PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County primary election got a lot more interesting Friday.
Twenty-eight candidates filed to run for office on the last day of filing week, including several who triggered August primaries in high-profile races for county commissioner, Port of Port Angeles commissioner and Port Angeles City Council.
That brings to 72 the number of candidates who filed to run for 48 offices.
Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. Monday to withdraw if they decide they don’t want their names on the ballot after all.
Races with three or more contestants will be narrowed to two candidates in the Aug. 4 primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the Nov. 3 general election.
County commissioner
Bryan Frazier of Carlsborg, who has opposed a county sewer project in his neighborhood, joined the race for Clallam County commissioner Friday.
Frazier, who filed as a Democrat, will face incumbent Jim McEntire, R-Sequim, and Mark Ozias, D-Sequim, in the primary.
The primary for the Board of County Commissioners will be decided by east county voters in commissioner District 1. Voters countywide will decide the commissioners’ race in the general election.
No other local race is partisan.
Port of Port Angeles
Rick “Doc” Robinson of Port Angeles and Michael Breidenbach of Forks on Friday joined Lee Whetham and Connie Beauvais in the race for Port of Port Angeles commissioner.
Whetham, a Port Angeles city councilman, and Beauvais, vice chair of the Clallam County Planning Commission, filed to run for the port commission Tuesday.
The four are vying for the seat being vacated by longtime Port Commissioner John Calhoun.
PA City Council
On the Port Angeles City Council, Michael Merideth and Marolee Smith each filed Friday to challenge Shan Pak for the seat being vacated by retiring Mayor Dan Di Guilio.
Other primary races that emerged Friday were for commissioner of Clallam County Fire District No. 3 and the Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center.
Primaries had taken shape earlier in the week for Sequim School Board districts 1 and 5.
No candidate
No person filed for open seats on the Crescent School Board for positions 1 and 5 or for the Quillayute Valley School Board District 1 seat.
A May 26-28 special filing period has been set for positions for which no one filed.
Candidates can file for those positions between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the county elections office in the basement of the county courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
If no one files for an open position, the incumbent remains in office. If the incumbent resigns, the district’s rules apply to filling a board vacancy.
Here’s a list of all 72 Clallam County candidates who filed to run for office last week, with incumbents identified by (I):
■ Clallam County commissioner — McEntire (I), Ozias and Frazier.
■ Port of Port Angeles commissioner — Whetham, Beauvais, Robinson and Breidenbach.
■ Forks Community Hospital board— Donald Lawley (I).
■ Olympic Medical Center board — J. Thomas Oblak (I), Jim Cammack (I) and Jim Leskinovitch (I).
■ Forks City Council — Juanita Weissenfels (I), Kevin Hinchen (I), Christina “Stina” Kohout and Jon Preston.
■ Port Angeles City Council — Shan Pak, Michael Merideth, Marolee Smith, Sissi Bruch (I), Cherie Kidd (I) and Dan Bateham.
■ Sequim City Council — Brandon Janisse, Pam Leonard-Ray, John Miller, Susan Lorenzen, Ken Hays (I), Candace Pratt (I) and James Russell.
■ Port Angeles School Board — Joshua Jones, Gene Erickson, Lonnie Linn (I), Rick Marti, Jerusha Henson and Susan Shotthafer.
■ Crescent School Board — Trisha Haggerty (I) and Susan Hopper (I).
■ Sequim School Board — Robin Henrikson, Willard Naslund, Rebecca Bratsman, Heather Jeffers (I), Jim Stoffer, Charla Wright, Heather Short, William Payne and Charles Meyer.
■ Cape Flattery School Board — Gregory Colfax (I), Donald R. Baker (I) and Tracey Rascon (I).
■ Quillayute Valley School Board — Bill Rohde (I), Mike Reaves and Kathy Lawley.
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 1 — James Lew McGill (I) and Lowell P. McQuoid (I).
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 2 — David R. Whitney (I).
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 3 — G. Michael Gawley (I), Sean Ryan and Alan W. Slind.
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 4 — Donna Kay Buck (I).
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 5 — Glen McDaniel (I).
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 6 — Scott Horton (I) and Tom Rosmond.
■ Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center board — Melinda Griffith (I), Bill Jeffers, Gill R. Goodman (I), Virginia Johnson, Jan L. Richardson (I) and Anne Olson.
■ Quillayute Park and Recreation District board — David Gedlund, Nedra Reed (I) and Gordon Gibbs (I).
■ Black Diamond Water District board — Sarah Martinez.
■ SunLand Water District board — Albert Friess (I).
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb contributed to this report.
