KENNEWICK — A seat on the Port of Kennewick's board of commissioners has drawn a field that includes former Tri-City-area elected officials and a state senator who is about to leave the Legislature, according to a Tri-City Herald report republished on Yahoo News's politics page.
The Herald's report did not specify, in the headline and summary available this week, exactly which candidates have applied or which commission district is open. The port itself keeps a running list of applicants on its Commission Candidates page, which residents can check for names, backgrounds and any application materials the port has posted.
How the seat came open
It's not yet clear whether this vacancy traces to a resignation announced earlier this year or to the planned departure of a longtime commissioner. Tri-Cities Business News reported that a sitting Port of Kennewick commissioner had announced a resignation, an opening that appears to be the one now being filled, according to that outlet's report.
Separately, Tri-Cities Business News reported months earlier that longtime commissioner Ken Hohenberg planned to retire at the end of 2025, a move the Port of Kennewick confirmed on its own website. It is not confirmed whether Hohenberg's retirement and the resignation reported separately by Tri-Cities Business News refer to the same seat or two different vacancies on the board. The port's candidate page and upcoming board packet should clarify which position is being filled and on what timeline.
A senator in the mix
The Herald's headline notes that one applicant is a state senator who will soon leave office. Tri-Cities Today's own election-night coverage this week reported that Torres defeated a candidate described as a school board president in the race for the state Senate District 8 seat — a race that opened up because the sitting senator was not seeking re-election. Whether that outgoing senator is the same person who has applied for the Port of Kennewick vacancy has not been independently confirmed. Reading the full Herald story, which Tri-Cities Today has not yet obtained in full, would settle the question.
Washington's port districts typically fill a vacant commissioner seat through board appointment rather than a special election, with the remaining commissioners voting on a replacement to serve until the next scheduled election for that seat. That process has not been specifically confirmed for this Port of Kennewick vacancy, but it matches standard state practice for port districts.
What's next
Residents who want a say in who represents the Port of Kennewick can watch for the board's public meeting agenda, where a vote on the appointment would likely take place. The port's candidate page remains the most direct way to see who has applied so far.
Tri-Cities Today will update this story once the port confirms the vacant seat, the full candidate list and a vote date, and once the senator's identity and connection to this week's election results can be verified.
