PORT ANGELES — The five-day candidate filing week began Monday as several incumbents submitted their paperwork to seek re-election, including Port Angeles native and freshman 6th Congressional District Rep. Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor.
Also filing to run for the two-year position held by Kilmer, whose district includes Clallam and Jefferson counties, was W. “Greybeard” McPherson of Port Angeles, who stated no party preference.
Online and in-person filing for 34 positions in Clallam County ends Friday.
If more than two people file for a position, the two will square off in the Aug. 5 primary, ballots for which are mailed to registered voters July 16.
The North Olympic Peninsula Primary Election Guide, prepared and published by the Peninsula Daily News, will appear in print and online July 18.
Candidates who filed Monday included Port Angeles City Councilwoman Sissi Bruch, a Port Angeles Democrat who filed to run for the four-year West End District 3 Clallam County commissioner seat held by Democrat Mike Doherty.
Bruch has said she will withdraw her name if Doherty runs for a fifth four-year term.
Republican Bill Peach of Forks also filed for Doherty’s seat.
Candidates also include political newcomer and Clallam County Elections Supervisor Shoona Riggs of Port Angeles, who is running for county Auditor Patty Rosand’s four-year nonpartisan position.
Rosand has said she is retiring.
Clallam County incumbents who filed for nonpartisan four-year countywide offices included Director of Community Development Sheila Roark Miller of Sequim, Sheriff Bill Benedict of Sequim, Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis of Port Angeles, Assessor Pam Rushton and Clallam County Superior Court Judge Chris Melly of Port Angeles, who would fill a two-year unexpired term.
Architect Mary Ellen Winborn filed to oppose Roark Miller.
Roark Miller’s position is the only elected department of community development, or DCD, director position in the nation.
Prosecuting Attorney William Payne of Sequim, appointed earlier this year to the position, filed as a Republican, filed for the four-year short and full term.
Incumbent Clallam County Public Utility District Commissioner Hugh Haffner also filed for re-election to his six-year District 2 countywide position.
Forks-area District Court 2 Judge John Doherty of Beaver, who was appointed to the position, also filed as a candidate for the four-year short and full term for the West End position.
Congressional candidate McPherson, 74, a retired service engineer, has lived in Clallam County for about seven years and never held public office, he said Monday.
He voted for Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the 2012 presidential election.
“There so much corruption in our government in [Washington], D.C., that it no longer functions properly,” he said.
If elected, McPherson said would initiate major campaign finance and lobbying reform and concentrate on “just getting the insane amount of money out of politics.”
Candidates also filed for 15 available seats on the county Charter Review Commission, a one-year position.
The top five vote-getters in each of the county’s three county commissioner districts will be selected to the charter review commission in the Nov. 4 general election.
District 1 candidates who filed Monday were Nola Judd, Anita Ready, Ted Miller, Sue Forde and Brandon Janisse, all of Sequim.
Miller is a Sequim City Council member and Forde a former Clallam County commissioner candidate.
Andrew May of Port Angeles, Connie Beauvais of Joyce and William White of Beaver also filed for a District 3 seat on the charter commission.
Charter commissioners are elected every eight years to consider putting ballot measures before voters that apply to county government operations beyond those required by state law.
Any changes approved by voters must comply with state law.
Incumbent Position 3 state Supreme Court Justice Mary Fairhurst of Tumwater also filed for re-election, as did incumbent Position 4 state Supreme Court Justice Charles Johnson of Olympia and incumbent Position 7 Supreme Court Justice Debra Stephens of Seattle.
Challenger Eddie Yoon of University Place filed for Johnson’s position.
All are six-year terms.
Mary Yu of Seattle, appointed May 1 to Supreme Court Justice Position 1, also filed for election to the seat’s two-year unexpired term.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge Lisa Sutton of Olympia also filed for state Court of Appeals, Division 2, District 2 judge, a six-year term.
The Appeals Court and Supreme Court positions are nonpartisan.
Two, two-year 24th District legislative seats held by Sequim Democrats Kevin Van De Wege and Steve Tharinger also are on the ballot this year.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.