Latest vote counts show solid elections

by Roger S. Lucas

Although the final count won’t take place until Nov. 26, the official certification date, several local elections seem likely to withstand any late mail-in ballot arrivals.

Winning a seat on the Electric City council was Aaron Derr who gained the Position 1 spot over Birdie Hensley, 160-134.

In Hospital District 6, Betty Brueske won Position 5 seat, an open position, by defeating Diane Larson, 712-514.

Incumbents winning back their seats were Jerry L. Kennedy who defeated Gerry L. Salstrom, 948-361; and Kristan Hare who defeated Steven (Roy) Clover, 767-432.

In a Coulee Area Parks & Recreation race, incumbent Michael Bjorklund won over a write-in candidate, Bob Valen, 1069-25.

In a race for Position 5 on the Nespelem School board, Friday’s count, the latest, shows that Nancy J. Armstrong-Montes has defeated longtime member Andrew Joseph, Jr., 113-24. Joseph also sits on the tribal Colville Business Council.

In another school board challenge, incumbent Jolene Marchand kept her seat, narrowly defeating Dorothy Palmer, 71 votes to 64.

Mitzi Adolph will take the seat of the late Jeannie Moon, who still garnered 24 votes to Adolph’s 86.