HERMISTON — Three incumbents and one newcomer are in the running so far for four seats on the Hermiston City Council.

Candidates for the four, at-large positions on the council have until Aug. 25 at 5 p.m. to file for candidacy. All candidates who filed will appear on the November 2020 general election ballot, and the top four vote-getters will take office in January 2021.

Nancy Peterson, an accessibility specialist for Columbia Basin College, is running for the first time, but she said it has been a dream of hers to run for office since she was a teenager licking stamps to help candidates that her parents were supporting. She said she is now in a place in her life where she feels prepared to serve.

Peterson has lived in Hermiston for 11 years and the Umatilla/Morrow County area for 20 years, she said, and she hopes to focus on listening to community members’ concerns and helping the city understand their needs.

“If people don’t feel heard, they’re not going to listen,” she said.

She said she has lived through a wide range of experiences that other people in the community have also faced, from spending time as a single mother to putting herself through college. She hopes to put those experiences to use representing the residents of Hermiston.

David McCarthy, sales manager for KOHU/The Q radio stations, was appointed to fill the remainder of the year in John Kirwan’s seat in May after Kirwan resigned due to a career change. He said his experience so far on the council hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm to run for a full term in November.

“They couldn’t scare me away that easily,” he joked.

He said he likes looking at situations the city faces and figuring out how they might do a better job of responding, and he is especially passionate about improving the community for children and local businesses.

Rod Hardin has already served 28 years on the city council and said he considered not running again. But previous health problems he had been facing have been resolved, he said, and his retirement as principal of Hermiston Christian Center has given him more time to devote to the city, so he decided he can put his experience to use on the council for what he believes will likely be his last term.

“I guess I’m not ready to give it up yet, if the public will let me,” he said.

Hardin said he is proud of the decisions the council has made over the past three decades that have gotten Hermiston to where it is today, from building the Regional Water System to buying the electric utility that is now Hermiston Energy Services. He has served on various committees over his years of service, but said he has always stuck with the Public Safety Committee because it is a topic he is especially passionate about.

Doug Primmer is running for a third term, and said his motivations are the same as the first time he ran.

“I’m still trying to make a difference,” he said. “Like I said when I first started, the world is run by those who show up.”

Primmer grew up in Hermiston and has had a career in law enforcement and corrections, including more than 30 years as a rescue diver with the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office. His brother, Dale Primmer, is a Pendleton city councilor.

Manuel Gutierrez currently holds one of the at-large seats on the council, but said he doesn’t plan to run again because he is hoping to move soon to a property outside of city limits, which would disqualify him from serving. He said he wanted to say thank you to the residents of Hermiston for supporting and trusting him. He said he was proud of his work with the rest of the city council.

“We have done a lot of things — good things,” he said.