PORT ANGELES — On the eve of the weeklong candidate filing period for the Aug. 7 primary and the Nov. 6 general election, which begins today, 10 people have announced intentions to run so far for five open county positions.
Two races for county posts — Clallam County commissioner and a Superior Court judge position — have shaped up.
Candidates for public office in Clallam County can file for their positions from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Election Center in the basement of the courthouse at 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles, said Shoona Radon, Clallam County elections coordinator.
The lot draw to determine ballot position will take place at about 5 p.m. Friday, she said.
That will determine the order of candidates’ names as they will appear on the ballot for a Clallam County commissioner seat, three races for Superior Court judge, a public utility district commissioner seat and 67 precinct committee officers.
The top-two primary will be Aug. 7. The general election will be Nov. 6.
So far, the race that has drawn the most interest has been that for the Clallam County Superior Court vacancy that will be created by Judge Ken Williams’ retirement.
Four candidates have announced intentions to run for the four-year post.
They are: Assistant Attorney General William Payne, 55, who works in the Port Angeles office of the state attorney general; Attorney Curtis Johnson, 58, of Port Angeles; Forks District 2 Judge Erik Rohrer, 54; and Clallam County Hearings Examiner Chris Melly, 60, of Port Angeles.
Seeking reelection to their respective Superior Court judgeships are Judge S. Brooke Taylor, 68, and George L. Wood, 62.
Clallam County commissioner Mike Chapman’s bid for election as an independent to a fourth four-year term has drawn two challengers.
Challengers are Democrat Dale V. Holiday — a grant coordinator and prevention specialist with the Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services and the wife of Port Angeles City Council member Max Mania — and Margaret E. Roth, a member of the finance committee of the county Republican Party.
Chapman defeated her husband, Terry Roth, in 2008.
Ted Simpson, 69, owner of Angeles Electric in Port Angeles, will seek another six-year term as District 3 Clallam County Public Utility District commissioner.
No challenge has been announced.
Election law treats each position differently.
In the county commissioner races, all names will appear on the Aug. 7 primary, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the Nov. 6 general election.
If only two candidates file for a position, then the primary results are non-binding.
In the judge races, a candidate who gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary will win the seat.
If there are more than two candidates and one does not get 50 percent plus one vote, then the top two vote-getters will advance to the general election.
The PUD contest will appear on the primary ballot only if more than two candidates file for a position.
In all cases, if there is only one candidate filing for a position he or she will be elected by acclamation.
All three District 24 incumbents — Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, and Reps. Kevin Van De Wege and Steve Tharinger, both Sequim Democrats — have announced intention to run for reelection for the legislative seats that represent Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
The Senate seat is a four-year term, while the House of Representatives seats are two-year terms.
No challengers have come to the fore, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.
On the ballot, 24 offices are open, including the office of president of the United States.
Republican State Sen. Michael Baumgartner of Spokane has announced he will seek the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Mountlake Terrace, who is seeking reelection for another six-year term.
Longtime Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, is retiring after serving 18 terms representing the 6th Congressional District, which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties.
He has endorsed Port Angeles native Sen. Derek Kilmer of Gig Harbor, who is the only Democrat in the race for the two-year seat.
Republicans who have thrown their hats in the ring are Jesse Young, an economic development consultant who lives in Tacoma; Tacoma attorney Doug Cloud, who lives in Gig Harbor; and Weyerhaeuser heir Bill Driscoll of Tacoma, who works in the family lumber business.
Two other Republicans — David “Ike” Eichner, a Tacoma accountant, and Stephan Brodhead, a Bremerton businessman — also have indicated that they might run.
All statewide posts are in the offing — governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, commissioner of public lands, superintendent of public instruction and insurance commissioner — plus three state Supreme Court justice seats, including that of Susan Owens, a former District Court judge in Forks.
Jefferson County has four county positions on the ballot: Superior Court judge, Jefferson County Public Utility District commissioner and two county commissioner slots.