W hile most city council races in the Inland Northwest drew only enough candidates to appear on the ballot in November, Spokane Valley voters will see two races in the Aug. 5 primary election. Unlike other cities that vote within district boundaries, each Spokane Valley City Council member is elected in a citywide race.

The first race, reported on in our May 15 issue, features four candidates hoping to fill the seat of outgoing City Council member Rod Higgins. The council's other primary race is between incumbent Laura Padden and two political newcomers, Brad Hohn and Joseph Ghodsee.

Padden, 71, was first elected to her seat in 2021 when she narrowly beat incumbent Linda Thompson. While the city council is her first elected experience, the wife of former longtime state Sen. Mike Padden

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