls Club in Wapato at the Wapato Community Center.
Farias described himself as very accessible, people-orientated and a problem-solver.
Perhaps the only surprise of the night was how the candidates hardly mentioned the three prime issues in the campaign so far: the purchase of land for a county jail near Toppenish, moving an old junk yard on Donald-Wapato Road from an island in the Yakima River to a new location by I-82, and the county’s transfer of a rail line from Toppenish to White Swan to the Temple family.
Gamache was the only one to talk about the land for the jail.
Gamache defended his record as the best decision at the time. No one knew there was insufficient water available at that site, he said.
“I know there were unpopular opinions about the jail,” he said.
The county bought the land for a new jail in Toppenish for $583,000, when it was assessed at $83,000. Just last week, the county put the land up for auction with a minimum bid of $200,000.
Overall, area residents said the forum was well worthwhile since they got to listen and talk with the candidates. Now it will be up to the voters on which top-2 candidates survive until the general election.
Voters have until Aug. 19 to turn in their ballots, either at the auditor’s office or by mailing them in, to have their choices recorded in the vote tally.
Voters will receive just one ballot in this year’s primary, something new from years past when voters declaring themselves Republicans received one ballot and those Democrat got another.
All races will be on the ballot with the exception of the race for President.
Expect to see all candidates listed, even if there just one person running as a Republican and one as a Democrat. For example, in the race for congress in the 4th Congressional District, expect to see incumbent Doc Hastings running as a Republican and challenger George Fearing as a Democrat.
The top-2 will then continue to the general election in November, even if both candidates are from the same party.
The Aug. 19 primary vote will determine the next Yakima County Superior Court Judge, and will eliminate two of four candidates for Yakima County Commissioner in District 2, allowing the top-2 survivors to continue their campaigns until the November general election.
With the announced retirement of Judge Robert Hackett, Jr., two Yakima attorneys, David Elofson and Rob Lawrence-Berrey vie for a place at the Superior Court bench. The primary vote will determine which of them will become the next judge.
The four candidates for the Yakima County Commission, District 2, are incumbent Commissioner Ron Gamache, Wapato Mayor Jesse Farias, Union Gap Councilman Dan Olson and Toppenish farmer Kevin Bouchey.
District 2 includes the southwest portion of Yakima County, an area west of the Yakima River and south of Tieton Drive in Yakima. The district extends east to Benton County, south to Klickitat County and southwest to Skamania County.
Since Farias is the only Democrat running for this position, there will be two Republicans in the general election in November if Farias is not one of the top-2 after the primary vote.
All four candidates participated in a Commissioner Candidate Forum at the Wapato Community Center July 22, and again at the Yakima City Council chambers July 24.
Some 50 people from Wapato, Toppenish, Harrah, Outlook, Yakima, Union Gap, Sunnyside, Granger, Zillah and Moxie attended the Wapato forum hosted by Yakima Valley Newspapers and moderated by reporter Rob Chandler.
About half the participants were from a local group opposed to allowing factory dairy farms on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Several said their plight with the dairies has been totally ignored by the county.
Several area residents said they liked the opportunity to meet neighbors and friends, and to talk with the candidates afterwards.
Everyone, including the candidates, was very cordial and friendly this night, except for one gentleman who challenged the forum ground rule to not ask the candidates directly, but to have all questions prescreened and asked by the moderator.
When moderator Chandler told him that this was one of the ground rules agreed upon by all the candidates, the gentleman responded that this was “like communism.”
At the end of the forum, the man approached incumbent Commissioner Gamache and screamed at him about how little the county had done to protect his home from nearby factory dairies on Pumphouse Road west of Toppenish. Gamache quickly left the building.
The other candidates stayed to talk with constituents. Dan Olson and Kevin Bouchey hung around for another hour.
In response to questions about CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), Gamache said, “We got to have dairies. We got to have our milk and cheese.
“The county does not have any laws controlling dairies or the number of cows that can be put on an acre,” Gamache said. “The dairies are governed by the EPA and the state. There is nothing the county can do other than zone the property.”
About CAFOs, Kevin Bouchey said, “You got to have business. Without business, there is nothing to encourage employment. What can you do?
“The dairy people are working within the law,” Bouchey said.
