PORT LUDLOW — Incumbent Ron Helmonds led challenger Ron Gregory in the Port Ludlow Fire District No. 3 commissioner primary after the first ballot count Tuesday.
Helmonds received 819 votes, or 56.48 percent, while Gregory had 555 votes, or 38.28 percent of the total votes in the first count.
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 10,148 ballots on Tuesday night for a voter turnout of 44.17 percent, said Betty Johnson, elections coordinator.
The office will not estimate how many may come in later in the week, Johnson said.
The next count will be at about noon Friday, she said.
The office has 19 ballots on hand that can not be counted until they are processed — meaning they must be duplicated, with tracking numbers to the original ballot, because the voter made a correction and the ballot tabulator can’t count it correctly.
The office also has 127 challenged ballots. The voter either didn’t sign the envelope or the signature doesn’t appear to match that of the voter’s record.
Letters were sent to all voters with challenged ballots. They have until Nov. 23, one day before the election is certified, to respond, Johnson said.
Helmonds, the incumbent Port Ludlow fire commissioner, has been working with the district for six years. He told voters of his knowledge of financial workings, staffing needs and operational services.
Gregory is a former Jefferson County Republican party chairman and avowed fiscal conservative.
He called for reduced tax liability for the district, and said he would focus on all costs, particularly on employee benefits.
District No. 3 commissioner is a six-year term with an maximum annual compensation of $10,944.
________
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arice@peninsuladailynews.com.
