Several aspiring Clallam County candidates who announced their intentions to run in the Aug. 7 primary and Nov. 6 general election made good on their pledges Monday, the first day of the weeklong filing period for office-holder hopefuls.
On the statewide front, former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels filed for the state Secretary of State position being vacated by Sam Reed.
Open seats in Clallam County include: Port Angeles-area District 2 Clallam County commissioner, all three Superior Court judge positions; West End District 3 Public Utility District commissioner; and 67 precinct committee officers.
The state’s top-two primary is Aug. 7. Ballots will be mailed to voters July 18.
The general election is Nov. 6. Ballots will go out to voters Oct. 17.
Candidates in Clallam County can file from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today through Friday at the Elections Center in the county courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St. in Port Angeles.
Filers Monday included lawyer and Clallam County Hearings Examiner Chris Melly of Port Angeles, who was the first to file for the four-year, Position 1 seat held by Clallam County Superior Court Judge Ken Williams, who is retiring.
Port Angeles lawyer William Payne also applied for Williams’ seat.
Four-year seats held by Judges George L. Wood for Position 2 and S. Brooke Taylor for Position 3 also are up for re-election.
Wood filed Monday. Taylor has said he intends to run for re-election.
Ted Simpson, owner of Angeles Electric in Port Angeles, filed to seek another six-year term as West-End District 3 Public Utility District commissioner.
Others filing for public office included Port Angeles native and Gig Harbor resident Derek Kilmer, a Democrat running for retiring U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks’ two-year seat representing the 6th Congressional District, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Also filing for that position was Jesse Young, a Tacoma economic development consultant who unsuccessfully ran in 2010.
Filing for the six-year U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Democrat Maria Cantwell of Mountlake Terrace were Cantwell and Republicans Chuck Jackson of Snohomish and Michael Baumgartner of Kirkland.
Two-term 24th District Democratic state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege of Sequim also filed for re-election to his two-year seat, and five-term 24th District state Sen. Jim Hargrove to his four-year seat.
The secretary of state race drew a crowd.
It is being vacated by Republican Sam Reed, who is retiring when his third term ends in January 2013.
Filing Tuesday for the position were Republican James Watkins of Kirkland, Human Rights Party candidate Sam Wright of Olympia, Constitution Party candidate Karen Murray of Quincy, and Democrats Jim Kastama of Tacoma, Kathleen Drew of Olympia and former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle.
Democratic state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler of Olympia also filed for re-election.
Candidates filing for statewide positions included incumbent Democratic Lt. Gov. Brad Owen of Shelton, and Glenn Anderson of Issaquah, who filed as a Republican for the position but said on his filing form that he prefers the independent designation.
Democratic Commissioner of Public Lands Commissioner Peter Goldmark of Seattle filed for re-election for a four-year term.
Incumbent state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn filed for re-election to the four-year, nonpartisan position.
Former Forks District Court Judge and current state Supreme Court Justice Susan Owens of Olympia, a former Forks District Court judge, also filed for re-election to her six-year, nonpartisan Position 2 seat.
Incumbent Supreme Court Justice Steve Gonzalez of Seattle, who was appointed to the Position 8 seat Jan. 1, also filed for a six-year short and full term.
Candidates who filed for the six-year, Position 9 seat on the Supreme Court were Sheryl Gordon McCloud and Bruce Hilyer, both of Seattle.
Port Orchard lawyer Pam Loginsky filed for the District 2, Position 2 seat on the state Court of Appeals, a six-year position that covers Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Kitsap, Mason and Thurston counties.
Republican candidate James Watkins of Kirkland filed for the four-year position held by Democratic state Auditor Brian Sonntag, who is not seeking re-election.
Republican Reagan Dunn of Bellevue filed for the four-year state attorney general position.
The names of those filing for election to public office can be found at http://tinyurl.com/csm7zxv.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
