Sixteen candidates filed for elected office in Clallam County on Monday, the first day of filing week.
Although none of the races is contested so far, Sequim Democrat Linda Barnfather announced Monday that she will file Wednesday for the District 1 county commissioner position being vacated by state Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim.
Jim McEntire, a Port of Port Angeles commissioner from Sequim, filed as a Republican candidate Monday morning after he attended a county commissioners’ work session.
McEntire was defeated by Tharinger for a state House of Representatives seat in the 24th District last November.
Barnfather, 48, is a legislative assistant to the other 24th District state representative, Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim.
Both McEntire and Barnfather have received the backing of their respective political parties and will receive a free primary pass to a face-off in the Nov. 8 general election if nobody else files for the District 1 county commissioner race this week.
The filing period continues from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today through Friday at the Clallam County Courthouse in Port Angeles and the Jefferson County Courthouse in Port Townsend.
There are 98 elective positions up for grabs on the North Olympic Peninsula — 50 in Clallam County and 48 in Jefferson County.
Thirteen candidates filed Monday in Jefferson County.
The top two vote-getters in contested races in the Aug. 16 primary will advance to the Nov. 8 general election regardless of party affiliation.
Primary ballots will be mailed to voters in both counties July 27.
If more than three candidates file for a position, they must vie in the primary, with the top two advancing to the general election — regardless of party preference in partisan races.
Besides Tharinger’s four-year commissioner’s seat, the other countywide seat up for election is George Schoenfeldt’s six-year District 2 Port of Port Angeles position. Schoenfeldt did not file as of Monday.
Four positions — the majority of seats — also are up for election on the Port Angeles and Sequim city councils.
Three incumbent Port Angeles City Council members filed Monday: Dan Di Guilio, who is currently the council-elected mayor, Brad Collins and Don Perry.
Cherie Kidd is the other council member up for re-election.
None of the incumbent Sequim City Council members up for re-election — Erik Erichsen, Laura DuBois, Kenneth Hays and Susan Lorenzen — filed Monday.
Other incumbents who filed Monday in Clallam County were: Forks City Council member Kevin Hinchen, Port Angeles School Board member Patti Happe, Sequim School Board members Sarah Bedinger and John Bridge, Quillayute Valley School board member David Dickson, Clallam County Fire District No. 2 Commissioner Tom Martin, Fire District No. 3 Commissioner Richard Houts, Fire District No. 4 Commissioner Mary Elizabeth Bower, SunLand Water District Commissioner Jim Larison, Olympic Medical Center Commissioner John Miles and Park and Recreation District No. 1 (SARC) Commissioner Melinda Griffith.
The only non-incumbents who filed Monday were McEntire and Clallam County Fire District No. 5 commissioner candidate Roy “Spider” Wright.
The list of open positions in Clallam County and information for potential candidates is at http://tinyurl.com/25omebk.
_______
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com
