PORT ANGELES — Fifteen candidates emerged as charter review commissioners out of a 32-candidate race across three districts.
However, with an estimated 12,000 ballots left to count and many narrow margins, results may change.
As of Tuesday night, the charter review commissioners for District 1 are: Susan Fisch (14.59 percent), Bill Benedict (13.77 percent), Jim Stoffer (13.29 percent), Jeff Tozzer (11.04 percent) and Alex Fane (10.05 percent).
The commissioners for District 2 are: Ron Cameron (12.39 percent), Patti Morris (10.8 percent), Chris Noble (9.52 percent), Paul Pickett (8.62 percent) and Ron Richards (8.31 percent).
The commissioners for District 3 are: Rod Fleck (15.7 percent), Mark Hodgson (12.02 percent), Christy Holy (10.67), Cathy Walde (10.03 percent) and Nina Sarmiento (10.02 percent).
Karen O’Donnell, who was listed on District 3 ballots, garnered 10.74 percent of the vote but will not be a commissioner as she withdrew from the race earlier this year, according to the Peninsula Daily News voters’ guide. She did not notify the county in time to have her name removed from the ballot.
The charter, which is essentially a county-level constitution, governs how Clallam County operates.
The charter is reviewed every five years, per a 2015 citizen vote, by a freshly elected 15-member Charter Review Commission (CRC). The CRC’s main task is to propose charter amendments and file them with the county auditor. Those proposals then appear on the next general election ballot that occurs at least 90 days after the proposed amendments are filed.
The CRC can also recommend changes to the three-person board of county commissioners. Any charter recommendations would also appear on a ballot.
Topics likely to be covered by the CRC include expanding the county commissioners board from three commissioners to five and creating a separate coroner’s office from the elected prosecuting attorney, a plan that is already underway.
