PORT TOWNSEND — A proposal to begin a home-rule charter process in Jefferson County was soundly defeated Tuesday.
The preliminary count revealed 7,434 votes, or 71.6 percent, opposed to beginning the process of writing a county charter. Votes in favor numbered only 2,942 votes, or 28.3 percent.
The elections of three sets of freeholder candidates — one for each county commissioner district — are voided by the defeat of county Proposition 1, which would have established the charter process.
“I’m surprised by the strong support for the no position but am gratified by the result,” said Bruce Cowan, who headed an opposition campaign.
“The electorate deserves a lot of credit for taking the time to understand such a complex issue and considering the pros and cons.”
Val Phimister, a charter proponent who debated Cowan at community forums several times during the course of the campaign, said the idea won’t die.
“Six months ago, you could count the number of people who knew about home rule in this county on both hands,” Phimister said.
“Today, thousands of people know about the idea and what’s possible. It will be back.”
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office on Tuesday night counted about 11,139, or 49.9 percent, of the 22,270 ballots mailed to registered voters.
It had 327 ballots left on hand to count.
Auditor Donna Eldridge expects to receive an additional 2,000, with the next count to be done at about noon Friday.
The charter vote was in two parts. Voters determined if the charter process should go forward and elected a board of freeholders that would have written a charter by June 20, 2015, to go before the voters for ratification or rejection.
The 15 freeholders elected — five per commissioner district — will not serve since the charter process was not approved.
During the filing period, 51 people expressed interest in serving as a freeholders. Two had withdrawn since.
The three districts are District 1, roughly corresponding to the Port Townsend city limit; District 2, which covers Cape George, Kala Point, Nordland, Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Irondale and Four Corners; and District 3, which covers southeast Jefferson County and extends west over the mountains to the Pacific coast and the communities of Kalaloch and Queets.
The leading five candidates in District 1 were Richard Wojt, former Jefferson County commissioner; County Assessor Jack Westerman; Douglas Milholland; former Port Townsend deputy mayor George Randels; and O’Neill Louchard.
Leading in District 2 are Jim Pearson, Dick Shipman, Mark Clark, David Cunningham and Chris Hanson.
Leading in District 3 are Diane Johnson, an unsuccessful candidate for county commissioner in 2010; Nicole Black, a Brinnon Park and Recreation District commissioner; Bill Eldridge; Ron Gregory, former county Republican chairman; and Jim Boyer, who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner in 2010.
Wojt received the greatest number of votes at 1,139 and would have initially chaired the panel if the process had been approved.
Petitions to put the charter question on the ballot were submitted in August by the Community Rights Coalition of Jefferson County.
The group wanted to add a referendum process and a citizen bill of rights, although there is no guarantee that either option would be in the completed charter.
Issues that emerged during 15 candidate and issue forums included the election of commissioners by districts and making several county elected positions nonpartisan.
Petitioners had hoped the process would be nonpartisan. Instead, local party officials squared off on opposite sides, the Republicans in favor of the home-rule process and the Democrats opposed.
Charter proponents felt it would allow the county to modify the government to fit its needs.
Opponents said the charter would cost the county money that it does not have.
County Administrator Philip Morley estimated that the charter would cost $83,900 a year in administrative costs to formulate.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
