PORT TOWNSEND — One Port Townsend City Council candidate appeared to be eliminated in initial returns in Tuesday’s primary election, setting the stage for a council that will contain two members under the age of 40.
In a three-way race among Paul Rice, 33, Amy Smith, 33, and Todd Wexman, 77, Smith and Rice were the leaders Election Night in the top-two primary.
If their leads hold as more ballots are counted later this week — there is only a 77-vote margin between Rice and Wexman — they will face off in the Nov. 4 general election.
The candidates are running for the Position 6 seat now held by Mayor David King, who is not running for re-election.
The present City Council has no member younger than 45, while four of the seven members are over age 60.
Another council race that will be decided in November, for Position 7, has two candidates in their 30s.
Two races on the Jefferson County ballot are in districts that are largely in Clallam County but also extend into Gardiner in Jefferson County.
Heather Short and William Payne won the most votes in Tuesday’s returns for Position 5 on the Sequim School Board, while Charles Meyer was in third place.
Another race, for Position 1 on the board, had four names on the primary ballot but two withdrew, leaving only an appointee and a challenger to compete in November.
Michael Gawley and Sean Ryan are apparently the two candidates voters will choose between for the Clallam County Fire District 3, commissioner 1 seat. Alan Slind was in third place Tuesday night.
Council candidates
Both Rice and Smith have downtown Port Townsend business experience.
Rice owned and operated Middletown Dreams, colloquially known as the Pinbar, for three years before closing it in June, while Smith is executive director of the Boiler Room, an all-ages cafe and resource center.
Wexman, a retired architect, often comments on planning and budget issues at City Council meetings.
He said he filed for Position 6 because it hosts the current mayor and as a reference to his serving as mayor of Earlville, Ill., in the 1980s and ’90s.
The mayor is chosen by the elected City Council.
Voter turnout
On Tuesday night, the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office counted 2,304 out of the 7,542 ballots mailed to registered voters for a voter turnout of 30.52 percent.
Betty Johnson, elections coordinator, said 17 ballots are challenged but that otherwise all on hand were counted Tuesday.
She expects about 250 more to arrive this week; the next vote count will be at about noon Friday.
Other council seats
Three other city council seats are at stake this year, although only one, Position 7, is contested.
In that race, attorney David Faber, 32, is opposed by Port of Port Townsend employee Travis Keena, 38, to succeed Deputy Mayor Kris Nelson, who is not running for re-election.
Two incumbents are unopposed in their bid for a second term: Bob Gray, 67, and Deborah Stinson, 59.
Gray initially drew opposition from Toby McEnerney, who withdrew the week after filing in order to spend more time with her young son.
Along with leaving the City Council, King sold his business and plans a full retirement.
Nelson, who now owns three restaurants in Port Townsend, is leaving the council to focus on the businesses.
Nelson, who was appointed to the council and then elected unopposed in her own right, made her preferences known about the future council, endorsing
Faber as her successor the same day she announced her retirement.
In May she lobbied Smith to run against Rice, saying she respected Rice and his abilities but didn’t think he was ready to serve on the council.
The four-year term begins in January 2016 and ends in January 2020.
Council members are compensated $500 a month while the mayor receives $750.
The mayor will be elected by the members of the council at the first meeting of the new year.
Of those on the council, Catharine Robinson and Michelle Sandoval have already served as mayor while Gray, Stinson and Pamela Adams have not.
Sandoval and Robinson, who were first elected in 2001 and Adams, first elected in 2013, are all up for re-election in 2017.
July forum
The three Position 6 candidates met only once in a July 8 forum at the Port Townsend Community Center that drew about 1,000 people.
This helped define the differences between the candidates, attendees said at the time.
In response to a question about dealing with conflicting ideas, Rice and Smith both said they would listen to everyone.
“I will never be unavailable to anyone no matter how much I disagree with them and would never put myself in a position where I could not be in the same room with someone and discuss our differences,” Rice said.
Smith said it is important to listen carefully.
“Sometimes, the words that someone is telling you don’t represent what they are trying to say,” she said.
“In many cases, you need to look underneath the words they are saying to understand what they mean.”
In his response, Wexman said he can become impatient with others who don’t listen to him.
“I can come into a situation with a good idea. I have lots of good ideas because I have lots of experience,” he said.
He told of making a presentation to which his audience was unresponsive.
“When I have an experience like this and nobody cares, I get mad, and I think deservedly so,” he said.
Ballots for the general election will be sent to voters on Oct. 14.
In that election there are two contested races on the Jefferson Healthcare board. Incumbents Chuck Russell and Mari Dressler are respectively challenged by Kees Kolff and Paul Stafford.
Incumbent Port of Port Townsend Commissioner Steve Tucker is challenged by Diane Talley.
Sequim School Board
The Position 5 seat on the Sequim School Board is now held by Walter Johnson, who is not seeking re-election.
Ballots were mailed to 21,996 Clallam County voters and to 287 Jefferson County voters.
Payne, 58, was appointed Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney and ran unsuccessfully for the spot in 2014.
He also lost the race for Clallam County Superior Court judge in 2012.
Short, 38, is a veterinarian and the owner of Sequim Animal Hospital. This is her first run for public office.
Meyer, 64, who has never before never run for public office, is the retired chief of an organization within the National Security Agency.
The four-year term has a maximum annual compensation of $4,800.
Although four names were on the primary ballot for Position 1 on the Sequim School Board, two withdrew, leaving only an appointee and a challenger.
Heather Jeffers was named to the position in August 2014 to fill the unexpired term of Sarah Bedinger, who resigned in June that year.
Robin Henrikson will run against her in the general election.
Fire District 3
Clallam County Fire District 3 covers the area east of Deer Park Road to Gardiner in Jefferson County.
Ballots were mailed to 23,702 Clallam County voters and to 344 Jefferson County voters.
Michael Gawley, 72, of Sequim, has served in the post since February 2014 and has volunteered with the district since 2005.
He is retired from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Sean Ryan, 53, of Port Angeles, ran for this office unsuccessfully against James Barnfather in 2013. He has been a district volunteer for eight years and is a business owner.
Alan W. Slind, 76, of Port Angeles, is a retired chief financial officer. This is his first try at public office.
The term is for six years. The maximum annual compensation is $10,944.
