PORT ANGELES — Challenger Mary Ellen Winborn won with a commanding lead over incumbent Sheila Roark Miller in her bid to become the nation’s only elected community development director.
Winborn had 9,642 votes to Roark Miller’s 5,955 votes — a 61.82 percent to 38.18 percent advantage — after the county Auditor’s office processed the first batch of general election ballots Tuesday night.
“I had no idea what to expect, but I was hearing very positive things,” said Winborn, a Port Angeles architect who has never run for public office.
“I’ve had a lot of wonderful support. It’s really been a great experience.”
She added: “I wish I could start tomorrow.”
Winborn, 54, of Port Angeles, is the president and owner of Winborn Architects.
Roark Miller, 56, of Sequim, was elected to the DCD director’s post four years ago and worked in the department for 20 years prior to that.
She was not immediately reachable by cell phone Tuesday.
The Auditor’s Office counted 18,242 ballots Tuesday out of 46,908 issued for a voter turnout of 38.9 percent, Auditor Patty Rosand said.
The Auditor’s Office received 3,952 ballots in the mail and in drop boxes on Tuesday. Those were not counted, but brought voter turnout to 47.13 percent.
Rosand expects 7,000 more ballots to come in by Wednesday “and then it’s going to trickle off,” she said.
The next count of the approximately 11,000 ballots has been scheduled for Friday, Rosand said.
The only elected community development director in the nation advises county commissioners on and administers laws related to the environment, land-use permits, land and shoreline development, natural resources, zoning, land division, building and fire codes, watershed planning, mining and agricultural land-use issues.
Winborn’s salary next year will be $70,590.
The DCD director oversees 18 full-time equivalent employees and a budget that in 2014 is $2.2 million.
“I really have been blown away by this whole experience and how wonderful everybody’s been and all the thumbs up,” Winborn said.
“I know I have a lot of expectations on me, and that’s OK.”
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