Bouchey was not sure what else could be done to regulate CAFOs on the Yakama Indian Reservation.
Of all the candidates, Dan Olson was the only one to tour the Harrah and Pumphouse Road area to investigate the impact of
—See FORUM pg. 3
CAFOs with members from the anti-dairy group.
“If new legislation is needed to regulate the dairy situation, that is what we need to do,” Olson said. “It is not fair to write off part of the county because it is west of the Yakima River.
“There is deeded land in that portion of the county,“ he said, “and the county needs to take charge to actually respond to the legitimate needs of the non-Native people living there.”
Jesse Farias said he did not know enough about CAFOs to suggest a solution, but he would study the problem.
On the issue of allowing sex offenders from the West Side to settle in the Yakima Valley, Gamache said, “There is not much the county can do to regulate sex offenders who want to move into the county. They have served their time, and if they have registered, it is up to state law on how they are treated.”
Olson said he would get tough on sex offenders who registered but wanted to live in the county.
Both Bouchey and Farias said they did not know enough about the problem to comment.
The candidates were asked what they had done in past years to make the lives of area residents better.
Gamache said he went to White Swan clean-up days to help the youth clean up yards.
Gamache also said he did a lot of behind-the-scenes work on the annual Yakima Hoop-Fest basketball tournament, hauling basketball hoops downtown in his own truck, putting baskets up and then taking them down afterwards.
He said he lobbies in Olympia for Yakima County all the time, besides his other duties as commissioner. He supports and attends as many functions within the district as he can.
Olson said he started a youth program in Union Gap for basketball, sports and other after-school activities. He volunteers his time to supervise the kids when they are playing and to see that the youth facility remains open. He is the treasurer of the organization, and he makes sure bills are paid.
“We have anywhere from 400 to 500 kids who play basketball and baseball,” he said. “We just added football. We get kids from White Swan, Wapato, Harrah and Toppenish. We get them from all over the Valley.”
Olson said he has also played a major role in the economic development of Union Gap, including the mall, the new Costco and bringing in new businesses for the empty land near Costco. He knows the developers and he knows the right people to bring new businesses into the area, he said.
Bouchey said, “What I do for this community is own a business. We supply six individuals with full-time work. There are 100 people-employees who are seasonal.”
Bouchey said his community service in the past includes owning a business and sitting on committees with various agricultural commissions, like the asparagus commission.
In describing how he has made the lives of local residents better in years past, Farias talked about his years of service with state government. He had a budget of over $100 million when he ran the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, he said.
“What I want to do for the people of Yakima County is educate our people,“ he said, “Educate our young people for job skills and our adults on how they are responsible for their kids so they can recognize drug abuse and gang activity.”
Farias described how he taught two hours a night, two nights a week, on educating parents on spotting drug abuse with their kids and gang activity.
“I listen to people, and I am available,” he said. “If you go to city hall, you will find my address and cell phone number. People call me all hours of the day and night. Sometimes it is about a broken fence or the water in their yard won’t turn on.
“Not only do I get the job done, but I know people with the Yakama Nation as well,” he said.
Farias said he has gotten $100,000 from the Yakama Nation over the past two years to keep the city swimming pool open in Wapato. He is currently working with the Yakama Nation to establish a Boys & Girls Club in Wapato at the Wapato Community Center.
Farias described himself as very accessible, people-orientated and a problem-solver.
Perhaps the only surprise of the night was how the candidates hardly mentioned the three prime issues in the campaign so far: the purchase of land for a county jail near Toppenish, moving an old junk yard on Donald-Wapato Road from an island in the Yakima River to a new location by I-82, and the county’s transfer of a rail line from Toppenish to White Swan to the Temple family.
Gamache was the only one to talk about the land for the jail.
Gamache defended his record as the best decision at the time. No one knew there was insufficient water available at that site, he said.
“I know there were unpopular opinions about the jail,” he said.
The county bought the land for a new jail in Toppenish for $583,000, when it was assessed at $83,000. Just last week, the county put the land up for auction with a minimum bid of $200,000.
Overall, area residents said the forum was well worthwhile since they got to listen and talk with the candidates. Now it will be up to the voters on which top-2 candidates survive until the general election.