PORT TOWNSEND — David W. Sullivan and Tim N. Thomas appear to be headed for a November general election contest for the Jefferson County commissioner District 2 seat after the first votes in the top-two primary were counted tonight.
Sullivan, the Democratic incumbent seeking a third four-year term, led with 1,519 votes, or 53 percent, while Thomas, a Republican, won 996 votes, or 34.75 percent.
Dan Youra, also a Republican, earned 351 votes, or 12.25 percent.
Once all ballots in the all-mail race are counted, the top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 6 general election, when all of the county’s registered voters will vote in the race.
“I feel good about my results,” said Sullivan, 60, of Port Townsend.
“I’ve actually done better than in previous primaries.”
Noting that “we have 90 days to get out the issues,” Sullivan said, “I think that it’s going to boil down to how prepared the candidates are to do the job.
“The job takes a lot, the issues change from day to day and it’s all about building relationships, not only in the county but in the region,” he said.
Thomas, 41, of Irondale — who drew about 120 people at his victory party at the Highway 20 Roadhouse — said he was “extremely happy and humbled by the support that the voters have shown for me.
“We are savoring this victory knowing that tomorrow we will be back at work in order to be victorious in November,” Thomas said in a prepared statement.
Thomas, who is president of Bernt Ericsen Excavating Inc., of Port Townsend said that during his campaign, “I will be emphasizing my successful business background, including being a customer of the county bureaucracy as a basis for representing all of the people of Jefferson County as their county commissioner.”
Youra said he planned to “have a conversation” with Thomas.
“The most important thing is to defeat David Sullivan,” Youra said.
“I am surprised that he did better than he did four years ago.”
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office had received by tonight 3,046 ballots out of 7,168 issued in the Commissioner District 2 race, for a voter turnout so far of 42.49 percent.
In the Jefferson County commissioner District 1 race, Phil Johnson scored a hefty lead over Geoff Masci with 2,142 votes, or 71.38 percent, to Masci’s 859 votes, or 28.62 percent. Since there were only two candidates, both will advance to the general election.
In that race, 7,449 ballots were issued and 3,219, or 43.21 percent, were returned.
District 2 includes Cape George, Kala Point, Nordland, Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Irondale and Four Corners.
Youra, 64, of Port Hadlock, had challenged Thomas’ residency, saying that Thomas did not live within the district at the time of filing and that his candidacy should be disqualified.
Thomas said that he had changed his residence from District 1, which includes Port Townsend, to District 2 to challenge Sullivan and was using a property he owned on Holly Lane as his residence.
When he attempted to register that address, he was told that it now fell within the District 1 boundaries, so he rented a property at 140 Swaney St. in Irondale, intending to establish it as his new residence.
Youra’s challenge was denied three times, twice by Auditor Donna Eldridge and a third time in Superior Court when Judge Craddock Verser ruled that Thomas’ actions were in accord with the law.
Youra owns Youra Media, a publishing company.
Thomas said he was running for the office in order to create a more hospitable business environment.
Ron Gregory, chairman of the Jefferson County Republican Party, appeared to be defeated in his bid for another term as a precinct committee officer — or PCO — by Paul Moseley, a Port Ludlow real estate investor.
Party bylaws require the chair to be an elected PCO.
Tuesday’s tally in that race was 114 votes, or 54.55 percent, for Mosely and 95 votes, or 45.55 percent, for Gregory.
Countywide, ballots were issued to 21,886 registered voters across Jefferson County, with 9,370 ballots returned, for a 42.81 percent voter turnout so far.
The Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 9,370 votes tonight.
Auditor Donna Eldridge said that her office had about 1,200 ballots in hand that were not counted, and she expected another 200 ballots to come in this week.
She predicted a 54 percent turnout once all ballots are received.
The next ballot count is scheduled for Friday at about noon.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
