Spokane Valley City Council, position 3
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Arne Woodard | 6,843 | 43.81% |
| Lance Gurel | 3,993 | 25.56% |
| Al (Albert) Merkel | 3,460 | 22.15% |
| Adam Smith | 1,325 | 8.48% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
Featured Candidates
Arne Woodard
- Age:
- 71
- City:
- Spokane Valley, WA
Education: Graduated from Gonzaga Prep in 1971 and attended Spokane Community College for about a year and a half.
Political experience: Has served on the City Council since 2011 and is the longest serving councilman in Spokane Valley history.
Work experience: Owned real estate business from 1994 to 2018. Previously worked in construction and rebuilding homes damaged by floods or storms. Has worked on road and underground utility projects. Has owned a bakery named Backburner Breads, sold bread-making equipment and owned a health food store called Magic Mill.
Family: Married to Charmagne Woodard. Has seven children and 15 or so grandchildren.
Fundraising: Has raised more than $10,600 as of Sept. 26, and also began his campaign with an additional $5,225 in funds. Woodard has received several donations from individuals and companies in the real estate and construction industries. Other notable donors include Spokane Valley City Councilman Rod Higgins, former Spokane County GOP Chairwoman Cynthia Zapotocky, Spokane Valley City Councilwoman Laura Padden and state Sen. Mike Padden.
Lance Gurel
- City:
- Spokane Valley, Washington
Education: Graduated from Walter Johnson Senior High School in Bethesda, Maryland, in 1966. Attended the University of Maryland for two years but did not finish a degree. Graduated with bachelor’s degree in accounting from Arkansas Tech University in 1996. Graduated with an MBA from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1998.
Work experience: Has owned an accounting business since 2006. Previously worked as a financial analyst for Florida State University. Worked as financial officer and director of development for Arkansas Tech University from 1995 to 2001. Previously worked as a welder, orchard manager, home rebuilder.
Political experience: Ran unsuccessfully for Spokane Valley City Council in 2019.
Family: Married. Has five children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Pitch: "I'm running because I think government should be effective, efficient and work for the people, but I reject the idea of tearing government down as small as possible. There are people, both our previous legislators, present legislators and the candidates I'm running against, who just think that government should be made so small that in effect it's too small to take care of the services that we need."
Al (Albert) Merkel
- Age:
- 38
- City:
- Spokane Valley, WA
Education: Graduated from University High School in 2004. Graduated from Whitworth University in 2009 with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, political science and economics.
Political experience: Unsuccessfully ran for Spokane Valley City Council in 2017 and 2019. Was elected to the city council in 2023, beating longtime Valley Councilman Arne Woodard. Serves as a Republican precinct committee officer.
Work experience: Co-owns Dee's Dog Grooming with his wife. Works as an emergency substitute teacher for the Central Valley School District. Was chief financial officer, and briefly, chief executive officer of Sequoia Detox Centers. Has worked for several companies and agencies as a contract specialist, including the Centene Corporation, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Chemonics International, Premier Management Corporation and Louis Burger.
Family: Married to Stephanie Merkel. Has one child.
Campaign Fundraising: Has raised a cumulative $1,171 as of July 12, comprised of $470 in small cash gifts and $701 of in-kind donations to himself.
Complete Coverage
New Spokane Valley detox center appeases neighbors after opposition
A new detox center in the Ponderosa neighborhood of Spokane Valley agreed to install street lights, set up a security system and host a yearly barbecue to win support from its apprehensive neighbors.
Spokane Valley candidates hope for regional approach to homelessness, clash over direction of council
If voters choose challenger Lance Gurel, he hopes to shift the makeup of council to more moderate and more open to new ideas. Incumbent Arne Woodard said Gurel and other more moderate candidates’ proposals go outside of the few essential duties Spokane Valley was founded to accomplish.
Incumbents advance in Spokane Valley City Council races; Woodard’s opponent uncertain
Voters whittled down their choices for three seats on the Spokane Valley City Council on Tuesday night, but with some votes still to be tallied, the slates for the general election were not entirely clear.
Family of white supremacist murder victims, including Spokane Valley City Council candidate, call for racial equity talk in the city
Lance Gurel, who is one of the candidates running against Spokane Valley City Councilman Arne Woodard, said this weekend the impending execution of Danny Lewis Lee shows why the city must face its racial equity challenges. Woodard defended the city’s approach to the question while condemning Lee’s actions.
Spokane Valley leaders clash over racial equity proposal at Tuesday council meeting
A tense and awkward exchange about race emerged at a Spokane Valley City Council meeting Tuesday night, exposing a rift about whether the city is welcoming to people of different ethnic backgrounds and whether it needs to take action to be more so.
Control of Spokane Valley City Council a top issue for two of Councilman Arne Woodard’s primary challengers
Two candidates hoping to unseat conservative Spokane Valley City Councilman Arne Woodard say their goal is to shift the balance of power on the council. Former government contract negotiator Al Merkel and accountant Lance Gurel said they more often agree with more moderate members of the council, Brandi Peetz, Ben Wick and Linda Thompson.
Spokane Valley council candidate Al Merkel facing DUI charge after May crash
Spokane Valley City Council Candidate Al Merkel is facing a charge of driving under the influence after he was arrested in May.