PORT ANGELES — It’s official.
Mark Ozias has defeated incumbent Clallam County Commissioner Jim McEntire in the marquee race of Tuesday’s general election.
Ozias had 11,474 votes to McEntire’s 10,092 votes, a 53.2 percent to 46.8 percent cushion, after the county auditor’s office tallied 8,935 late-arriving ballots Friday.
Ozias, D-Sequim, had 53.7 percent of the votes on election night Tuesday.
No Clallam County contest changed Friday.
The auditor’s office had counted 22,696 ballots out of 47,509 mailed to registered voters as of Friday for a turnout of 47.8 percent, county Auditor Shoona Riggs said.
Congratulates Ozias
McEntire phoned Ozias after the new results were posted to offer his congratulations.
“I also offered any and all assistance I may be able to provide him as he prepares to assume this office,” McEntire said in a concession statement.
McEntire, R-Sequim, is a retired Coast Guard captain who served as a Port of Port Angeles commissioner prior to his term as a Clallam County commissioner.
“Thanks to all who voted, and heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to serve you these past eight years,” McEntire said.
“I look forward to returning to my former station as a private citizen this Dec. 31, after 46½ years of service to my country.”
McEntire declined to speculate on why he lost in a Friday telephone interview.
“The people spoke,” he said.
“That’s that. I’m going to ponder this thing called retirement. It will be a cold day in the netherworld before I run for office again.”
McEntire added: “I am just so grateful to the voters for putting me in office to serve them for eight years.
“It was a privilege and an honor, and it was something I will never forget.”
Preparing for office
Ozias, executive director of the Sequim Food Bank and a political newcomer, said he looks forward to working with McEntire and others in county government as he prepares to take office.
“I’m going to do anything I can to be as prepared as I can to hit the ground running in January,” said Ozias, who thanked his supporters for their hard work on the campaign.
The auditor’s office will mail more than 300 letters to voters who returned ballots with a missing signature or a non-matching signature.
Thirty-two additional ballots will go directly to the Clallam County Canvassing Board for a determination of voter intent, Riggs said.
An unknown number of ballots, including military ballots, is expected to trickle in through the mail.
The next count will be when the ballots are certified by the canvassing board Nov. 24, Riggs said.
Other highlights of Tuesday’s election:
■ Port of Port Angeles District 3 commissioner: Connie Beauvais won over Michael Breidenbach with 10,555 votes to his 7,748 votes, or 57.7 percent to 42.3 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 1: Elect county commissioners by district rather than countywide majority.
The measure passed 12,993 to 7,764 votes, or 62.6 percent to 37.4 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 6: Require that the community development director be appointed rather than elected.
The measure failed 13,281 to 7,228 votes, or 64.8 percent to 35.2 percent.
Election results
Here are other results of ballot measures and contested races after ballots were counted Friday:
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 2: Elect a Charter Review Commission every five years rather than every eight years.
The measure passed 12,492 to 8,096 votes, or 60.7 percent to 39.3 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 3: Send initiatives directly to voters, bypassing commissioners.
The measure passed 12,962 to 7,543 votes, or 63.2 percent to 36.8 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 4: Send referenda directly to voters, bypassing commissioners.
The measure passed 12,610 to 7,629 votes, or 62.3 percent to 37.7 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 5: Increase the time for gathering signatures for initiatives from 90 days to 120 days.
The measure passed 12,153 to 8,576 votes, or 58.6 percent to 41.4 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 7: Require charter interpretations to afford Clallam County powers conferred to charter counties.
The measure passed 11,309 to 7,116 votes, or 61.4 percent to 38.6 percent.
■ Charter Review Amendment No. 8: Begin Charter Review commissioners’ terms Jan. 1.
The measure passed 17,030 to 3,063, or 84.8 percent to 15.2 percent.
■ Forks Community Hospital commissioner: Donald Lawley won over declared write-in candidate Patty Birch by 631 votes to her 445 votes, or 58.6 percent to 41.4 percent.
■ Forks City Council, Position 5: Jon Preston was elected over Christina “Stina” Kohout with 289 votes to her 150 votes, or 65.8 percent to 34.2 percent.
■ Port Angeles City Council, Position 5: Michael Merideth won over Marolee Smith with 2,253 votes to her 1,668 votes, or 57.5 percent to 42.5 percent.
■ Port Angeles City Council, Position 7: Cherie Kidd was re-elected, besting challenger Dan Bateham with 2,311 votes to his 1,867 votes, or 55.3 percent to 44.7 percent.
■ Sequim City Council, Position 1: Pam Leonard-Ray won over Brandon Janisse with 1,178 votes to 904 votes, or 56.6 percent to 43.4 percent.
■ Sequim City Council, Position 2: John Miller won over Susan Lorenzen with 1,191 votes to 876 votes, or 57.6 percent to 42.4 percent.
■ Sequim City Council, Position 7: Candace Pratt was re-elected, besting challenger James Russell with 1,203 votes to his 879 votes, or 57.8 percent to 42.2 percent.
■ Port Angeles School Board, Position 3: Dr. Joshua Jones won over Gene Erickson with 4,190 votes to 2,539 votes, or 62.3 percent to 37.7 percent.
■ Port Angeles School Board, Position 4: Rick Marti beat incumbent Lonnie Linn with 3,586 votes to Linn’s 3,024 votes, or 54.2 percent to 45.8 percent.
■ Port Angeles School Board, Position 5: Susan Shotthafer won over Jerusha Henson with 3,700 to 3,034 votes, or 55 percent to 45 percent.
■ Sequim School Board, Position 1: Robin Henrikson won over Heather Jeffers with 5,709 votes to her 4,246 votes, or 57.4 percent to 42.6 percent, in Clallam County.
Jefferson County voters picked Henrikson 57 to 56 for a two-county total of 5,766 to 4,302.
■ Sequim School Board, Position 3: Jim Stoffer won over Charla Wright with 5,460 votes to 4,438 votes, or 55.2 percent to 44.8 percent, in Clallam County.
Jefferson County voters picked Wright 66 to 49 for a two-county total of 5,509 for Stoffer and 4,504 for Wright.
■ Sequim School Board, Position 5: Heather Short won the seat over William Payne with 7,566 votes to 2,731 votes, or 73.5 percent to 26.5 percent, in Clallam County.
Jefferson County voters picked Short 93 to 34 for a two-county total of 7,659 for Short and 2,765 for Payne.
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 1 tax levy: The operations-and-maintenance levy lid lift was passing 491 votes to 482 votes, or 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent, in Clallam County.
Jefferson County voters cast three yes votes and four no votes for a total of 494 in favor and 486 opposed.
■ Clallam County Fire District No. 3 commissioner: G. Michael Gawley won over Sean Ryan 6,251 votes to 4,317 votes, or 59.1 percent to 40.9 percent, in Clallam County.
Gawley was leading in Jefferson County 77 to 58 for a two-county total of 6,328 for Gawley and 4,375 for Ryan.
■ Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center commissioner: Bill Jeffers won over Gill R. Goodman 5,167 votes to 3,561 votes, or 59.2 percent to 40.8 percent.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
