City of Kennewick

Ken Short is running for Kennewick City Council, At-Large Position 4. Short is a member of the Kennewick Planning Commission who spent time as a legislative assistant in the Washington state Senate. Short wants to bring new businesses to the community and encourage more development to meet the needs of the growing population. He is also committed to communicating with his constituents and pledges to explain his votes on the council through weekly newsletters, social media posts, and short videos.

Short is challenging incumbent Bill McKay. McKay was elected in 2018 and serves on the Ben Franklin Transit Board and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. McKay is also a member of the Washington Self-Storage Association Board. He does not have a campaign website, a detailed platform, or a record of his accomplishments since 2018 available.

While Ken Short is not particularly progressive, he is the better choice in the race for Kennewick City Council, At-Large Position 4.

Steve Lee is running for re-election to Kennewick City Council, Position 2, Ward 2. Lee was elected to the council in 2018 and appointed mayor pro tem. He runs a cannabis business with more than 50 employees.

Lee's campaign platform emphasizes the need for Kennewick to continue attracting young professionals by promoting events, projects, and businesses that engage all kinds of people in the community. He believes that his experience as a business owner makes him uniquely qualified to help other businesses thrive even during economically challenging times.

Lee faces a challenge from Republican Loren Anderson. Anderson supports banning measures to balance Washington's upside-down tax code and ensure the wealthy pay their share to support our state. Even worse, he has promoted dangerous anti-vaccine rallies in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

Lee is the best choice in the race for Kennewick City Council, Position 2, Ward 2.

Jason Lohr is an electrician and IBEW Local 112 member who is running for Kennewick City Council, Position 3, Ward 3. He serves as a volunteer for the union's youth and community outreach committee and as a delegate to the Washington State Labor Council. As a union member, Lohr's platform emphasizes living wage local jobs, as well as bringing more housing to the city and investing in the road, park, and utility infrastructure everyone relies on for work and play. His campaign is strongly endorsed by labor organizations.

Lohr is running against incumbent John Trumbo, who does not have a working website available as of early October. Trumbo, who states that he will continue to work on the council with "conservative leadership," was reprimanded by his colleagues on the city council in 2020 for violating city ethics codes - and not for the first time.

Lohr is the best choice in this race for Kennewick City Council, Position 3, Ward 3.

Scott Rodgers is an attorney and Washington state medical commissioner running for Kennewick School Board, Director Position 1. In this race, Rodgers is prioritizing the whole student and wants the school district to prepare students for life, not just future academic and professional opportunities.

Rodgers has a more progressive platform that includes promoting equity, expanding dual-language programs, and optimizing student achievement for a variety of post-graduate paths. He supports commonsense public health measures to keep students, teachers, and staff safe, as well as the school district community at large. In this race, Rodgers has earned support from a number of progressive and education-focused organizations.

Rodgers' opponent is Micah Valentine, a far-right candidate who is running to oppose historically accurate curriculums, science-based health policy, and age-appropriate sexual health education. Valentine wants Kennewick schools to defy the state’s mask mandate, which would jeopardize the health of students and school district employees, as well as their families, and threaten in-person learning. His reactionary, conservative platform is short-sighted and does not reflect the needs of the school district.

Scott Rodgers is the clear choice in this race and deserves your vote for Position 1 on the Kennewick School Board.

Erin ​​Steinert is running for Kennewick School Board, Director Position 2. Steinert has spent more than 17 years as an educator, teaching science, math, and art in the district. She is the current director for the Bechtel National Planetarium and Robert & Elisabeth Moore Observatory at Columbia Basin College. Steinert previously served on the board of Hands In for Hands On (HIHO) Tri-Cities, an organization to raise funds for a local children’s museum.

Steinert’s campaign emphasizes transparency, accountability, and accessibility. If elected, she would make sure that every student has access to the tools and resources to thrive, and she believes that the school district should be aligned with the values of empathy, critical thinking, and intellectual curiosity. Steinert also wants to promote science-backed policy and improve communication between the board and the community.

Steinert is running against Gabe Galbraith, another far-right candidate who is promoting divisive, conspiracy-based policy. If elected, he would oppose science-backed public health standards, endangering the school district community. Additionally, Galbraith wants to censor the curriculum by eliminating age-appropriate sex education for opt-in students and by preventing accurate history from being taught. He works in human resources for a Christian health care facility.

Erin ​​Steinert is the clear choice in this race. She deserves your vote for Kennewick School Board as Director 2.