Write-in candidate challenges incumbent for Soap Lake mayor

SOAP LAKE – Soap Lake voters have two official choices for their next mayor even though only one name appears on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Current council member Karen Woodhouse is a declared write-in candidate against incumbent appointee Peter Sharp for the non-partisan mayoral post, confirmed Grant County elections officials.

The winner will begin an unexpired two-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

Soap Lake has seen a revolving mayoral door over the past six years. In 2019, then-incumbent Raymond Gravelle chose not to seek reelection and Alex Kovach was voted into office beginning in 2020. Kovach resigned in May 2022 and was succeeded by interim appointee Michelle Agliano. Agliano then lost to city councilman Allen DuPuy in November 2023, but DuPuy resigned in August 2024.

Sharp was elected to the city council in November 2023, took office in January 2024, then was appointed mayor after DuPuy stepped down. Sharp was also a mayoral candidate in 2019, but was eliminated in the August primary, finishing third in a four-person race that Kovach eventually won.

In his current campaign messaging, Sharp says the city is pursuing state and federal grants and legislative funding that, if received, will be used for community infrastructure improvements.  Those include upgrades to the municipal water system, wastewater treatment facility and city-owned Smokiam Campground; paving graveled roads; and expanding parks and recreation opportunities, including new playgrounds and importing new sand for city beaches.

Sharp has also called for development of an unspecified “passport center” by the end of this year that he said will serve as “a sustainable revenue source.”

“By managing our resources wisely and making informed decisions, I will ensure that Soap Lake’s growth is sustainable and benefits everyone,” Sharp’s campaign site states.

Although the mayor’s position is non-partisan, Sharp says he has endorsements from the Grant County Republican Party and the Washington Patriot political action committee, which supports “electing constitutional conservative candidates” and rating elected officials on “how conservative are they really?” The PAC aims to support candidates for positions on school boards, city councils, county commissions, and state and federal legislatures in multiple Washington counties.

During his 13-month tenure as mayor, Sharp said Soap Lake has reached “unprecedented financial strength” and that city hall and public works are fully staffed while the police department is near full staffing.

If so, that would be a turnaround from the early 2020s, when state auditors issued multiple findings against the city for its financial reportings, due in part to staff turnover.

 Sharp did not return a questionnaire from GCJ.news that sought information about his work experience and educational background. A Soap Lake resident since 2018, Sharp is currently registered as a general construction contractor with the state Department of Labor and Industries. In his 2019 candidacy, Sharp, also cited attending technical institutes and a community college in Pennsylvania and a background in advertising, marketing, and multi-media design.

Currently, Sharp is being paid a $600 monthly stipend – an allocation approved by the city council years ago for the mayor’s position, which is considered part-time. But he also is receiving $3,750 a month to act as city administrator – a combined payment of $4,350 per month or $52,200 annually, according to public records.

Woodhouse, Sharp’s opponent, said his role as administrator has not been formally approved by the council nor is there an employment contract in place. She also noted the city’s finance director position has not been voted on by the council, either.

If elected, Woodhouse said she would not consider serving as both mayor and city administrator. Instead, she would prefer combining the administrator and finance director salaries and advertising for a qualified person to handle those responsibilities.  

That may be a topic of discussion by city officials in preparing Soap Lake’s 2026 budget, but two budget workshops scheduled earlier this month were postponed or cancelled for lack of a quorum, said Woodhouse.

Woodhouse, 67, was appointed to the city council in September 2021, then elected that November to a full four-year term that ends this Dec. 31. She is Soap Lake’s current pro tem mayor.

“I will encourage collaboration between organizations and agencies to bring prosperity to Soap Lake,” Woodhouse said in her questionnaire response. Her priorities include keeping the city’s budget balanced along with code enforcement and infrastructure improvements.

Woodhouse also said she wants to bring “true leadership and stability to city hall” and that she has no “personal agenda” in the race.

As a write-in candidate, Woodhouse acknowledges she faces “an uphill battle,” but felt it was her “civic duty” to run after no other candidates emerged during the May filing period.

Those who support her will have to print Woodhouse’s full name and darken the oval beside it on their ballots, which must be returned or postmarked on or before 8 p.m. on Election Day.

A resident since 2016, Woodhouse has a career background in retail management and is the owner of Recollections, a vintage/resale shop in Soap Lake.

“Although I have no college degree, I do have the ability to work with and rely upon department heads, city staff, and city council to ensure that Soap Lake has a balanced budget, up-to-date infrastructure, and can be aligned with the best interests of Soap Lake citizens,” she said.

Her community involvement includes serving as president of the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Soap Lake Garden Club, and as a member of the Friends of the Soap Lake Library. She is a 1975 graduate of the Clifton-Fine Central School in Star Lake, New York.