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Editorial: Uncontested races don’t serve public’s best interests

Tue., May 19, 2015

In Washington, the top two candidates advance to the general election. In many Spokane County races, the primaries are over.

Friday was the last day to file for office in Spokane County, and we can already declare some winners.

The new city council in Cheney is set, because only four people filed for the four open positions. The results aren’t official until November, but the only way these solo candidates can lose now is if they face successful write-in candidates in the general election.

Superior Court Judge Raymond Clary will serve another four-year term because nobody filed against him. In judicial races, there are no write-in opportunities.

In Spokane Valley, only five people filed for three city council positions. Councilman Dean Grafos is running unopposed for Position 2. In 2011, four people ran for Position 6. This time, there are only two. Position 3 also has just two candidates.

Of the three positions open for Airway Heights council, only one will be contested. The other two “races” have a single candidate each. In Liberty Lake, the mayor faces no opposition, and three of four council contests attracted only single candidates. The same is true for the Medical Lake council.

In Millwood, there’s only one candidate for each of the three open council positions.

Let the coronations begin.

Spokane has more than two candidates for each city council race and for the mayoral contest. But there are only two candidates for council president, so incumbent Ben Stuckart and challenger John Ahern will advance. Four years ago, there were four candidates in that race. Position 1, Mike Fagan’s seat, saw six candidates in 2011. There are only three this time.

Twenty-nine races drew no candidates. These are positions in fire, water, sewer and cemetery districts. Three small school boards also have openings for which nobody filed. The county will hold a special three-day filing period right after the primary (Aug. 5, 6, 7) to try to draw candidates for these jobs.

We admire citizens who decide to run for public office. It’s a daunting task requiring a great deal of personal sacrifice. Sometimes, the campaign money is out-of-pocket.

But it’s only when two candidates contest an office that the public gets a full airing of the issues, including incumbent explanations of their decisions.

Free passes into the general election illuminate very little. Free passes through Election Day are a sign of public disengagement.

We can only speculate as to why so many races will be un- or lightly contested. Cynicism weighs heavily on elections everywhere. Politics has become more polarized, making races more unpleasant. It seems that more and more potential candidates ask, “Why bother?”

In the long run, representative government will be the big loser.