PORT ANGELES — Voters in the Port Angeles School District overwhelmingly voted for experience in education or parent input during the general election with Sarah Methner and Mary Hebert winning in their respective seats on the Port Angeles School Board.
Throughout their campaigns, the school board candidates largely agreed on the topics brought forward for discussion, from the district’s handling of the pandemic to school safety, critical race theory, sex education and vaccine mandates.
Incumbent Methner faced off against newcomer Lola Moses for Position 1.
Methner has served on the board for more than 12 years and earned 4,126 out of 7,333 votes, equaling 56 percent of the vote, while Moses earned 3,153 votes, or 43 percent.
“I am quite happy to be re-elected. I am not quite done with the work I set out to do 12 years ago and am excited to continue,” Methner said.
“This election was a very kind and good example of how elections should go. Lola was a great opponent, and I hope she runs again in the future and continues with the work she had been doing.”
Moses is a member of the Lower Elwha Tribe who has worked within the school district as an education disabilities manager and athletics coach.
Hebert, who has spent her career in education in Port Angeles, faced off against Gabi Johnson, a district parent for Position 2 on PASD.
Hebert earned 4,375 out of 7,498 votes, or just more than 58 percent of the vote, while Johnson earned 3,096, or 41.3 percent.
Johnson, an accounting manager by trade, expressed disappointment in the result and believes there is a need for parent representation on the board.
“I think now, more than ever, we need to have parent representation on the board,” Johnson said. “It’s a bummer, but I will still be around.”
Moses and Hebert did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
