PORT TOWNSEND — Incumbent District Judge Jill Landes appeared headed for a second term Tuesday night, fighting back an opponent who challenged her judicial temperament.
Landes got 6,195 votes, or 53.79 percent, to Port Townsend attorney John Wood’s 5,278 votes, or 45.83 percent.
“I’m elated; I am happy that I’ve won,” she said.
“I have more experience in the courts, and the voters recognized that.”
Wood said he was disappointed with the results but was glad that he had run.
“This race helped to illuminate what goes on in the District Court and Judge Landes’ courtroom,” Wood said.
“The community was well-served by having competitive judicial races.”
The district judge position pays $141,710 annually for a four-year term.
On Tuesday night, the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 13,706 ballots, or
62.98 percent, of the 21,761 mailed to registered voters.
The office had 981 ballots in hand, and Auditor Donna Eldridge expected to receive another 2,500 votes before the next count at about noon Friday, to meet her projection of 80 percent.
Landes, 60, was elected to the bench in 2006 after working as a deputy prosecutor in Clallam, Jefferson and Pierce counties.
The Port Townsend resident previously had worked as a social worker and rape crisis counselor.
Wood, 66, a Port Townsend attorney, moved to Jefferson County 20 years ago, after working for the federal government in Washington, D.C.
Wood, who announced his candidacy on the last filing day, said he did not want to be a judge but was asked to run by local attorneys who did not feel they were getting fair treatment in Landes’ court.
During the campaign, Wood said that Landes lacked the proper “judicial temperament” and that she sets bail too high for minor crimes.
Landes responded that her bail amount suits the offenses, adding that “domestic violence and DUI [driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol] are not minor crimes.”
Landes said she was the best qualified candidate because of her experience as a criminal prosecutor, judge and victim’s advocate.
Wood, who has never held elective office, said his “passion for justice” qualified him to be a judge and described himself as “compassionate yet unswervingly firm.”
The court handles 14,000 cases a year and employes a staff of eight fulltime people, with an additional half-time position.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
