3 Republicans will face off for an open seat on the Benton County Commission.

A trio of Republicans will square off in next month’s primary election for an open seat on the Benton County Board of Commissioners.

Former Washington state Rep. Bill Jenkin, Richland Mayor Michael Alvarez and Benton PUD Commissioner Barry Bush have filed to run in the race. The District 2 seat is the only Benton County Commission seat up for reelection this year.

Ballots for voters in Benton County will be mailed out Wednesday, July 13. Election day is Aug. 2.

The top two vote recipients move on to the general election on Nov. 8.

District 2 represents large swaths of unincorporated Benton County, including Prosser, Benton City, parts of Richland and parts of Kennewick. Shon Small is vacating the seat after three terms.

The Columbia Basin Badger Club will host an online forum with the three candidates at noon Thursday, July 21. The event is free for Badger Club members and $5 for non-members.

Marco Monteblanco, the Kennewick detective who announced his candidacy earlier this year as a Republican, appears to have dropped out.

Michael Alvarez

Alvarez already has the Benton County Republicans’ endorsement, but he could still find a tight race with Jenkin and Bush.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and co-owner of Vision Mortgage, Alvarez ran for and won a seat on the Richland City Council in 2017 and was selected this year to serve as the city’s “weak mayor.” As a city leader, he assists in reviewing and managing the city’s $320 million budget — a role he says makes him stand out.

“I am the only candidate that has the education and extensive financial and business experience needed to help ensure that your taxpayer money is being used in the best possible way, and taxes are not increased unnecessarily,” he wrote in the local voters’ pamphlet.

Alvarez previously told the Tri-City Herald he was in favor of extending the county’s 0.3% public safety sales tax, which expires in 2024 and will go back to the public for a vote. The tax helps fund positions for police departments, the prosecutor’s office and in the drug and health courts.

On the council, he’s also worked with the city’s planning commission, economic development committee, the code enforcement board and the Richland Senior Association.

“I support our police and firefighters, making sure they have the proper tools to ensure exceptional public safety,” he wrote. “I have fostered strong relationships with the local business community and support smart economic development. I will continue to listen to the needs and concerns of our citizens.”

In 2020, Alvarez challenged Jerome Delvin for his seat on the board but failed to make it past the primary. After county redistricting earlier this year redrew his home into another commissioner district, Alvarez decided to run again.

Alvarez has also been endorsed by Benton County Commissioners Small and Will McKay, as well as Treasurer Ken Spencer, state Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, and former Rep. Larry Haler, R-Richland.

Barry Bush

Bush is currently serving his second 6-year term as a commissioner with Benton County PUD. As a PUD commissioner and former board president, he’s overseen a budget of more than $170 million, according to his voters’ guide statement.

“We have an exceptional bond rating, low debt ratio and low rates,” he wrote. “I am pro-nuclear and believe we should build a small modular nuclear project on the Columbia Generating Station site. I believe the dams are essential and should not be removed.”

Bush says the biggest challenge for Benton County residents is the proposed Horse Heaven Wind Farm, which he strongly opposes.

At full build out, with additional solar power and battery storage, the 244-turbine project would generate up to 1,150 megawatts of energy. It would be located on 6,900 acres of leased agriculture land just south of the Tri-Cities.

The project will help stabilize local and state grids, increase efficiencies and lower power costs while utilizing local union jobs. But some are skeptical of what’s being proposed, and Bush says he wants to preserve the “ecological treasure.”

“These turbines would not benefit us locally as the energy will be transmitted out of the county. They will lower our property values and destroy our view of the Horse Heaven Hills,” wrote Bush, who also is a founder of the Save Our Horse Heaven Hills nonprofit.

Bush served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1984 to 1988, and has worked in the agriculture industry in transportation and sales managing positions and as an energy services representative at Energy Northwest.

He’s also proposed creating a “Republican utopia” by having Eastern Washington secede from Washington state.

Bill Jenkin

Benton County Commissioner Jerome Delvin, who represents unincorporated areas around Richland and West Richland, has endorsed Jenkin for the open seat.

Owner of Prosser Vineyard and Winery, Jenkin was a one-term Washington state representative who served the 16th Legislative District. He left the seat in 2020 to run for the district’s open seat in the Senate, but lost in the primary.

Jenkin excused himself for part of the legislative session in 2019 due to a heart attack and associated surgery he underwent.

He also served on the Prosser School Board, and was a founding chairman of the local Boys and Girls Club. Jenkin is also involved in board leadership with the Prosser Chamber of Commerce and the Historic Downtown Prosser nonprofit.

“I have a proven record of pragmatic solutions based on conservative principles,” he wrote in the voters’ guide. “The county’s agricultural success is critical and I will continue to support local farms, which are a cornerstone of the economy. As commissioner, I will ensure public safety taxes are spent effectively so that law enforcement has the resources they need to deter crime and increase safety in our communities.”

Prosser Mayor Randy Taylor; state Reps. Mark Klicker and Skyler Rude, both Republicans from Walla Walla; Lampson International CEO Bill Lampson and former state Treasurer Duane Davidson have all endorsed Jenkin.

Deadlines to Vote

Voter registration is available online and at your local county auditor’s office.

The new Benton County Voting Center is located at 2618 N. Columbia Center Blvd in Richland.

Online and mail-in voter registration must be received by end of business day July 25. But voters can also register or update their registration in person at their auditor’s office up until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Mail-in ballots must be postmarked on election day or submitted into a county-authorized drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day.