The Aug. 16 primary election revealed one very close race in Woodland.
Initially tied, Marshall Allen and Tony Brentin kept a close race in their bid to fill Position 4 on the Woodland City Council. Allen, 76, a retired aircraft repairman, held a one-vote lead over Brentin, 51, according to unofficial results from Clark and Cowlitz counties.
Allen had 206 votes compared to Brentin’s 205, but as votes continued to be counted that gap became a little wider with Allen at 282 and Brentin at 272. Brian Ellis finished third in the race with 210 votes.
The two are running to replace Council member Aaron Christopherson, who has failed to attend recent Council meetings and is not running for re-election.
The top two candidates from races on the primary ballot will advance to the Nov. 8 general election.
Robert Ripp took the lead for Woodland City Council Position 7 with 460 votes compared to Scott Perry’s 262.
Ripp, 70, is a long-time Woodland resident and former business owner, who said he is concerned about the volatile exchanges between City Council members in public meetings. If elected he said he would like to simplify the permitting process for businesses and find new ways to support the business community.
Perry, 70, is a semi-retired Vietnam veteran who currently serves on the Horseshoe Lake management committee. If elected, he said, economic development and revitalization of the City are his top priorities.
Ripp and Perry are running for the Council seat currently filled by Darwin Rounds.
Rounds chose to run for Woodland mayor, but trailed behind former police chief Grover Laseke and Council member J.J. Burke in the primary election.
Laseke brought in more than 400 votes, where Burke had 242 and Janna Lovejoy had just under 170.
In addition to more than a decade of service as a council member in Woodland, Burke, 59, has served as master of the Woodland Grange and a board member of the Woodland Historical Society. If successful at the Nov. 8 general election, he said, he would try to mend relationships between Council members and City staff to improve the community.
Burke also wants Council members to foster better relationships with the business community and potential new business owners.
Laseke, 57, formerly served five years as the mayor of Toledo and eight years as Woodland’s police chief.
If elected he said he would represent the City as a whole, focus on transportation issues and work to bring City Council and staff together on important issues. Laseke said he has been dismayed at interactions between current mayor Chuck Blum and Council members.
Laseke said he was humbled by the show of support, and hadn’t been sure what to expect in the primary.
"I think the citizens are looking for someone with management experience to bring people together," he said. "I have 20 years of administrative management, from creating budgets to supervising people."
Laseke said he looks forward to the general election in the fall.
