Spokane city voters have picked the candidates they want on the November ballot.
In the city’s Northwest district, council member Candace Mumm won nearly 54% of the vote and will face Matthew Howes, who claimed 30%, in November.
In the Northeast district, Kate Burke won the primary with 44%; she’ll face Tim Benn, who finished second with 37%.
In the South district, council member Breean Beggs won nearly 55% of the vote in a four-way race. He’ll face Andy Dunau, who won 24%.
School board member Michael Wiser claimed 57% of the vote in a four-way race. It appears he’ll face Jennifer Thomas in November.
At an election night gathering, Thomas acknowledged Spokane’s graduation rate is increasing, But she says 16% still do not qualify for their diplomas and that’s too high.
“We need to make sure that education is not just about testing, that education is about becoming a learner. So learning to read and then reading to learn. That students can become engaged in their own education process and not continuing to use the same broken system that we’ve had for over 150 years that tells students here’s what you need to know, pass the test, move on,” Thomas said.
Tony Hazel won a majority in a three-way race for a Spokane County Superior Court seat. It appears he will face Jocelyn Cook in the November election.
LIBERTY LAKE
Voters in Liberty Lake have given a resounding no to a bond issue that would have paid for a new community center. About 62% of voters rejected the nine million dollar measure.
SPOKANE VALLEY
Voters in the city of Spokane Valley have sent Mayor Rod Higgins to the general election as he tries to retain his city council seat. He’ll face Chris Jackson in November.
In the other contested council race, Council member Pam Haley won more than 54% of the vote in a four-way race. She’ll face Angie Beem in November.
MEDICAL LAKE
Medical Lake voters have set the matchups for their November mayoral and council elections.
Council member Shirley Maike won the mayoral primary. Mikeal Suniga leads council member Shirley Parsons for the second spot on the ballot.
John Merrick won his primary comfortably. Council member Elizabeth Rosenbeck is a close second, ahead of Monica Manza.
Two votes separate Tony Harbolt and Don Kennedy in their council race. They’ll run against each other in November.
Theodore Olson and Gary Plumlee are the top two candidates in the final council race, though Michael Deeley may still have a chance to sneak into the general election.
LEGISLATURE
Two Republican legislators from the Seventh District have won their primary election races and will move on to the November general election.
Senator Shelly Short won more than 67% of the vote in the six-county district. Her challenger, Democrat Karen Hardy, will get a second chance in November.
Representative Jacquelin Maycumber, who was named to replace Short in the House during the legislative session, won nearly 66% of the vote. She defeated Democrat Susan Swanson. The two will face off again later this fall.
Maycumber was Short’s legislative aide and says that experience helped her jump right into lawmaking.
“Being an aide I learned how to get things done fast. I got my first bill passed, which helped with wildfires and homelessness, so that was quick," Maycumber said. "So I got that done and got right into battling with Hurst and taxes, so it was a quick turnaround and we got a lot of work done.”
The Hurst reference was to a state Supreme Court decision that Republicans say puts a huge obstacle in front of rural economic development efforts. Senate Republicans have refused to vote on a new capital budget unless the House approves a bill that addresses the decision. House Democrats have chosen not to vote on the bill.