The City of Pullman saw the first competitive mayoral election since 1999 following the retirement of long-time mayor Glenn Johnson, along with four city council races.

City council member Francis Benjamin was elected mayor after securing 53.63% of the vote against his opponent Deb McNeil.

“I am very grateful for the support of our Pullman community members and the energetic passionate individuals who, over the years, I have had the privilege to work alongside,” Benjamin said in a statement. “I appreciate the long-term investment Mayor Glenn Johnson has made in Pullman, and I look forward…to serving Pullman and working with the Pullman community as we build community together.”

The City of Pullman also saw three school district director positions up for election and a tight run for City Council position number six, according to the Port of Whitman County website.

Various cities and towns in Whitman County had positions up for re-election on the ballot. The towns of Rosalia, St. John, Uniontown, Albion, Colton, Endicott, Farmington, Garfield, Lacrosse, Lamont, Malden, and Oakesdale all had elected positions on the ballot, as did the cities of Pullman, Colfax, Palouse, and Tekoa.

The ballot also saw elections being held across school districts in Washtucna, Lacrosse, Lamont, Tekoa, Pullman, Colfax, Palouse, Garfield, Steptoe, Colton, Endicott, Rosalia, St. John, Oakesdale and Cheney. Many of these were school district director positions and propositions requiring a vote, according to the Whitman County ballot results.

Multiple Port of Whitman County commissioner positions were also up for election this cycle, as were commissioner positions for various hospital districts across Whitman County.

This last ballot also saw mayoral elections in Albion, Colfax, Colton, Endicott, Farmington, Lamont, the City of Palouse, St. John town, and Tekoa. Of the various mayoral elections, including Pullman’s, four had more than one candidate running for the position (City of Palouse, Endicott, Pullman, and Tekoa.)

Lacrosse, Garfield, St. John, Oakesdale, Rosalia, Tekoa and Endicott had park district prepositions and positions voted on during this election cycle. Oakesdale, Whitman County, St. John, Thornton, Colfax, and Farmington also had commissioner positions up for election in their various cemetery districts.

One of the closest votes on the ballot was the City of Pullman Council Position Six, a position representing all of Pullman. Eric Fejeran won the position by 144 votes, securing 51.53% of the total vote compared to the 47.11% by the opposing candidate, Holly Greystone.

“There was a gap between the people of Pullman and our elected representatives,” Fejeran said. “A lot of it was due to a lack of transparency and communication, and I felt there was a need to bridge that gap… that’s why I chose to run.”