PORT ANGELES — Republican Clallam County commissioner candidate Bill Peach and Republican prosecuting attorney hopeful Mark Nichols sealed wins Monday by similar percentage margins after the final count of ballots.
In separate interviews late Monday, both declared victory — while their opponents conceded defeat.
“I will say I got it,” Peach said. “I’m announcing that I won.”
Said Nichols: “At this point, I’m ready to declare victory.”
The Auditor’s Office on Monday counted 3,263 ballots from the Nov. 4 election that arrived Thursday and Friday.
Auditor Patty Rosand said she did not expect any changes to major contested races and remaining mailed-in ballots are counted.
But two contests for the Charter Review Commission may require recounts.
Nichols, 42, now has 12,321 votes, or 52 percent, to appointed incumbent Republican William Payne’s 11,253, votes, or 48 percent for the four-year term.
Nichols said he plans to resign from his county hearing examiner position Wednesday and may take office Nov. 25, when the election results are certified.
Payne, 57, conceded the race to Nichols.
“It’s not the result I was hoping for, but I think it was a hard-fought campaign,” Payne said.
In a later statement, Payne pledged to “make certain there is an organized transition on Nov 25 so Mr. Nichols has a complete understanding of the current office, cases and issues needed in order to immediately go to work.”
Payne said he plans to open up his own law practice and will focus mostly on civil law.
Peach, 59, of Forks had 13,927 votes, or 52 percent, to Democratic opponent Sissi Bruch’s 13,012 votes, or 48 percent, in the race to replace retiring Commissioner Mike Doherty, a Bruch supporter.
Bruch, 54, a Port Angeles city councilwoman, released a statement congratulating Peach.
“Now is the time we must set aside our differences and work together,” said Bruch, a senior planner for the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
Rosand said there were 395 signature-challenged ballots that voters have been notified about that remain to be counted as well at 75 ballots that came in the mail that must be tallied.
Election Night leaders remain unchanged following the latest tally, including the 15 seats for the county Charter Review Commission — five from each of three county commissioner districts.
But races for the fifth top vote getter for District 1 and District 2 Charter Review Commission seats may require recounts, Rosand said.
In Seqim-area District 2, Ted Miller is fifth with 3,370 votes to sixth-place Jerry Sinn’s 3,346.
In Port Angeles-area District 2, Selinda Barkhuis, Clallam County treasurer, has 2,133 votes to sixth-place Diane Haffner’s 2,027.
Peach will represent District 3, which includes the West End but also west Port Angeles, in the four-year position.
Peach, a retired forester and former executive director of the Quileute tribe, came in third in the 2010 primary to Doherty and Robin Poole, gaining just 25 percent of the vote and failing to advance to the general election.
He and Bruch were virtually neck and neck in this year’s District 3 Aug. 5 primary, with Bruch gaining 42 percent (1,720 votes) to Peach’s 41 percent (1,701 votes) and Forks Mayor Bryon Monohon’s 17 percent (715 votes).
Monohon threw his support behind Peach, who spent $7,105 in gaining victory, less than one-fifth of the $38,049 that Bruch spent, according to state Public Disclosure Commission filings as of Nov. 3.
Nichols, a former Clallam County chief deputy prosecuting attorney, was former Prosecuting Attorney Deborah Kelly’s handpicked successor when she retired in December 2013 and named Nichols as acting prosecuting attorney with one year left in her term.
Commissioners then appointed Payne to the position in January, and resigned Jan. 27, the same day Payne was sworn in.
Here are the results of other contested county races as of Monday’s count:
■ Auditor — Shoona Riggs, 13,506, or 59 percent, to Kim Yacklin’s 9,293, or 41 percent.
■ Director of community development — Mary Ellen Winborn, 14,824, or 61 percent, to Sheila Roark Miller’s 9,390, or 39 percent.
■ District Court 1 judge — Rick Porter, 13,650, or 58 percent, to Cathy Marshall’s 9,789, or 42 percent.
Here are the top five Charter Review Commission candidates for each district, which also remained unchanged:
■ District 1 — Sue W. Forde, Ken Hays, Ronald Bell, Nola E. Judd and Ted Miller.
■ District 2 — Glenn Wiggins, Norma E. Turner, Maggie Roth, Steven D. Burke and Selinda Barkhuis.
■ District 3 — Mike Doherty, Barbara Christensen, Connie Beauvais, Cheryl Williams and Rod Fleck.
________
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
