Benton County’s Community Safety Measure went down in defeat, 9,933 to 13,202, which is 42.93% to
57.07% .
Of the four school board races, only one was contested, and Chris Hawkins has won against opponent Steven Castellano, 10,034 to 1,965, or 82.63% to 16.18% . Write-ins accounted for 144 votes, or 1.19%.
These results won’t be official until June 9, but given the ratios, the few more ballots that will come in by mail later are highly unlikely to change the outcomes for these races.
There are currently 23,316 votes counted, or 38.78% of Benton County’s registered voters. In the last cycle that included a school board election, back in 2021, turnout was 40%.
Measure 2-140, the so called Community Safety measure, was the county’s third attempt at having voters approve debt to build a new county jail. In this latest instance, the $110 million measure not only allocated $64 million for the new jail, but also $40 million for a new sheriff’s office, $3 million to fund a local nonprofit’s homeless services, $1.5 million to house a children’s mental health program in a larger facility, and $1.5 million for various administrative and design costs.
In the School Board race, Hawkins ran on equity and inclusion for students of all walks – and her view that the District should expand its vocational training programs. Castellano ran on a platform of seeking better academic achievement for Corvallis students.
