PORT TOWNSEND — There were no surprises Monday morning with the opening of the candidate filing period, as four of the five announced county office seekers made their formal declarations of candidacy.
Superior Court judge candidate Keith Harper was the first to file his candidacy at 8:19 a.m., 11 minutes before the auditor’s office opened to the public.
Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan, 60, and PUD Commissioner Wayne King, 71, were at the office when it opened, while Geoff Masci, 64, who is running against incumbent county commissioner Phil Johnson, filed at 11:21 a.m.
Johnson, 66, who had announced that he is running for a third term, had not formally filed by press time.
Elections personnel expect the biggest number of filings at the opening of the filing period and the close, as many candidates wait until the very last minute to file.
Some candidates time their filings to accommodate the Tuesday deadline of the Port Townsend/Jefferson County Leader, which publishes Wednesday.
Candidates must present a filing fee that is 1 percent of the salary paid by the office for which they are running.
After the filing closes at 4:30 p.m. Friday, the auditor will draw lots to determine ballot placement.
For more information, phone 360-385-9118 or write karenc@jefferson.wa.us.
To see an up-to-the-minute list of all the candidates who have filed, visit http://tinyurl.com/cpbf32z.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
