PORT TOWNSEND — Heidi Eisenhour and Lorna Smith will face off Thursday evening in an online candidate forum as the two Democrats seek to replace David Sullivan as Jefferson County’s District 2 commissioner.
Presented by the Jefferson County League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women-Port Townsend, the forum will be broadcast via Zoom, a link to which is available at lwvwa.org/Jefferson.
The forum, set for 6:30 to 8 p.m., will also be broadcast by KPTZ 91.9 FM radio and available for live stream at kptz.org.
The candidates will have three minutes for opening and closing statements, as well as two minutes to answer questions submitted by the public. Questions may be submitted no later than noon Thursday by email to lwvjeffcowa@gmail.com.
“We have had questions from all over the community on a wide range of topics,” said Angela Gyurko, president of the Jefferson County League of Women Voters.
“I am so pleased to see how many people in the county are really engaged in the monumental struggles we’re facing in the years to come around affordable housing, access to medical care and the development of a sewer system in Port Hadlock.”
Renee Klein, yoga teacher and co-owner of Madrona MindBody Institute in Port Townsend, will serve as moderator. Afterward, a video recording of the forum will be edited for brevity and posted to former league president Dennis Daneau’s YouTube channel.
Eisenhour, 49, of Port Hadlock received 43.22 percent of the District 2 vote in the Aug. 4 primary election while Smith, 69, of Port Townsend received 32.62 percent. A third candidate, Amanda Funaro, received 21.4 percent, removing her from contention in the Nov. 3 general election, when all registered voters in the county will choose between Eisenhour and Smith.
The winner will represent residents of the mid-county district, which includes Chimacum, Port Hadlock, Irondale, Marrowstone Island, Kala Point, Woodland Hills and Cape George.
Ballots will be mailed starting Oct. 14. Unregistered voters can register online or by mail through Oct. 26. In-person registration at the Jefferson County Courthouse is available during business hours through Nov. 3.
Jefferson County offers seven ballot drop boxes: Quilcene Community Center (294952 U.S. Highway 101, Quilcene), Nordland Fire Station (6633 Flagler Road, Nordland), Jefferson County Library (620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock), Brinnon Community Center (306144 Highway 101, Brinnon), Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitor Center (93 Beaver Valley Road, Port Ludlow), and two — one inside and one in the back parking lot — at the Jefferson County Courthouse (1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend).
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Jefferson County senior reporter Nicholas Johnson can be reached by phone at 360-417-3509 or by email at njohnson@peninsuladaily news.com.
