Union County candidates are beginning to file for May 2024 election

Published 7:00 pm Wednesday, September 27, 2023

LA GRANDE — The Union County election filing front is slowly heating up.

A total of seven county and judicial positions are up for election in 2024 and five people have filed to run for them. The first day candidates could file was Thursday, Sept. 14.

The positions open include Position 3 on the Union County Board of Commissioners, which is currently held by Donna Beverage. One candidate has filed for the position, a man new to the Union County Board of Commissioners but not state and local politics — former state Rep. Mark Simmons, of Elgin. Simmons filed for Position 3 on Sept. 26. Simmons served in the State House of Representatives from 1997-2002 and was speaker of the House from 2000-2002.

“I’ve lived in Union County for 50 years and I want to give back to the community,” Simmons said at the Union County Clerk’s office minutes before filing.

Beverage, who is completing her second four-year term as a commissioner, will not seek reelection because of a term-limit measure Union County voters approved in 2016. Measure 31-89 allows Union County commissioners to serve no more than eight years.

Beverage, speaking before anyone had filed for Position 3, said she is confident that strong candidates will come forward to succeed her.

“There are a lot of good people here,” she said. “I have faith that good people will step up and serve.”

Beverage said she hopes that the candidates include some who want to address issues she has focused on, including water issues in the country, agricultural land issues and helping the business community to continue expanding.

“I also hope that whoever runs makes sure that all of the cities in the county are represented,” she said.

The Union County Sheriff’s position is also up for election. Cody Bowen, who is completing his first four-year term as sheriff, has filed for reelection.

Bowen said he feels good about the direction the Union County Sheriff’s Office is going.

“I look forward to serving another four years and seeing what the future brings,” he said.

Bowen said he is grateful for the support he has received from many people, including his deputies, Union County Search and Rescue, administrators and the Union County Board of Commissioners.

The Union County assessor and surveyor positions are also up for election. Incumbent Cody Vavra has filed for reelection to the assessor position. Nobody has filed for the surveyor position. Jeff Hsu is the incumbent.

On the judicial front, incumbent Judge Wes Williams has filed for reelection to serve as a circuit judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit, according to the Secretary of State’s website. Williams was elected to the 10th Judicial Circuit in 2018. Nobody has filed to run against him but Jared Boyd, a Union County defense attorney from La Grande, said in a Sept. 11 press release that he intended to seek the position.

Judge Thomas Powers, whose position with the 10th Judicial Circuit Court is also up for election, has not filed. Powers has served in his position since April 2017.

The filing deadline for the 2024 primary election is Tuesday, March 12, 2024.