Seventh District Republican state Rep. Joel Kretz, a rancher from Wauconda, is in an unusual position. He has three opponents in the primary. One is an independent, Christine Ives from Omak. We didn’t get a response from either Kretz or Ives. The two Democrats, Mike Bell and Crystal Oliver, did answer our call.
Oliver is a co-owner of a marijuana company. She says her journey through the growing marijuana industry whetted her appetite for a bigger job, to help make the state regulatory process easier to navigate.

Credit Michael Bell
Michael Bell from Nine Mile Falls is a retired CPA who spent much of his career working with rural hospitals.