Dozens of local offices are up for election this fall and, for the first time in history, Washington state candidates will file for office in June.
     Filing week runs June 4-8.
     In previous years candidates filed for office in the last week of July. This year's earlier filing period is because the Legislature changed the state primary from September to August.
     The change allows more time for ballots to reach military personnel and other Washington residents overseas. It also gives more time for election personnel to prepare for the general election, especially if there are primary recounts or contested results.
     Filing information is available from the Okanogan County auditor's office, 422-7240.
     In Okanogan County, positions up for grabs include:
     Hospital District No. 1 - Commissioner position No. 3 (at large), incumbent Larry L. Higbee, six-year term; commissioner position No. 4 (at large), incumbent Shirlee Cartwright, short term plus six years.
     Hospital District No. 3 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Anne L. Schneider, six-year term; commissioner position No. 5 (at large), incumbent Jerry Bowes, six-year term.
     Hospital District No. 4 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Dick Larson, six-year term; commissioner position No. 5 (at large), vacant, short term plus six years.
     Nespelem School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent Darcy A. Epperson, four-year term; position No. 2, incumbent Annette E. Moses, four-year term.
     Omak School District - Director position No. 2, incumbent Jerry J. Day, four-year term; director position No. 3, incumbent Marjorie S. Thompson, four-year term; director position No. 5 (at large), incumbent Gregory Grillo, four-year term.
     Okanogan School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent Rae Jean Kelley, four-year term; director position No. 4, incumbent Kory Heindselman, four-year term; director position No. 5, incumbent Joe Mitschelen, four-year term.
     Brewster School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent John H. (Jack) Kirk, four-year term; director position No. 2, incumbent Laurie Oules, four-year term; director position No. 4 (at large), incumbent Don Becker, four-year term.
     Pateros School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent Michael Bruno, four-year term; director position No. 2, incumbent Steve G. Nieuwenhuis, four-year term; director position No. 5 (at large), incumbent Marty Robinson, four-year term.
     Methow Valley School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent Don Calvert, four-year term; director position No. 3, incumbent Rosey Hough, four-year term; director position No. 5 (at large), Frank J. Kline, four-year term.
     Tonasket School District - Director position No. 2, incumbent Catherine Stangland, four-year term; director position No. 3, incumbent Patti Baumgardner, four-year term; director position No. 5, incumbent Jerry Asmussen, four-year term.
     Oroville School District - Director position No. 1, incumbent Tedi L. Fletcher, four-year term; director position No. 3, incumbent Amy L. Wise, four-year term; director position No. 5, incumbent Mary E. Hughes, four-year term.
     City of Brewster - Council position No. 4, incumbent Kris Dawson, short term plus four years; council position No. 5, incumbent Robert G. Fateley, four-year term.
     Town of Conconully - Council position No. 2, incumbent Clarence Fogal, two-year unexpired term; council position No. 4, incumbent Alan Goff, four-year term; council position No. 5, Charles Alexander, four-year term.
     Town of Coulee Dam - Council position No. 3, incumbent Ray Cuclos, two-year unexpired term, filing fee $10; council position No. 4, incumbent Ben Alling, four-year term, filing fee $10; council position No. 5, incumbent Bonnie Femling, four-year term, $10.
     Town of Elmer City - Council position No. 1, incumbent Jeff Dewinkler, two-year unexpired term; council position No. 4, incumbent Robert (Bob) Riley, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Gail Morin, four-year term.
     Town of Nespelem - Council position No. 2, incumbent Dennis A. Montes, four-year term; council position No. 4, incumbent Timothy A. Schell, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Delores Castillo, four-year term.
     City of Okanogan - Council position No. 1, incumbent John K. Culp, four-year term, filing fee $12; council position No. 3, incumbent John Combs, two-year unexpired term, filing fee $12; council position No. 4, incumbent Wayne Turner, four-year term, filing fee $12; council position No. 6, incumbent Lesley Abraham, four-year term; council position No. 7, incumbent Craig Nelson, short term plus four years, filing fee $12.
