PORT ANGELES — Clallam County District Court 1 Judge Rick Porter and soon-to-be Auditor Shoona Riggs are not planning major changes in their respective offices after they are sworn into office Dec. 31 and begin their four-year terms, they said Wednesday.
Porter, 55, of Port Angeles defeated Sequim resident Cathy Marshall, 60, assistant state attorney general, in Tuesday’s general election.
Porter drew 8,890 votes, or 59 percent, to Marshall’s 6,223 votes, or 41 percent.
“The vote would indicate that with an 18-point spread, people out there are pretty happy with what we are doing,” he said.
Riggs, 41, of Port Angeles garnered 8,678 votes, or 59 percent, to Yacklin’s 6,082 votes, or 41 percent, after election night votes were tallied.
Don’t expect changes in Auditor’s Office operations, “not at this time,” Riggs said.
“Everything’s operating pretty smoothly.”
Retiring county Auditor Patty Rosand said Wednesday about 7,000 more ballots will be counted at 4:30 p.m. Friday, far fewer than the 11,000 she had estimated Tuesday.
Ballots received by mail Wednesday were lighter than expected, she explained.
Porter won a fourth term in the District 1 voting area that stretches from Diamond Point to the west end of Lake Crescent.
Porter said Wednesday that while doorbelling for votes at 5,800 homes, he found universal support for his pay-or-appear program, which has been targeted by opponents who have tried to replace him.
“People keep saying they really, really like that program,” he said.
Porter touts it as a revenue-generator that holds fine-payers accountable.
Under pay-or-appear, people pay their fines or appear in court to explain why they haven’t.
Those who don’t appear face arrest on a $150 warrant and incarceration in the Clallam County jail.
“I don’t understand it,” Porter said, noting the fate of opponents who have made the program a campaign lightning rod.
“Every single time, we’ve won by a significant margin.
“Why [election opponents] continue to run against that is beyond me.”
Porter said he is always looking at ways to improve probation services.
Those services include high-risk probation programs that focus on drug court, regular probation violations and high-risk offenders on probation.
“We’re always tweaking that process to make it as efficient as it can be,” Porter said.
Auditor office adjustments
Riggs, currently the county elections supervisor who works under Rosand, said there will be some adjustment as she takes office.
A new elections supervisor will need to be hired.
And new licensing supervisor Sandy Williams, the former Forks licensing subagent who was working in Superior Court and began her new job Monday, is becoming acclimated to her new duties.
“That will be a lot of change right there,” Riggs said.
Riggs said she may try to include 2015 Clallam County election candidates in the voter pamphlet distributed statewide by the Secretary of State’s Office.
The pamphlet distributed in Clallam County would include information targeted solely to Clallam County voters.
“Previously, it was very expensive and cumbersome to do that,” Riggs said.
She said the cost, which would range from about $1,000 to about $5,000 depending on the number of candidates and measures on the ballot, would be spread among the tax districts participating in the election, including the county.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
