As the Nov. 24 certification date draws near for the General Election, most races and amendments remain set while supporters of the $49.3 million Sequim school construction bond say they remain “cautiously optimistic” for the final say.

The bond remains at 59.55 approval with 7,139 yes votes, still short of the 60 percent “super majority” as of Tuesday, Nov. 10.

“It’s still too close to call,” said Colleen Robinson, chairman of the Citizens for Sequim Schools. “We’ll know on the 24th.”

She and vice chairman Brandino Gibson said they are contacting voters whose ballots were rejected for not having a signature or not having a matching signature.

“We are being proactive that those people get their requirements taken care of,” Gibson said.

Robinson said her position is that Enumclaw School District’s bond won by four votes in May on the special election’s certification day.

“We’re behind right now, so we can’t be behind worse,” Gibson said. “We can only pull it out.”

The General Election’s certification on Tuesday, Nov. 24, marks final ballot count.

Countywide about 250 ballots haven’t been counted because of either no signature or signatures needing updated, said Ken Hugoniot, Clallam County election supervisor. About 120 of the uncounted ballots are from the Sequim School District. A portion of the uncounted ballots will be tallied, but the amount depends on the number of signatures and/or signature updates returned to county officials by Monday, Nov. 23.

Another 32 ballots have been set aside for the Canvassing Board to determine whether to count the vote based on their ability to tell the voter’s intent. Despite the instructions provided, confusion can occur when a voter tries to correct a mistake or make a change on their ballot, Hugoniot said.

The Canvassing Board will meet the day before the election is certified to evaluate the 32 unclear ballots.

New county commissioner

Though it’s not set in stone either, 53.2 percent of the vote is leaning in District 1 Clallam County Commissioner candidate Mark Ozias’s favor.

In preparing to take the seat of his incumbent Jim McEntire, Ozias isn’t moving forward with an “agenda,” but instead he’s taking time to continue to learn about the position, county processes and areas he’d like to address.

“My first priority is continuing to educate myself,” he said. “In general, I am focused on next year’s budget. I think we have some real challenges for long-term sustainability.”

Although the county’s 2016 final budget has yet to be adopted, Ozias is following the budget process carefully and contributing his thoughts when possible — noting two areas of concern.

“Sales tax revenue projections for next year’s budget look pretty ‘rosy’ to me,” Ozias said.

Additionally, Ozias is unsettled by the amount of county reserves being spent down, as the county relies on its reserves for future, longterm planning and unexpected circumstances or emergencies.

Taking a closer look at public health within the county is another priority Ozias has actively identified.

For example, Ozias said, “There’s a lot of concern with both heroin addiction and homelessness.”

“I want to try to shine a brighter light on the subject of community health,” he said. “Not to say that’s not already happening, but I think there are ways we can improve.”

Ozias would like to better support the individuals, county and community organizations working to address such public health concerns, as well as further explore the root causes of the problems.

Fostering community engagement is consistent with Ozias’s campaign, where he often mentioned his desire to actively engage and/or re-engage stakeholders and residents with local government.

“I think there are many reasons why the vote turned out the way it did,” Ozias said.

Another concept Ozias often talked about throughout his campaign, and one that residents tended to “respond positively” to is his belief in proactive planning for a future that is most likely, he said.

In forecasting the fate of his seat on the Board of Clallam County Commissioners, McEntire sent out a statement on Nov. 6.

“As a courtesy to my supporters and in hopes that the vote totals would eventually spell a return to office, I awaited this afternoon’s (Friday, Nov. 6) vote count,” McEntire wrote in his statement. “It appears that my hopes for the voters returning me to office are unfulfilled.”

McEntire congratulated Ozias and offered to assist him in any way as he prepares to take on the role of Clallam County District 1 Commissioner.

Amendments

Of eight amendments proposed by the Clallam County Charter Review Board, seven seem set to pass except Amendment No. 6, which would delegate hiring and firing of the director of Community Development to county commissioners.

Ted Miller, a member of the Charter Review Board, said he was “delighted” seven of eight amendments passed.

He advocated for passing amendment No. 1 where the county’s three districts would only vote for their Clallam County commissioner as opposed to the whole county.

Miller said in the past 10-20 years, commissioners predominately have served the Port Angeles area.

“All of the money is being spent in the greater Port Angeles area,” Miller said. “They should get the lion’s share but not all of it. Commissioners from their districts should focus on the West End and East End and try to get what’s best for the whole county and not the whole of Port Angeles.”

Alana Linderoth and Matthew Nash contributed to this report.