PRIMARY ELECTION: Wennstrom, Vega appear to lead in Port Townsend City Council race

PORT TOWNSEND — Libby Urner Wennstrom and Tyler Myles Vega appear to be headed for the November general election contest for Position 5 on the Port Townsend City Council after the initial count of ballots in Tuesday’s primary election.

Wennstrom had 2,092 votes, or 75.99 percent, to Vega’s 543 votes, or 19.72 percent, and Sky Hardesty-Thompson’s 116 votes, or 4.21 percent, in the initial count.

Hardesty-Thompson is listed by the Independent Advisory Association as being on the list of “our candidates.” He has said he reached out to the IAA for advice but considers himself a “centrist or a populist.”

Lineups could change after the next ballot count in the primary election, which narrows to two the candidates for each position on the Nov. 2 ballot. Only races that drew three or more hopefuls compete in a primary election.

An emergency medical services property tax levy for Jefferson County Fire Protection District 2 was approved Tuesday night with 440 votes or 80.88 percent, and 104 votes, or 19.12 percent, against.

The replacement levy will be 50 cents or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation for a period of an additional six consecutive years to be collected beginning in 2023.

The voter turnout as of Tuesday night was 29.4 percent after 4,722 ballots out of 15,501 provided to voters were counted . The Jefferson County Auditor’s office reported Tuesday it had 782 ballots on hand. The next count will be by 4 p.m. Wednesday.

In the Sequim School Board contest for Position 4, a candidate who had withdrawn won the most votes in initial returns.

Kristi Schmeck — whose name was on the ballot but who had withdrawn — had a narrow lead with 2,568 total votes, or29.13 percent.

The two who appear headed to a November contest are Virginia R. Sheppard — an IAA-supported candidate — with 2,475 total votes, or 28.07 percent, and Rachel Tax with 2,347 total votes , or 26.62 percent.

Derek Huntington had 1,409 total votes. All four were running to replace Brandino Gibson, who is not running for reelection.

The race was on both the Jefferson County and Clallam County ballots.

The counts in Jefferson County were 31 votes, or 32.98 percent, for Tax; 26 votes, or 27.66 percent, for Schmeck, 19 votes, or 20.21 percent for Sheppard and 18 votes, or 19.15 percent, for Huntington.

In the Port Ludlow Fire Protection District commission race for Position 3, Ron Helmonds, with 482 votes, or 36.71 percent, and Glenn T. Clemens, with 470 votes, or 35.8 percent, appeared headed for a November face-off. Mike Feely had 361 votes, or 27.49 percent, in the initial count.

In Fire District 3, Jeff Nicholas, with 5,202 total votes, or 56.41 percent, and Duane Chamlee, with 3,266 total votes, or 35.42 percent, have the lead for the Position 1 seat being vacated by Mike Gawley. Sean Ryan, who has sought a seat on the fire district commission before, had 725 total votes, or 7.86 percent, in the initial count.

The race was on both the Jefferson County and Clallam County ballots.

The counts in Jefferson County were 59 votes or 57.84 percent, for Nicholas; 35 votes, or 34.31 percent, for Chamlee and eight votes, or 7.84 percent, for Ryan.