Election 2022 logo (NEW).jpg

WESTON — Two Weston City Council seats are open, both at large. Four candidates are running for the two positions. Two Athena city council races are unopposed, while three candidates are contesting Position 1.

Athena City Council candidates

Anthony Cooksley, Wayne Kostur and Justin Mitchell are running for Athena City Council Position 1, which is police councilor. Kostur and Mitchell didn’t file voters pamphlet entries. Incumbent Kostur is a former principal of Athena’s Weston-McEwen High School.

Katie Zmuda and Sally Thompson are running unopposed for Athena City Council positions 3 and 5. Thompson did not file an entry in the voters pamphlet.

Cooksley is CEO of Blaq Tower LLC, Milton-Freewater, which, among other products and services, operates a computer numerical control machine to engrave and mill wood and other materials. He attended Wyoming Technical Institute and Milo Adventist Academy in Douglas County. He lists no prior governmental experience.

He served on the Walla Walla Wagon Wheeler Association board of directors and as a mission leader to Baja California, Mexico.

Zmuda works in the Helix School District. She previously worked in the Athena-Weston School District and was self employed. She attended Blue Mountain Community College has lived in Athena for more than 20 years.

Zmuda has served on the Athena City Council and the school district budget committee. She assembled the disbanded chamber of commerce, and served as its president for four years. She merged it with the Athena Main Street Association, which she has served as secretary, social media coordinator and president.

Zmuda founded Athena Tuesday Market, annual Community Night Out and the city’s Holiday Bazaar. She has volunteered for parent-teacher groups, community fundraisers and the Caledonian Games. She received the Crystal Apple Award for excellence in education.

Weston City Council candidates

Jennifer Lantz, Dan McLind, Shawn Monaco and Greg Phillips are running for two open, at-large seats on the Weston City Council. The two highest vote-getters win the council positions.

Monaco and McLind did not file entries in the pamphlet. Monaco is running for reelection to the council. McLind ran for mayor in 2020.

Lantz is an advanced medical support assistant at the Walla Walla Veterans Administration. She has worked in Pendleton at Interpath Laboratory and with the school district. Previously, she worked in Walla Walla public schools and in the North Clackamas School District. She graduated from Sam Barlow High School and attended Mt. Hood Community College for a year.

Lantz has lived in Weston for six years. She served on Weston’s budget committee and is involved in the Umatilla County Pioneer Picnic.

Phillips is retired. He worked as materials, purchasing and project manager at Sulzer Pump Company, and at Wang Laboratories as district controller for five northwest states. He served with the U.S. Air Force as pilot, in research and development, procurement, project and financial management.

He managed Weston’s food pantry for eight years, served on the East Umatilla County Rural Fire District for 10 years, on the city and cemetery budget committees and as past president of the Umatilla County Pioneer Association.