PORT TOWNSEND — Deborah Stinson and Jack Range will face each other in the Nov. 8 general election for the Port Townsend City Council seat vacated by Laurie Medlicott.
Stinson took the top number of votes in Tuesday’s first count of primary election ballots, with 1,155 votes, or 48.27 percent, to Range’s 1,018 votes, or 42.54 percent.
“It’s been a good campaign so far, and I look forward to the next few months of discussing the issues that are important to Port Townsend,” said Stinson, 55.
Said Range, 25: “I think I made a good showing. We are separated by about 100 votes.”
Stinson and Range were the only active candidates in the race.
The names of two candidates who had withdrawn were on the ballot because they left the race after the July 17 deadline for formally withdrawing had passed.
Attorney Paul Richmond, who backed out of the race July 19, saying he could not devote the time necessary to a campaign, received 120 votes, or 5.01 percent.
Retired chiropractor Pamela Adams, who withdrew July 21 after she was informed she did not meet residency requirements, received 100 votes, or 4.18 percent.
Both Range and Stinson are making a first bid for elective office.
Range, an investigator for the Public Defender’s Office, said he was happy with the outcome.
“I made a difference, and what I’ve been saying struck a chord with a lot of Port Townsendites.”
Stinson said she looked forward to the next phase of the campaign.
Stinson has been recognized for her work with many environmental and community sustainability efforts on a variety of local service organizations and was a 2011 recipient of the Jefferson County Heart of Service award for outstanding community service.
Medlicott announced in April that she would not seek a third term.
In the City Council race, 2,393 ballots were returned out of 6,846 mailed, or 35 percent.
The total number of ballots counted Tuesday — which included ballots for a Jefferson County Library bond measure — were 9,901, or 45.36 percent, out of 21,827 issued, said Karen Cartmel, chief deputy auditor and elections coordinator.
She said her office had none left on hand but expected to receive some 600 ballots either through the mail or from the Jefferson County Library and Jefferson County Courthouse drop boxes this morning.
The next count of ballots will be at about noon Friday
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
