PORT TOWNSEND — As the filing deadline approaches for this year’s election, there are few announced candidates — the most recent possibility being Paul Richmond, who said he probably will run for Port Townsend City Council — and no contested races.
But that is likely to change.
“Many candidates wait until the very last minute to file,” said Jefferson County Election Coordinator Karen Cartmel.
With four seats on the Port Townsend City Council, three on the Port Townsend School Board and one Port of Port Townsend commissioner seat open, only one person — City Councilman David King — has said he is a candidate.
Two other council members, Kris Nelson and Deputy Mayor George Randels, have said they are leaning toward running again, while Councilwoman Laurie Medlicott said in April that she would not seek a third term.
On Tuesday, Richmond, a Port Townsend attorney who lost his bid to become Jefferson County’s prosecuting attorney in 2010, said he would most likely file his candidacy for Medlicott’s seat.
“I am probably going to file,” he said.
“I will do well on the council because I know the law, and I am very knowledgeable about financial matters.”
Contested races for the City Council are the exception rather than the rule, with only one candidate for each council seat running in 2009 and one of four races contested in 2007.
If the current field holds and King, Randels, Nelson and Richmond file for the office, then all four would serve on the next council unless a write-in candidate received more votes.
The candidate filing period will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day from June 6 to 10 at the Auditor’s Office in the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
Jefferson County Commissioner David Sullivan, who is up for re-election in 2012, said candidates should announce their intention to run or retire as soon as possible to give others a chance to run for the seat.
But running for county commissioner differs from an election for City Council and the school board, for which waiting until the last minute is standard practice.
At least one person mulling running for office said he is waiting to announce because candidates must file financial disclosure forms within two weeks of the announcement, and the form differs as to how much the candidate intends to spend.
If a candidate plans to spend $5,000 or more, which is usually the case for a commissioner’s race, one form is required, and another if less is projected.
Steve Tucker, who is contemplating a run for the open Port of Port Townsend seat to be vacated by the retiring John Collins, said he intends to wait until two weeks before the filing deadline before announcing his plans.
“That way, I won’t have to file my financial statement until after filing has closed,” he said.
“If I have someone running against me, I will need to spend more money.”
If more than two candidates file for a seat, they will all appear on the Aug. 16 primary ballot with the top two vote-getters facing off in the Nov. 8 general election.
If there are only two candidates for a seat, they will skip the primary and face each other in the general election.
If only one person files for an office, he or she will be elected by acclamation.
If no one files for an office, the auditor will hold a special filing period from June 15 to June 17.
If there are still no candidates, the reconvened board can appoint a replacement for the vacant seat.
Even so, observers expect at least one candidate to file for each open seat for the fall’s City Council, school board and port contests.
“Sometimes, there are offices where no one files, but that has never happened with a City Council race,” Cartmel said.
“I’ve been here 10 years and have never seen an election when nobody runs,” said Roseanne Butler, secretary to Port Townsend Schools Superintendent Gene Laes.
Butler said “several people have called asking for details about running” in the past few weeks.
The lack of visible candidates may be attributable to more than a desire to scope out the competition before deciding which financial form to file, said Medlicott, adding that people have begged off running for office because of the loss of privacy suffered by public officials.
“I’ve asked a lot of people to run, and they have declined,” she said.
“It’s a full-time commitment, and you don’t know how much work it requires until you are in the job.”
School board members and port commissioners are assigned specific districts, so a candidate must live within certain boundaries in order to run for his seat.
Anyone seeking to run for the school board seat being vacated by Beth Young must live in the district she represents.
The City Council has a different process. All the seats are at large.
This has led to what Cartmel said is common in Port Townsend, where candidates decide which position they will seek based on who they are running against.
There is no limit on how many times candidates can switch their preference as long as they pay the $60 filing fee each time.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
