The initial results from Clallam County’s General Election ballots show a trio of Port Angeles-area measures— two pertaining to schools, a third to Fire District 2 — showed passing marks, as did Steve Tharinger in a bid to keep his state representative seat and Mike Chapman’s effort to claim a state senate position.
Here’s a look at local and statewide races, following initial 2024 General Election results from the Clallam County elections office:
Clallam County commissioner, District 2
Incumbent Randy Johnson was defeating challenger Kate Dexter for the District 2 seat on the Clallam County board of commissioners in initial returns Tuesday night.
Johnson, an Independent, received 55 percent (18,047 votes), while Dexter, a Democrat, had 44.8 percent (14,690).
Johnson, 81, currently is serving his second term on the commission.
Dexter, 51, has served on the Port Angeles City Council since 2018 and is currently the mayor.
24th Legislative District
Incumbent Steve Tharinger and newcomer Adam Bernbaum were leading in their respective bids for a state representative seat in the 24th Legislative District, and veteran legislator Mike Chapman was leading in his race for state Senate following initial returns Tuesday night.
Tharinger, a Democrat, had 56.9 percent of the vote (37,993 votes) compared with challenger Terry Roberts, a Republican, who had 43.02 percent (28,728 votes).
Bernbaum, a Democrat, had 56.3 percent (37,568 votes) while Matthew Roberson, a Republican, had 43.6 percent (29,055 votes).
Chapman, a Democrat, had 56.4 percent (37,733 votes) and Marcia Kelbon, a Republican, had 43.5 percent (29,106 votes).
Tharinger, 75, of Port Townsend has served in the state House of Representatives since 2012. He won 53.8 percent of the vote in Clallam County (18,265 votes) while Roberts, 64, of Quilcene had 46 percent (15,660). In Jefferson County, Tharinger won 74 percent of the vote (11,882 votes) and Roberts had 26 percent (4,167 votes).
Bernbaum, 32, of Port Angeles won 53 percent of the Clallam County vote (17,942 votes) while Roberson, 38, of Port Angeles had 47 percent (15,910 votes). In Jefferson County, Bernbaum led at 74 percent (11,860 votes) to Roberson’s 26 percent (4,167 votes).
Chapman, 61, of Port Angeles, who has served as a state representative from the district since 2017, had 53.5 percent of the Clallam County vote (18,234 votes) while Kelbon, 65, of Quilcene had 46.4 percent (15,818 votes). In Jefferson County, Chapman had 72.4 percent (11,617 votes) and Kelbon had 27.5 percent (4,415 votes).
6th Congressional District
Emily Randall won the 6th Congressional District seat over Drew MacEwen following initial results Tuesday night.
Randall, a Democrat, recorded 57.3 percent of the vote throughout the district (167,827 votes) while MacEwen had 42.6 percent.
Randall, 39, of Bremerton will take over for U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, who chose not to run for reelection.
In Clallam County, Randall won 53.1 percent (18,085 votes) while MacEwen, a 51-year-old Republican from Shelton, had 46.8 percent (15,952 votes).
Jefferson County votes favored Randall at a 73.9 percent rate (11,974 votes) while MacEwen had 26 percent (4,205 votes).
MacEwen was favored in Grays Harbor County at 53.6 percent (13,244 votes) and Mason County at 55.3 percent (15,765 votes).
The 6th Congressional District covers the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas as well as part of Grays Harbor, Mason and Pierce counties.
Clallam County PUD commissioner
Phyllis Bernard was leading Ken Simpson for the District 3 seat on the Clallam Public Utility District’s board following initial results Tuesday night.
Bernard, who was appointed to the seat in April, had 52.7 percent of the vote (11,994 votes) while Simpson had 47 percent (10,694 votes).
Bernard, 70, also serves as an Olympic Medical Center Hospital District commissioner-at-large.
Simpson, 59, is the president of Angeles Electric.
John Purvis is running unopposed for District 2.
Clallam County charter review
The top five candidates have emerged in each of the three commissioner districts in the race for 15 total Clallam County Charter Review seats.
Clallam is one of the seven counties in Washington state to have its own home rule charter — similar to a constitution for the county government — and voters elect 15 people to sit on a Charter Review Commission which will vet the document starting next year.
In Commissioner District 1 (east Clallam County), leading vote recipients include former judge Susan Fisch (6,590 votes, 14.6 percent) former Clallam County Sheriff Bill Benedict (6,218 votes, 13.8 percent), former Sequim School Board director Jim Stoffer (6,002 votes, 13.3 percent), Clallam County Watchdog founder Jeff Tozzer (4,987 votes, 11 percent) and Sequim Planning Commissioner Alex Fane (4,539 votes, 10.1 percent).
