Harper leads in race for Connell's next mayor

Top two Primary candidates to move onto November General Election

August 6, 2025

By: Katherine Trowbridge

The question of who will be Connell's next mayor is narrowing as the results of votes in the August 5 Primary Election are coming in. With an estimated two votes left to count, the Franklin County Elections Office has ranked Shelly Harper in the lead for the August Primary with 168 votes (51.53% of the vote).

Patricia (Pat) Barrera and Irineo Salas follow in the vote count. Barrera will more than likely take a spot on the November General Ballot with 111 votes (34.05% of the primary votes), while Salas is coming in with 14.42%.

Both Harper and Barrera are current city council members and seek to succeed outgoing Connell Mayor, Lee Barrow.

With a total of 1,233 registered voters within the City of Connell, only 329 opted to have a vote in this critical race for mayor. A mere 26% of the voters will be deciding who will move on to the General Election.

The General Election is coming up on November 4, with ballots hitting mailboxes in mid-October. The General Election will feature the top two Connell mayoral candidates on the ballot, along with several council seats for not only Connell but also Kahlotus and Mesa. There will also be candidates for local school board positions and a proposed levy lid lift by Franklin County Fire District 1.