Four seek to succeed longtime Grant County commissioner

EPHRATA — A quartet of candidates are looking to succeed Grant County commissioner Cindy Carter of Royal City, who will be leaving office at the end of 2026 after completing her fifth term and 20 years representing the Third District.

Facing off in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary are Shannon Durfee of Quincy, Janice Flynn of Royal City, Kelly Raap of rural Ephrata, and Seth Weeks of Mattawa. All four are longtime county residents who filed as Republicans.

Voting in next month’s primary is confined to residents in the Third District, which extends south of Ephrata, west of Moses Lake, and includes the communities of Quincy, Royal City, Mattawa, and Desert Aire.

The top two candidates advance to the Nov. 3 general election, which will be countywide. That winner will take office Jan. 1, 2027 for a four-year term, serving with incumbents Kevin Burgess and Rob Jones.

Grant County commissioners currently receive an annual salary of $129,654. Their responsibilities include approving and monitoring a yearly budget that totals $325.5 million in 2026 for about two dozen county offices and departments and nearly 800 employees.

Commissioners are also involved in labor negotiations; have legislative authority to adopt traffic, zoning, planning, and public safety ordinances in the county’s unincorporated areas; and provide oversight of public roads and public works projects. They also serve on numerous local and regional boards including representation on the Grant County Board of Health and Grant Transit Authority.

In responding to candidate questionnaires, Durfee, Flynn, and Raap similarly noted their key issues and goals if elected include fiscal responsibility and stewardship of public funds, maintaining and improving county infrastructure, supporting public safety and essential county services, promoting economic development that benefits families and communities, and planning for future growth.

SHANNON DURFEE

Durfee, 40, is a 2004 graduate of Quincy High School who attended Wenatchee Valley College for nearly two years. She currently operates a small business providing administrative and marketing support to local businesses and organizations.

In addition, she is an elected director on the Quincy School Board, president of the Quincy Rotary Club, and serves as public relations director for the Quincy Valley Medical Center and executive director of the Quincy Valley Hospital Foundation.

Durfee cites those involvements in budgeting, business, communications, education, and healthcare among her qualifications for commissioner.

“My professional background has centered on solving problems, managing public resources, communicating with the public, and bringing people together,” she said in a candidate questionnaire to GCJ.news.

“I decided to run because I believe Grant County deserves practical, accountable leadership that focuses on doing the basics well,” she said, adding, “At the same time, Grant County is experiencing tremendous growth. I want to help ensure that growth benefits the people who already live here — not just outside interests — by planning responsibly and protecting our quality of life.”

Durfee said her campaign has centered on “meeting people face-to-face and earning their trust through honest conversations rather than political rhetoric.”

“My goal has always been simple: to run a positive, issues-focused campaign that reflects the values of accountability, transparency, and responsible stewardship,” she said.

Her website can be viewed at www.electshannondurfee.com

JANICE FLYNN

Flynn, 64, currently serves as finance director for the City of Royal City, worked from 2020-23 at the Ephrata courthouse as administrative services coordinator for the county commissioners, and previously handled the county’s insurance working at Martin Morris Agency in Quincy for 15 years. She also has prior experience working in commercial property management for a real estate developer.

That background “has given me the knowledge to hit the ground running and help fill the void created by the retirement of key financial elected officials,” said Flynn, alluding to the recent and pending departures of longtime county auditor Michele Jaderlund, assessor Melissa McKnight, and treasurer Darryl Pheasant. And Cindy Carter, who has endorsed Flynn as her successor.

“I know what a commissioner does (and) their processes,” said Flynn, referencing budgeting, the county’s Strategic Infrastructure Program that provides financial support to local governments and nonprofits, addressing state requirements, and familiarity with other public agencies.

“I administered several grants that generated millions of dollars for projects across the county and earned clean audits from the state auditor,” she said.

If elected, Flynn spoke of wanting to mitigate “burdensome” state regulations imposed by various agencies, including requirements governing shrub-steppe lands — Grant County has a lot of it — which she said is “causing undue harm to county residents and farmers ….”

She said another priority is supporting the county’s tourism industry by working with stakeholders while reducing “impacts to local residents” stemming from Live Nation’s operation of The Gorge Amphitheater and Campground, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors for summer concerts and festivals but also places considerable demands on public services. 

Flynn is a graduate of Quincy High School and Columbia Basin College with a focus on business who has attended Washington Department of Commerce grant compliance and Eastern Washington Finance Officers training. She has served as president of the Quincy Valley Allied Arts board, secretary of Greater Quincy Canal Days (previously Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day), as an LDS Church seminary teacher, and assisted with Grant County’s sister-cities Japanese student exchange program.

Her website is www.votejaniceflynn.com

KELLY RAAP

Raap, 55, brings a background in agriculture to her campaign for county commissioner — she is a former high school and collegiate rodeo competitor who helps raise cattle with her husband, a sixth-generation farmer in Grant County.

Additionally, she works for a Ritzville-based accounting firm with prior experience as an auto claims insurance adjuster for Clear Risk Solutions in Ephrata and as a secretary and payroll assistant for the Ephrata School District.

Raap is a graduate of Moses Lake High School, Walla Walla Community College, and Central Wyoming College.

Along with her professional work providing bookkeeping and payroll services for businesses statewide, Raap said she has assisted in budgeting and financial management of their family farm for over three decades.

Citing that practical experience, Raap said, “I feel I have good qualifications through my education and work experiences for this position” and, if elected, would be “a voice for agriculture, businesses, and families in our community.”

“It’s important to invest in public safety, roads, and infrastructure so Grant County remains a great place to live and raise a family,” she said.

Raap also spoke of strengthening public trust in county government by “listening to residents, being accessible, and making decisions based on facts, not politics.”

Raap is a member of the Grant County Cattlewomen’s Association, the Washington Cattlemen’s Endowment Trust Fund committee, and a volunteer with the Moses Lake Round-Up Demolition Derby and Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation annual auction.

Her website can be viewed at www.electkellyraap.org

SETH WEEKS

Weeks, 42, is a farmer/horticulturist growing apples and cherries in the Mattawa area, and a former director of nearly 16 years on the Wahluke School Board.

In seeking the commissioner’s position, Weeks said he has “a servant’s heart and I feel I can help my fellow citizens by being a fierce and passionate voice.”

“I feel like my whole life I have been a fighter, I have a never-back-down mentality, and I am able to base my opinions and decisions on facts, not feelings,” he continued. “I am a natural leader and I have a way of expressing myself in a manner where I can get my point across and get other people to see the truth and change their opinion and make an educated decision for themselves.”

Weeks said his experience serving on the school board, operating his own business, and 20-plus years as a “dedicated and successful (youth sports) coach … sets me up to be a tenacious leader for our county.”

If elected, Weeks said he would “reduce spending by cutting waste and working with county department heads to make their department as efficient as possible.”

Other goals, he said, would be to “push back” on state mandates and work with state officials to make “prudent decisions” on private property rights and legislation affecting property owners. 

“I will work with the sheriff and prosecutor to make sure criminals are being held accountable and we can prevent crime rather than chasing it,” he said.

Weeks said he is endorsed by “blue-collar citizens, not politicians” and that he would give the shirt off his back “to anyone who needs it.” 

“I think that’s the most valuable character trait to make me the next Commissioner of Grant County District 3,” he said.

Weeks has a presence on Facebook and lists an email address of weeksforcommissioner@gmail.com