In Commissioner District 2 (Port Angeles), the top five vote recipients include former Clallam County undersheriff Ron Cameron (4,721 votes, 12.4 percent), two-term Charter Review commissioner Patti Morris (4,116 votes, 10.8 percent), Chris Noble (3,627 votes, 9.5 percent), Paul J. Pickett (3,285 votes, 8.6 percent), and former county commissioner Ron Richards (3,167 votes, 8.3 percent).
In Commissioner District 3 (west Port Angeles and West End), the top five charter review vote-getters were Forks city attorney-planner/Charter Review commissioner Rod Fleck (4,131 votes, 15.7 percent), Mark Hodgson (3,164 votes, 12 percent), Karen O’Donnell (2,827 votes, 10.7 percent), Christy Holy (2,809 votes, 10.7 percent) and Cathy Walde (2,641 votes, 10 percent), with just three more votes than Nina Sarmiento (2,638 votes, 10 percent).
Clallam Fire District 2
The Clallam County Fire District 2 measure to lift the lid on its levy collection was passing Tuesday night in initial ballot returns.
More than 58.6 percent of voters (2,481 votes) were approving the measure while 41.3 percent (1,747 votes) were rejecting it.
A simple majority is required to pass.
The district is aiming to increase its current levy of 96 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to the maximum rate of $1.50 per $1,000, a 54-cent increase that would be a 56 percent hike.
The owner of a $300,000 home within the fire district would see their property taxes increase from $288 to $450 annually.
The levy pays for fire suppression and emergency medical services and accounts for about half of the district’s $2.4 million budget.
In the August primary election, voters rejected the district’s levy lid lift, 56 percent to 47 percent.
The fire district covers 85 square miles from East Beach Road at Lake Crescent east to Deer Park Road, excluding the city of Port Angeles.
Port Angeles schools
The Port Angeles School District’s two propositions — a replacement educational programs and operations (EP&O) levy and a $140 million bond to replace schools — both appeared to be passing after initial returns Tuesday night.
The EP&O levy, which needs a simple majority to pass, received 59.7 percent of the vote (7,495 votes) to 40.3 percent against (5,050 votes).
The bond, which would fund the replacement of Port Angeles High School and Franklin Elementary, was passing with 61.8 percent of the vote (7,735 votes) and 38.3 percent rejected (4,791 votes). It has a much closer margin as it requires a 60 percent supermajority to pass.
The four-year, $34.7 million EP&O levy would replace the levy voters approved in 2020 and expires in 2025. It would pay for programs, services and staff not fully funded by the state at a rate of $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The 20-year bond would replace a capital levy approved by voters in 2020 that funded safety vestibules in district schools and construction of a new Stevens Middle School that will start next summer. It would have a rate of $1.30 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Jefferson County commissioner
Heather Dudley-Nollette won the District 1 seat on the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners following initial returns Tuesday night.
Dudley-Nollette, a Democrat, had 75.1 percent of the vote (10,656 votes) while her opponent, Ben Thomas, also a Democrat, garnered 23.5 percent (3,335 votes).
Dudley-Nollette, 53, is the deputy executive director of Bayside Housing & Services. She will take over for Kate Dean, a Democrat who chose not to run for reelection.
Thomas, 53, is a current member of the Port Townsend City Council.
State initiatives
Three of the four statewide initiatives were failing in initial results Tuesday night.
I-2109, which sought to eliminate the capital gains tax, was failing by a 63.2 percent margin statewide. Clallam County voters rejected it at 63.4 percent while Jefferson County voters said no at a 77.1 percent rate.
I-2117, which sought to repeal the Climate Commitment Act, was failing at 61.7 percent statewide. Clallam County said no at a 59.5 percent rate, and Jefferson County said no at 76.4 percent.
I-2124, which would make a long-term health insurance paycheck deduction optional, was failing statewide at 55.5 percent. Clallam County voters rejected it at 58.8 percent, and Jefferson County voters said no at a 73.8 percent rate.
Of the four initiatives, only I-2066, which would protect natural gas as an energy source, was passing. It had a narrow margin of 51.2 percent yes to 48.8 percent no. Clallam County voters were rejecting the measure at 52.1 percent, and Jefferson County voters were rejecting it at 67.1 percent.
