It's election season and people in the tri-county area must finalize their primary ballots and have them mailed or submitted by May 21.
County Clerks in Wheeler, Gilliam, and Sherman are preparing for the primary elections and several pivotal races will determine the future of each county.
In Gilliam County, voters will cast ballots for County Judge and Commissioner #2. This comes on the heels of the recall election that was held on April 30, which ousted Judge Elizbeth Farrar Campbell and Commissioner Pat Shannon.
But although Pat Shannon was recalled, he is still running for re-election. He faces Grant Wilkins of Arlington, and Glenda Hayes of Arlington.
The Gilliam County Judge Primary has three candidates – Leah Watkins, Cris Patnode, and Jim Hassing.
Leah Watkins is currently serving as Gilliam County Commissioner #1 and is the only remaining member of the court who was not recalled. Watkins was elected as County Commissioner in 2022 and has more than 30 years of experience in the business sector.
Cris Patnode has more than 25 years of experience as an elected official in Gilliam County and has served as Justice of the Peace.
Jim Hassing is the Mayor of Condon and has been employed at the county's largest employer, Waste Management in Arlington, for many years.
Should any candidate receive more than 50% of the vote, they will win outright and will not face a challenger in the general election in November.
The County Commissioner #2 race in Gilliam County also looks to be a close one, with business owner Grant Wilkins challenging incumbent Pat Shannon. Glenda Hayes is also running.
Chet Wilkins is running unopposed for another four-year term. All races in Gilliam County are non-partisan.
In Wheeler County, the primary elections for County Commissioner #2 and County Sheriff will be closely watched.
The County Commissioner race has three uniquely qualified candidates.
Candy Humphreys has served the community in several capacities over the years. Humphreys has served as City Recorder in Spray, as a school librarian, a business owner, and most recently as Executive Director of Frontier CASA, a court-appointed special advocate nonprofit for youth.
Matt Davis currently serves Wheeler County as the Community Development Director, where he administers land use planning and economic development activities. Davis was raised on a farm outside of Spray and after completing college at the University of Oregon, spent time as a Committee Assistant in the Oregon Legislature.
Zach Bruce is a business owner for a hunting service and also manages a ranch in Twickenham. Bruce also graduated from Spray High School.
For Wheeler County Sheriff, Sgt. Jeremiah Holmes and Undersheriff Mitch Elliott are vying to replace outgoing Sheriff Mike Smith.
Sgt. Holmes joined the Sheriff's Office in 2019 after spending many years working on ranches in the Spray area.
Mitch Elliott joined the Sheriff's Office in 2018 and has worked on emergency management issues and has written grants for the Sheriff's Office and county.
Several other elected positions are unopposed in Wheeler County. County Clerk Brenda Snow Potter is running unopposed, as is County Surveyor Mike Springer, and District Attorney Gretchen Ladd Dobler.
In Sherman County, the County Commissioner election is still partisan – though Republican Joan Bird is not facing a challenger in her reelection bid for Commissioner #1.
Judge Joe Dabulskis is seeking reelection for Sherman County Judge in the non-partisan election and is running unopposed.
Shandie Johnson is running for Justice of the Peace for the remaining two-years of an unexpired term.
County Sheriff Brad Lohrey is leaving office, and James Burgett is running unopposed for the position.
Kristi Weis is running for reelection as County Clerk and is unopposed.
Ballots in all three counties must be mailed by May 21 or submitted to ballot-drop locations.
The Times-Journal will provide updates on election night online at timesjournal1886.com.
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