PORT ANGELES — The first contested race in Clallam County’s 2015 general election season emerged Thursday with Connie Beauvais’ announcement that she is running for Port of Port Angeles commissioner.
City Councilman Lee Whetham already has announced his intention to run for the position, held by West End District 3 Commissioner John Calhoun, who has said he will not seek re-election.
Filing week for 48 positions on the Clallam County general election ballot and 52 positions on the Jefferson County ballot begins Monday and ends next Friday.
Beauvais, who lives west of Joyce, is vice chair of the Clallam County Planning Commission and a member of the 2015 county Charter Review Commission.
In the Peninsula Daily News’ North Olympic Peninsula Voter Guide for 2014, Beauvais said that as a Charter Review Commission member, she would propose that new or increased taxes and land-use-ordinance changes should be sent to voters for their approval.
The Joyce resident detailed her reasons for running for the four-year port commission seat Thursday in a statement.
“The Port of Port Angeles is the most important economic driver in Clallam County,” she said.
“I want to put Clallam County firmly on the road to economic prosperity.
“I’m looking forward to promoting the port and its assets to create more jobs, working aggressively for cleanup of the harbor, engaging much more with the public and operating within a balanced budget.”
Beauvais manages the Crescent Water Association.
She has owned her own businesses, worked for school districts in California and Alaska, and been a civil service employee for Naval Security Group Activity on Adak Island in Alaska.
She lives with her husband, Jim, on 34 acres, where they have operated Alpacas of Cedar Wind for the past 20 years.
