Today is the first day to file as a Clark County freeholder candidate, and at least 20 residents, many of them familiar political figures, have already thrown their hats in the ring.
In all, 15 freeholders will be elected, and they will get the chance to write a charter for Clark County. The so-called home-rule charter would allow the county to be governed by its own set of rules, as long as those rules don’t conflict with the U.S. or Washington state constitutions.
Here’s who has filed so far:
District 1, Position 1: Garry Lucas
District 1, Position 2: Ann Rivers
District 1, Position 5: Randy Mueller
District 2, Position 2: Lloyd Halverson and Debbie Abraham
District 2, Position 3: Judie Stanton
District 2, Position 4: Paul Dennis
District 3, Position 1: Pat Jollota, Michael Heywood and Sunrise O’Mahoney
District 3, Position 2: Val Ogden, Rob Figley and Paul Harris
District 3, Position 3: Jim Moeller, Maureen Andrade, Bruce Samuelson and Jerry Keen
District 3, Position 4: Temple Lentz and Dan Barnes
District 3, Position 5: Jim Mains
Freeholders can propose a number of changes to county governance, including increasing the number of commissioners who serve Clark County or creating a binding code of ethics for elected officials. Whatever charter they create must be approved by the voters.
The filing period for Clark County freeholder candidates ends 5 p.m. Friday. Candidates must be registered to vote, and they have to have been residents of Clark County for at least five years.
