General Election ballots due November 7

DAYTON–Ballots for the 2023 General Election are due to be mailed or delivered to the County Auditor or an authorized drop box by 8 p.m. Tuesday, November 7.

On the ballot in Columbia County is a proposition which proposes creation of a parks and recreation district solely for building and operating a swimming pool, and to include Columbia County and the City of Dayton, excluding the Town of Starbuck and county portions of the Prescott Joint Park and Recreation District. In addition, voters will select a five-member commission to oversee the district should it be approved by voters.

The proposition would create a taxing district that, if approved, would have the authority to levy a general tax on property up to 20¢ per $1,000 of assessed valuation, which would be annually voted upon.

Related to the pool proposition is balloting for a five-member commission to oversee the P&R District. Candidates are: Position 1-Dianne McKinley; Position 2-Lisa Naylor; Position 3-Ted Lowe; Position 4-Marjorie Lowe and Katie Leid; Position 5-Terri Lea Hessler and Fred Crowe.

There are some races for local offices on this election’s ballot.

-Joanne E. Patras and Devin Greenup are seeking City Council Position 4.

-Port Commission Position 2 has two vying for that post: Randy Schafer and Mike Spring.

-Colleen Sproul and Lindsey Anderson both seek a seat on the Columbia County Hospital District Commission for Position 2. Recent appointee Jamie Smit of Waitsburg is on the ballot for Hospital Commissioner Position 5.

-For Starbuck voters, two candidates are seeking Town of Starbuck Position 1: Traci Mings and Charles Hill.

A number of positions are unopposed. Auditor Will Hutchens is running unopposed for the position following his appointment in 2022.

Roger Trump is seeking the office of Dayton Mayor, succeeding Mayor Zac Weatherford, who opted not to seek re-election.

Council Position 2, held by James Su’euga, Position 5, held by Shannon McMillen, and Position 6, held by Kyle Anderson, are all unopposed.

In Starbuck, Don Jackson is unopposed for Position 3 and Britney Russell for Position 5.

In County Fire Districts, unopposed candidates are Harvey Fletcher, District 1; Jim Hickam, District 2; and Pat Barker, District 3.

Dayton School District incumbents Zachary Fabian, Position 2, Grant Griffen, Position 3, and Aneesha Dieu, Position 4, are unopposed.

Starbuck School District directors running unopposed are Diane Lusk, Position 2, and Joanne Knouf, Position 4 At Large.

In the Prescott P&R District, Matthew Hamilton, Position 1, Selene Rubio, Position 4, and Carol Hartwig, Position 5, are unopposed.