PORT ANGELES — The days of voting for all three Clallam County commissioners appear to be over.
Home Rule Charter Amendment 1, a proposal to elect commissioners by district rather than countywide in general elections, was passing by a 26-point percentage margin Tuesday.
Unless the no votes can make up a 8,004 to 4,732-vote deficit by the next ballot count Friday, each commissioner will be elected only by the voters in his or her district.
“I don’t think it will change the job a whole lot,” said Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman, who was elected by a countywide majority in four general elections.
“I suspect it kind of gives each commissioner a little more clout in talking about district-specific issues.”
Chapman, who has announced that he would not seek a fifth four-year term in 2016, predicted that future commissioners would be invited to fewer speaking engagements outside their district and would be given deferential treatment for projects within their district.
“I publicly didn’t support it,” Chapman said of the proposal.
“I just think it works the way it is.”
Commissioner Jim McEntire, board chairman, said he could see both sides of the argument.
On one hand, a vote-by-district approach could create a “log-rolling dynamic” in which commissioners trade favors to support each other’s projects.
“The argument in favor is it makes commissioners 100-percent accountable to the voters in his or her district,” McEntire added.
Commissioner Bill Peach was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Clallam is one of seven of 39 counties in the state that operate under a home-rule charter, unlike most where procedures are dictated by the Legislature.
Fifteen residents were elected last November to develop and propose changes to the county “constitution.”
Past proposals to elect commissioners by district were defeated in 1983 and 2003, Charter Review Commission Chairwoman Norma Turner has said.
The Charter Review Commission voted 10-4 this year to put the issue back on the ballot.
“My position was when you vote to elect commissioners by district, you are emphasizing that each district is unique,” said Turner, who opposed the measure.
“I fail to believe that we are distinct people in each district.”
The 32 non-charter, or uniform-system, counties in the state elect their commissioners or councilors by countywide vote in general elections, Washington
State Association of Counties Executive Director Eric Johnson said Wednesday.
For non-charter counties, the association is “strongly opposed” to district-only elections to preserve checks and balances, Johnson said.
Otherwise, major decisions like taxes and zoning can be made by “majorities you never have a chance to vote for,” he said.
The seven charter counties structure their legislative systems differently.
Most charter counties with district-only elections have more than three legislative representatives and a county executive.
Clark County, the newest charter county, elects four county councilors by district and a chairperson by countywide majority.
“The beauty, or the quirkiness, of the county charter is the citizens get to decide,” Johnson said.
He added: “It’s a great opportunity for people to learn about county government.”
Another substantive change proposed by the Clallam County Charter Review Commission was a proposal to make the elected community development director an appointed position.
That proposal, charter Amendment No. 6, was failing 8,219 votes to 4,376 votes, or 65.3 percent to 34.7 percent.
Clallam remains the only county in the nation to elect a community development director, Johnson confirmed.
“The public will not give up their right to vote when given the opportunity,” Chapman said.
“We’re a pretty populist area, and people like their right to vote.”
Turner, who has severed on several past charter reviews, said she was disappointed that the charter review was the focus of only one political forum this year.
“There was no real community discussion about the ballot issues,” Turner said Wednesday. “It was kind of like in a vacuum.”
In addition to the district-only commissioner elections, six other proposed charter amendments were passing Tuesday.
Here’s a rundown:
■ Amendment No. 2: Elect a Charter Review Commission every five years rather than every eight years.
The measure was passing 7,692 to 4,939, or 60.9 percent to 39.1 percent.
■ Amendment No. 3: Send initiatives directly to voters, bypassing commissioners.
The measure was passing 8,053 to 4,577, or 63.8 percent to 36.2 percent.
■ Amendment No. 4: Send referenda directly to voters, bypassing commissioners.
The measure was passing 7,828 to 4,643, or 62.8 percent to 37.2 percent.
■ Amendment No. 5: Increase the time for gathering signatures for initiatives from 90 days to 120 days.
The measure was passing 7,314 to 5,404, or 57.5 percent to 42.5 percent.
■ Amendment No. 7: Require charter interpretations to afford Clallam County powers conferred to charter counties.
The measure was passing 7,001 to 4,459, or 61.1 percent to 38.9 percent.
■ Amendment No. 8: Begin Charter Review commissioners’ terms on Jan. 1.
The measure was passing 10,412 to 1,951, or 84.2 percent to 15.8 percent.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
