PORT TOWNSEND — A candidate for the Jefferson County commissioners who changed his residence to run in District 2 is facing a voter registration challenge from one of his opponents.
“I think that the voters need to know where the candidate really lives,” said Dan Youra, who filed the challenge against Tim Thomas.
“And we need to know that his change of address was legally sanctioned.”
Both Thomas and Youra are Republicans running for the District 2 seat now held by Democrat David Sullivan, who is seeking a third term.
Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge said that Youra’s complaint would be posted to the auditor’s website and that she had contacted chief civil deputy David Alvarez on how to proceed.
Eldridge’s office will make a decision as to whether Youra’s challenge has merit.
If the challenge is found to have legal standing, there will be a hearing where Thomas can present his case.
Thomas said that after he’d decided to run for a Jefferson County commissioner seat, he filed in District 2 because District 1 Commissioner Phil Johnson, a Democrat, already had a challenger.
Johnson is facing former Port Townsend Mayor Geoff Masci, who is running as a Republican.
At the time of Thomas’ filing, no challenger had filed for Sullivan’s seat.
Thomas filed at 1:07 p.m. Friday while Youra filed at 4:49 p.m. that day, the final day of the candidate filing period.
Thomas said he thought he owned a house in District 2 — which includes Cape George, Port Hadlock and Marrowstone Island — and planned to move to that property at 18 Hope Lane as soon as he began campaigning.
However, when Thomas went to the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office on May 18 — the last day of filing — he discovered that the Hope Lane address was in District 1, which includes Port Townsend.
Thomas left the Auditor’s Office. He returned a few hours later, after securing a rental at 140 Swaney St. in Port Hadlock.
That is the address he used for his voter registration.
The auditor accepted Thomas’ filing after determining the claimed address was in District 2, according to elections coordinator Karen Cartmel.
On Tuesday, Thomas said that he and his wife will live at the Swaney Street home and that his 18-year-old son will live on Hastings Road by himself “so he can have his own place.”
As part of his challenge Youra submitted a picture of the Swaney Road rental, which appeared to be a trailer in a state of disrepair.
Thomas said he is in the process of renovating the trailer while he is living there full-time.
Thomas owns Bernt Ericsen Excavating at 2281 Hastings Ave. in Port Townsend, which is in District 1.
He says he no longer lives there, although the business will continue in that location.
If Thomas is elected, his wife will run the business, he said.
The contest will now be a top-two primary, which means that the two who receive the most votes in the Aug. 7 primary will advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
Regardless of the outcome of the hearing, Thomas’ name will be on the primary ballot — and on the general election ballot if he scores in the top two.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
