LL incumbents keeping their seats

Incumbents triumphed in the November elections in Liberty Lake, with Odin Langford keeping his seat on the City Council and Frank Boyle staying on as a Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District commissioner.

Vote counting has continued almost daily since the Nov. 3 elections, but Josh Beckett was so sure of his win over Cristella Kaminskas for the council seat being vacated by Neal Olander that he sent out an e-mail announcing victory on Nov. 4.

His election-night lead of 55 votes has since lengthened to 157, for a total 891 votes or nearly 55 percent. “It’s a good percentage,” he said. “I’m definitely pleased with the results.”

He also praised Kaminskas for her campaign. “She was a great opponent,” he said. “I knew it was going to be close. I’m glad the campaign is over. It was a lot of work.”

Beckett said he isn’t sure how much of an influence he’ll have as the only new person on the council. “I’m pretty vocal and I definitely have some opinions,” he said. “I hope to influence the conversations. I recognize I’m the most junior member of the council. I don’t think I’m going to solve Liberty Lake’s problems single-handedly.”

His main concern will be to manage the city’s growth. While the city’s 2010 budget will be voted on before he takes his seat, Beckett said he agrees with the mayor’s suggestion not to raise property taxes and favors trimming costs. “I have no problems with cutting some waste,” he said. “We really have an obligation to hold down costs.”

Council member Langford received 976 votes to challenger Josh Adelmann’s 637, giving him 60 percent of the total. His re-election signs were all over the community, while Adelmann ran a more low-key campaign.

In the race for Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District commissioner, voters apparently agreed with Boyle’s contention that challenger Darlene McHenry was too inexperienced for the role. Boyle, who has served with the district for 18 years, got 1,350 votes, for 59 percent of the vote, compared to McHenry’s 923 votes.