A handful of primary races were decided in Tuesday night’s election results across Clallam and Jefferson counties.
In Clallam County races, Penney Sanders and Laurie Force advanced to November’s general election for Olympic Medical Center commissioner, position 7. Sanders was the leading vote-getter with 5,023 votes (55.3 percent), while Force had 2,917 votes (32.1 percent). A third challenger, Mic Sager, had 1,050 votes (11.6 percent).
“I’m grateful,” Force said. “I decided to run because of the issues that are facing the board and my concerns over the hospital and the future of the hospital. My campaign has been very brief so far, and I’m very grateful that I made it this far. I’ll continue reaching out to the public.”
For Port Angeles City Council, incumbent LaTrisha Suggs and challenger James Taylor will face off in November for Position 1 as Suggs totaled 961 votes (50.3 percent) and Taylor had 607 votes (37.8 percent).
Gilbert Hall, a third candidate in the race, had 335 votes (17.5 percent).
“I think I’m in a good position,” Taylor said. “I really noticed that, for as little as I campaigned, I got a lot more support than I thought.”
He said he was disappointed with the overall voter turnout of 18.6 percent. Clallam County counted 10,104 total votes out of 54,276 registered voters on Tuesday night, according to the auditor’s office.
Meanwhile, incumbent Kate Dexter, the council-elected mayor, and Marolee “Mimi” Smith Dvorak will vie for the council’s Position 4. Dexter garnered 1,135 votes (59.5 percent) and Dvorak had 528 votes (27.7 percent). A third candidate, Ralph Davisson, had 232 votes (12.2 percent).
“I found it odd that 82 percent of the people who registered didn’t vote, but it’s fine,” Smith Dvorak said. “I have no problem being up against Kate in the November election.”
She said she plans to focus on the budget and the way the city spends.
“The city can’t just keep taxing and spending because it’s killing us,” she said.
For Port Angeles School District, incumbent Sarah Methner and Ned Hammar will advance out of four candidates to the November general election. Methner had 1,440 votes (44.7 percent) and Hammar had 1,043 votes (32.3 percent). The other two candidates were Kim Butler (395 votes, 12.3 percent) and Ruth Replogle (329 votes, 10.2 percent).
“Obviously I’m quite happy with the results,” Methner said. “I’m looking forward to the general.”
She said she plans to continue doing what she’s been doing for the school board and that her main priorities are getting new schools built and an upcoming cellphone policy for the middle and high schools.
“I’d love to thank everybody for their confidence in me, and I will keep doing the work,” Methner said.
Hammer dropped out of the race before the primary but after the point he could remove his name from the ballot.
“I did my best to let people know through social media channels that I was stepping down from the race,” Hammer said. “I’m aware that I came in a strong second, and all the reasons for which I decided to run are still valid. My focus needs to be on my family, so I’m still standing by my decision to not run for this race even though the system doesn’t allow me to remove my name from the ballot.”
In Jefferson County, Fred Obee and Dylan Quarles advanced to the November general election for Port Townsend City Council, Position 1. Obee had 2,049 votes (72.5 percent) and Quarles had 650 votes (23 percent). A third candidate, Mikki Porter, had 127 votes (4.5 percent).
Obee said he was very pleased with the results.
“I’m feeling pretty good about that,” Obee said. “Housing is going to be a big issue, the city budget will be a concern, and obviously our aging infrastructure. Those are the key issues as we get into the general.”
He said he’s looking forward to the election this fall.
“I’m really positive that I made it through,” Quarles said. “Now that the results are in and I’ve made it through the primary, I can continue to campaign on the issues that originally got me into the race and can do so knowing that I’m moving into the general election.”
Jefferson County counted 2,978 votes out of 9,410 registered voters on Tuesday night, according to the auditor’s office. The voter turnout was 31.7 percent.
“I know that midterms like these are usually fairly low turnout,” Quarles said.
The election will be certified on Aug. 19.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
