The incumbents have it in most mayoral and city council races for small Spokane County towns

Incumbent mayors in all but two small Spokane County towns will serve another term in office, according to the latest tally from the Spokane County Elections Office.

On election night, Cheney Mayor Chris Grover narrowly trailed his opponent, former chemical engineer turned children’s minister Elsa Martin. The second round of counting narrowed the race to just 20 votes.

As of Friday’s count, Martin, 38, appears to have secured the position in her first bid for public office, garnering 52.9% of the vote. Around 30 votes remain to be tabulated in the municipality.

Grover, a U.S. Navy veteran and financial planner, was seeking a third term as mayor. Martin’s platform of bringing about change appears to have resonated with Cheney voters. While Grover touted experience, Martin ran on increasing transparency and public engagement, improving the local water system and stabilizing the town’s staffing.

Cheney city administrator Mark Schuller resigned in August after all six of the city’s employee unions gave him a vote of no confidence in May, and former police Chief Richard Beghtol, who had served as interim chief for two years, resigned in February.

The search to fill both roles has been prolonged and has stirred some discontent, Grover said in an earlier interview with The Spokesman-Review.

Martin could not be reached for comment Friday evening.

A fresh, but familiar, face will also be stepping up to lead the town of Millwood.

Millwood voters have elected current city Councilwoman Shawna Beese to serve as the town’s next mayor, with Beese securing 342 of the 553 ballots cast and counted thus far, according to the Spokane County Elections Office.

Kevin Freeman, mayor of Millwood for the past 12 years, opted not to run for re-election.

“I felt overwhelming support for the entire campaign season,” Beese said in an interview Thursday. “Mine was a very on-the-ground campaign – on the doorsteps of neighbors, in the backyards of neighbors.”

Millwood is home to just 1,383 registered voters, meaning the voter turnout hung around 39.9% as of Friday. That outpaces the countywide average of 36.75%, according to the election’s office.

Beese secured the seat with 63.1% of the vote, but her opponent, patent agent Shaun Culler, will still have a role in the town’s governance. Culler has served 17 years on the Millwood City Council, and will retain his seat on the governing board until his position is up for election again in 2027.

Beese said she looks forward to delivering on her campaign promises of stabilizing city staffing, governmental transparency and developing strategic plans to guide the town’s future, particularly when it comes to its role as a water purveyor.

“And continuing that open dialogue that I’ve been having with my fellow citizens all summer,” Beese said.

Assuming Beese’s former council seat that she vacated to run for mayor will be paralegal Tina Seifert, who defeated electrical contractor Gareth Kahl, owner of Dorsch & Kahl.

Seifert secured 71.6% of the vote, according to the Spokane County Elections Office.

Seifert ran on a campaign of government transparency, supporting small business and preserving the small town’s unique character. It was rewarding to see that message resonate with the voters and lead to the overwhelming support she received at the ballot box, she said.

“I’m pretty excited,” Seifert said. “Once everything goes through and the results are certified and all that, I’m really looking forward to working with everybody.”

In Medical Lake, Mayor Terri Cooper took a clear and strong lead in her bid for re-election as soon as the initial count was reported. Cooper secured 65.7% of the vote as of Friday, handily defeating her opponent, former Medical Lake Mayor John Higgins.

Cooper said she was encouraged by the voters’ support to serve another term, and to keep the town on the path she’s chartered, which includes investments in local infrastructure, parks and recreation and the downtown core.

“I worked really hard the last four years to try and cast a new vision,” Cooper said. “It gives me confidence to continue forward.”

In the lone competitive Medical Lake City Council race, U.S. Army veteran turned tradesman Heath Wilbur secured his first term in public office. Wilbur, 48, defeated real estate professional and small business owner Kathleen Morse with 59.5% of the vote as of Friday.

Incumbent mayors cruised to another term in a bevy of small Spokane County towns, including Deer Park, Latah, Fairfield, Rockford and Waverly running unopposed.

The 2025 general election results will be certified by Nov. 25, and county election officials estimate there are around 10,000 ballots left to process countywide.