PRIMARY ELECTION: Port Angeles office-holders set for November contests

Sitting members of the Port Angeles City Council appear to be headed for November showdowns after the initial count of ballots in Tuesday’s primary election.

Lineups could change after the next count of ballots in the primary election, which narrows to two the candidates for each position on the Nov. 2 ballot. Only races that drew three or more hopefuls compete in a primary election.

The voter turnout as of Tuesday night was 29.86 percent after 16,254 ballots were counted out of 54,439 ballots that were distributed to voters. The next count will be on Wednesday.

Appointee LaTrisha Suggs, with 1,786 votes, or 46.58 percent, and Adam Garcia, with 1,596 votes, or 41.63 percent, appeared headed for the Position 1 contest in the Nov. 2 general election. John DeBoer had 449 votes, or 11.71 percent, as of Tuesday evening.

Incumbent Mike French with 2,171 votes, or 56.86 percent, and John Madden with 1,355 votes, or 35.48 percent, seem to be set to vie in November for Position 2. Samantha Rodahl had 292 votes, or 7.65 percent, so far. Madden is supported by the conservative Independent Advisory Association based in Sequim in the non-partisan race.

Position 3 on the Port Angeles City Council is working toward a pairing of incumbent Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, with 1,603 votes, or 41.41 percent, against IAA candidate Jena Stamper, who had 1,447 votes, or 37.38 percent, on Tuesday. Jason Thompson had 817 votes, or 21.11 percent, in the initial count.

Mayor Kate Dexter, with 2,073 votes, or 53.63 percent, likely will face IAA candidate John W. Procter, with 1,565 votes, or 40.88 percent, for Position 4. The third candidate, Jon Bruce, withdrew from the race but was too late to prevent his name from being on the already printed ballot. He won 208 votes, or 5.43 percent.

In the race for an at-large seat on the Olympic Medical Center commission, Heather Jeffers, with 8,793 votes, or 56.19 percent, and former Port Angeles mayor Karen Rogers, with 4,801 votes, or 31,07 percent, appear headed for the November race. Steven C. Blackham had 1,832 votes, or 11.86 percent, so far.

In the Sequim School Board contest for Position 4, Virginia R. Sheppard — an IAA-supported candidate — with 2,475 total votes, or 28.07 percent, and Rachel Tax, with 2,347 total votes, or 26.62 percent, appear to be headed for a November showdown for the seat now held by Brandino Gibson, who is not running for reelection. Derek Huntington won 1,409 total votes, or 15.98 percent.

Kristi Schmeck, whose name was on the ballot, had withdrawn, but she won the most total votes with 2,568 votes, or 29.13 percent.

The race was on both the Clallam County and Jefferson County ballots.

Schmeck had 2,542 votes, or 29.14 percent, in Clallam County. She won 26 votes, or 27.66 percent, in Jefferson County.

Other Clallam County counts were 2,456 votes, or 28.16 percent, for Sheppard; 2,316 votes, or 26.55 percent, for Tax; and 1,391 votes, or 15.95 percent, for Huntington.

In the race for the Position 2 seat on the Forks City Council that is being vacated by John Hillcar, Clinton W. Wood, with 218 votes, or 58.13 percent, and Josef Echeita, with 118 votes, or 31.46 percent, were leading as of Tuesday night. Barbara Neihouse had won 34 votes, or 9.067 percent.

In Fire District 3, Jeff Nicholas, with 5,202 total votes, or 56.41 percent, and Duane Chamlee, with 3,266 total votes, or 35.41 percent, had won the most votes so far for the Position 1 seat being vacated by Mike Gawley. Sean Ryan, who has sought a seat on the fire district commission before, had 725 total votes, 7.86 percent, in the initial count.

The race was on both the Clallam County and Jefferson County ballots.

The counts in Clallam County were 5,143, or 66.4 percent, for Nicholas; 3,231 votes, or 35.43 percent, for Chamlee; and 717 votes, or 7.66 percent, for Ryan.