PORT TOWNSEND — Retired harbormaster Bob Schuessler now leads educator and consultant David Whipple by seven votes in the race to see who will challenge incumbent Dave Thompson for his Port of Port Townsend seat in the November general election.
Leif Erickson remained incumbent Herb Beck’s challenger after a Wednesday morning count of 459 outstanding ballots from Tuesday’s all-mail primary election.
After Tuesday night’s initital count, Whipple was ahead of Schuessler by two votes. After the second count Wednesday, Schuessler had reaped a total of 551 votes, or 25.60 percent, while Whipple had 544 votes, or 25.28 percent.
Machine recount
The next count will be Friday, said Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge, adding that a machine recount is likely before the votes are finalized because the race for the District 2 challenger is so close. No date has been set.
Schuessler, 66, was reluctant Wednesday to claim victory in the primary race.
“I guess there’s nothing to jump up and down or scream about,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
Whipple, 48, expressed disappointment after Wednesday’s count.
“We’ll wait until Friday,” he said.
Primary elections in the races for two port seats were held because three candidates ran for each seat. The top two primary narrows the candidates to the two who will face each other in the Nov. 3 election.
Incumbents on ballot
Both incumbents are assured a place on the November ballot.
Port Commissioner Herb Beck, 71, has received a total of 1,703 votes, or 64.98 percent, in the primary election for the District 3 seat, while Commissioner Dave Thompson, 66, has a total of 1,057 votes, or 49.12 percent, for the District 2 seat.
Beck, who is retired from Kayport Naval Center, owns Little Quil Farm and is an electronic technician. Thompson repairs wooden boats.
Beck’s closest challenge came from Erickson, 58, who is Townsend Bay Marine production manager. Erickson garnered 495 votes, or 18.89 percent.
Douglas Breithaupt, 51 — president of the College Planning Network — received 423 votes, or 16.14 percent, and appeared to be eliminated in the primary race.
Ballots will be canvassed Sept. 3, leaving time for voter auditing and assuring that all votes are tallied correctly, Eldridge said.
Total votes cast in the all-mail election for those living within the port districts is 4,932 out of 14,902 ballots mailed, bringing the voter turnout to 33.10 percent.
No ballots were left to be counted after Wednesday, the auditor’s office said. Friday’s count will be of those that arrive in the mail this week.
Fire levy
The Brinnon Fire District No. 4 levy has passed with 408 votes, or 67.89 percent, in favor, and 193, or 32.11 percent, opposed.
Eldridge said her department is auditing three voter precincts Wednesday and auditing undervotes — ballots returned that were signed but unmarked – this week.
She said 89 chose not to vote in the port race, and that would have to be checked before the vote could be finalized.
“We have eight questionable or no signatures that voters have until the day before we certify,” Sept. 3, to rectify, Eldridge said.
The primary election was limited to the two port districts. The general election vote is countywide.
District 2 includes Cape George, Beckett Point, Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Kala Point, Irondale and Nordland.
District 3 covers Gardiner, Discovery Bay, Eaglemount, Lake Leland, Quilcene, Coyle, Brinnon, Thorndyke, Center, Port Ludlow, Paradise Bay and Queets.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
