Will primary results impact Hawkins deal?

Despite the results of their respective races in this month’s primary, Whitman County commissioners Pat O’Neill and Greg Partch see no impact from the results on the Hawkins shopping mall proposal.

“I made the vote January 3. And right now, that’s all there is,” said O’Neill.

Much of the focus on the campaign centered around the county’s agreement to fund $15 million worth of infrastructure for the shopping center site which totals 714,000-square feet.

Partch, who lost his bid for a fourth term by finishing third in the primary race, declined to comment on how the election might influence his...