     City of Omak - Council position No. 4, incumbent Cindy Gagne, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Leanne G. Leifer, four-year term; council position No. 6, incumbent Stephen D. Clark, four-year term; council at large, incumbent Clinton R. Watts, two-year term.
     City of Oroville - Council position No. 3, incumbent Jason A. Blotsky, four-year term; council position No. 4, incumbent Walter A. Hart III, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Ryan Milligan, four-year term.
     City of Pateros - Council position No. 3, incumbent George L. Brady, four-year term, filing fee $10; council position No. 4, incumbent Mary Haas, short term plus four years, filing fee $10; council position No. 5, incumbent Robert Knoop, short term plus four years, filing fee $10.
     Town of Riverside - Mayor, incumbent Jimmie Sutton Harter, four-year term; council position No. 4, incumbent Bill Blunk, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Margie Lou Mefford, four-year term.
     City of Tonasket - Council position No. 2, incumbent Joyce Fancher, short term plus four years; council position No. 4, incumbent Dale Clarkson, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Patrick D. Plumb, four-year term.
     Town of Twisp - Mayor, incumbent Vern Nations, four-year term, filing fee $48; council position No. 1, vacant, two-year unexpired term, filing fee $10; council position No. 3, incumbent Stephanie L. Hickman, four-year term, filing fee $10; council position No. 4, vacant, short term plus four years; council position No. 5, incumbent Shari Brown, four-year term, filing fee $10.
     Town of Winthrop - Council position No. 3, incumbent Gaile Bryant-Cannon, short term plus four years; council position No. 4, incumbent Carol Fontaine, four-year term; council position No. 5, incumbent Mortee A. Banasky, four-year term.
     Fire District No. 1 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Robert Ellis, four-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Bob Hilderbrand, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 2 - Commissioner position No. 2, vacant, two-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Raymond R. Green, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 3 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent David Stevenson, four-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Joel Hand, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 4 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Ernest L. Rampley, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 6 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Darold Brandenburg, short term plus six years.
     Fire District No. 7 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Richard H. Lange, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 8 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Jim Boober, short term plus six years.
     Fire District No. 9 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Melbourne Peterson, four-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Hank Baker, two-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Doug Walla, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 10 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Jerry Barnes, six-year term; commissioner position No. 2, vacant, two-year unexpired term.
     Fire District No. 11 - Commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Glenn E. Richardson, six-year term.
     Fire District No. 12 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Bruce Bews, six-year term.
     Douglas-Okanogan Fire District No. 15 - Commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Phil Brownlee, six-year term. (The district seven commissioners due to the merger of Douglas County Fire District No. 6 and Douglas County Fire District No. 7 with Okanogan County Fire District No. 5. Three commissioners, one from each fire district, have terms ending in 2007. Only one position will be on the ballot. After the 2007 Election, there will be five commissioners in the district.)
     Fire District No. 16 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Sam Wright, six-year term.
     Cemetery District No. 1 - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Shawnee Higbee, four-year unexpired term; commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Don Waller, six-year term.
     Cemetery District No. 2 - Commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Leah Kominak, six-year term.
     Cemetery District No. 3 - Commissioner position No. 2, incumbent Tony Roberson, six-year term.
     Cemetery District No. 4 - Commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Howard E. Deford, six-year term.
     (Under state law there are no primaries for cemetery districts.)
     Lake Osoyoos Water District - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Stanley S. Porter, six-year term; commissioner position No. 2, vacant, four-year unexpired term.
     Coulee Area Park and Recreation District - Commissioner position No. 1, incumbent Sean C. Hess, four-year term; commissioner position No. 2, vacant, short term plus four years; commissioner position No. 3, incumbent Ted Piccolo, four-year term.
     (Under state law there are no primaries for park and recreation districts.)