A Sequim schools construction bond that would have added a new elementary school, high school band, choir and science classrooms, an expansion at Greywolf Elementary and modernization of a district kitchen is falling short.
The first count of ballots in the Nov. 3 general election show a $49.3 million Sequim schools construction bond isn’t passing, with 4,291 yes votes (57 percent) to 3,205 no votes (43 percent). The bond proposal needs a 60-percent super majority to pass.
“We’re hopeful. We still have all of today’s (Tuesday) vote,” Colleen Robinson, president of Citizens for Sequim Schools, said. “I want to thank the voters, the Citizens for Sequim Schools team and the school district.”
The next ballot count is set for Friday, Nov. 6, when nearly 4,000 more ballots will be counted, election officials said Tuesday.
“We’re feeling pretty good right now,” Brandino Gibson, vice president for Citizens for Sequim Schools, said. “We know a lot of ballots came in late today so hopefully those reflect positively on Friday.”
If it fails, it will be the third time a school bond proposal has failed in Sequim in the past two years. In April 2014, voters defeated a $154 million bond proposal by a 56-44 percent margin. A trimmed down version put to a vote in February 2015 of $49.5 million received more than 57 percent yes votes, falling short of the “super majority” figure.
“I have a lot of hope,” Gary Neal, Sequim School District superintendent, said. “The large majority of this community supports this bond and bettering our school’s infrastructure so hopefully that support continues — there is no finish line.”
The project includes: $29 million for a new elementary school, $9.2 million for science classrooms and band/choir rooms at Sequim High, $2.1 million to modernize the district’s base kitchen, $7.2 for four new classrooms and a gymnasium at Greywolf Elementary, $1.9 million in renovations to Helen Haller Elementary School to house Olympic Peninsula Academy students, $1.7 million for reconfiguring science classrooms to general education rooms at Sequim High, about $830,000 to reconfigure part of the Sequim Community School into a warehouse and maintenance facility, and about $660,000 to demolish a portion of the unused community school.
Challenger leads commissioner race
With nearly 54 percent of the votes tallied Tuesday evening, Democratic challenger Mark Ozias looks to have unseated incumbent Republican Jim McEntire for District 1 Clallam County Commissioner.
Ozias, the executive director of the Sequim Food Bank, said he was thrilled.
“The initial results are very positive,” Ozias said. ”After the primary’s second round of ballots came in, they tended to be in my favor, so I’m feeling very optimistic again tonight.”
Ozias received endorsements during the campaign from Democrats of Clallam County, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, North Olympic Sierra Club, Teamsters Local 589 and current Clallam County Commissioner Mike Chapman.
McEntire, a retired Coast Guard captain and a former Port of Port Angeles commissioner, initially won the county commissioner seat in 2011, defeating challenger Linda Barnfather to replace Steve Tharinger. (Tharinger left the position to focus on his job as member of the state House of Representatives for the 24th Legislative District.)
During his 2015 campaign, McEntire received endorsements from the Washington State Farm Bureau, the Sequim Association of Realtors, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Port of Seattle commissioner and candidate for governor Bill Bryant.
In other local races, Candace Pratt has a big lead in her bid to retain her Sequim City Council seat while John Miller and Pam Leonard-Ray lead in other city council races with comfortable leads of plus 56 percent.
In the Sequim School Board races, newcomer Robin Henrikson leads Heather Jeffers with 56 percent of ballots cast. Running mates Jim Stoffer and Heather Short also lead.
William Jeffers has a large lead in his bid to unseat incumbent Gil Goodman in the lone contested SARC board of commissioners race.
Incumbent G. Michael Gawley holds a big lead (58.5 percent) over challenger Sean Ryan for Fire District 3 commissioner.
See full election results here.
