Look out: it's election season

“Leaves are falling all around, it’s time I was on my way.”

Thus sang leader singer Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin’s classic 1969 song “Ramble On.”

OK, so leaves aren’t falling — yet. And I’m not really on my way anywhere.

But with Labor Day behind us, we are officially on our way into the election season. I know, I know, that’s not a season on most people’s radar, at least not until leaves really do fall and it starts getting cold. It’s hard to think about checking ballot boxes when it’s still pretty hot outside.

Many people look at voting as one of those necessary evils, if they look at it at all. Especially voting in an odd-numbered year, which in Washington means ballots without state or national implications.

Turnout in odd-numbered years generally is considered good if it gets into the 40 percent range, compared to even-numbered year general elections that sometimes close in on 80 percent. But it’s often the odd-numbered year races that affect us more than the even.

Local races for city councils, school boards and various utility districts impact our pocketbooks as much as those for county commissioner, state legislature and Congress – even president. The former are the ones in charge of the purse strings for school levies, utility rates and municipal codes that govern construction, etc.

Often, these races are formalities as there will be only one person running for election, and most of the time that’s an incumbent. This year, there are actually several races on the November ballot that could change the complexion of local governments.

In Cheney, two seats are up for grabs on the council. Long-time incumbent Councilwoman Jill Weiszmann faces a challenge from former mayor Allan Gainer for Position 6 while the battle for Position 7 pits incumbent Dan Hilton against first-time candidate and current Planning Commissioner Dan Hillman.

Not to be outdone, Airway Heights also fields two battles for council seats. Current Councilman Larry Bowman faces Jared Lacambra for Position 5 while Jessica Morton and Sarah Slater survived the August primary to advance to the general in the open race for Position 7.

In Medical Lake, Mitch Hardin and former council member Art Kulibert square off for the open Position 7.

Add to this excitement that fact that there are three contested school district seats as well. In Cheney, former school board president Henry Browne faces a challenge from Airway Heights Councilman James “Sonny” Weathers while long-time school board meeting attendee and watcher Bill Johns takes on incumbent Mitch Swenson for the Director 5 seat, which includes the town of Marshall and areas along Cheney-Spokane Road.

Medical Lake will find current council member Laura Parsons facing incumbent Felicia Jensen for the Director 3 seat.

Sure, these races aren’t exactly sexy and exciting, much as more publicly-visible contests for state and national offices can be. And there probably won’t be a lot of public sniping between candidates, unless you follow social media – which isn’t a bad idea.

But even so, you should be paying attention to whose running and find out as much as you can about them. Social media will be one avenue, and hopefully others will appear in the form of candidate forums hosted by local clubs and organizations.

You never know.

For our part, we’ll try to help out with some candidate stories in the pages of the Cheney Free Press, much as we’ve done in the past. I encourage you to read and share them with your friends.

These are the folks who control more of what happens daily on the West Plains than those in Olympia and the other Washington. Don’t ramble on and forget to pay attention to how you cast your vote.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].