Get ready — it’s (another) election year

Believe it or not, it’s an election year again. And this year, you’ll

decide whether local schools get more money, who will serve in Congress, and

who will serve as county assessor, auditor, clerk, district court judge,

prosecuting attorney, sheriff and treasurer.

In addition, County Commissioner Rhea Miller of Lopez Island is up for

reelection.

The first election is March 12, when schools on Lopez, Orcas and San

Juan islands ask voters to renew the Maintenance & Operations Levy, a local

property tax assessment that provides schools with 20 percent of their

revenue; the other 80 percent comes from the state.

Voters will vote in the March election by mail-in ballot. Voters will

begin receiving ballots Feb. 20. On Sept. 17, primaries will be held for

county races and Congress. The general election is Nov. 5.

There are about 9,800 registered voters in San Juan County, with more

than 50 percent of these casting their ballot by mail at each election.

“It goes down a smidge during an odd year,” Elections Supervisor Sandy

Gillespie said of voter registration. “If you were mailed a ballot and it

was returned to us, you are listed as inactive. If you stay inactive through

two federal elections, then your registration is canceled.”

However, Gillespie expects voter registration to reach 10,000 this year.

For voter registration information, call 378-3357.

Superintendent campaigns for M&O

Late last year, Lopez, Orcas and San Juan superintendents agreed to put

their M&O levies on the ballot in the same election to avoid a domino effect

from one district’s measure losing in an earlier election.

San Juan Superintendent Steve Enoch has been visiting service clubs,

senior citizens and political parties to ask for support for the levy. On

Tuesday, he hosted the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce at Friday Harbor High School. The previous two weeks, he visited the San Juan Island Senior Advisory Council and the San Juan County Green Party.

Seeking reelection

Several county officials have said they plan to seek terms.

— Assessor Paul Dossett will seek a fifth term.

— Auditor Si Stephens will also seek a fifth term. “I will run for one

more term and then retire,” Stephens said.

— County Clerk Mary Jean Cahail said it’s too early to tell if she’ll

seek a fourth term. “We have to file in July, so I have not decided yet,”

she said.

She’s worked in the clerk’s office since 1980, and worked in the

clerk-auditor’s office for three years in the 1960s.

— County Commissioner Rhea Miller of Lopez Island was unavailable for

comment Wednesday.

— District Court Judge Stewart Andrew will seek a second term. He was

elected in a contested race in 1997 to succeed the retiring John Linde.

— Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord is out of town this week and

unavailable for comment.

— Sheriff Bill Cumming is out of town this week and unavailable for

comment.

— Treasurer Kathy Turnbull was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

GOP gets head start in Congress race

In the Second Congressional District, freshman Rep. Rick Larsen is

expected to seek a second term. No other Democrats have expressed an

interest in the nomination, but there are three early runners for the

Republican nomination.

They are Rep. Kelly Barlean of Langley; Herb Meyer, a Friday Harbor

resident who served as assistant to the CIA director during the Reagan

administration; Norma Smith, a former aide to Larsen’s predecessor, Jack

Metcalf.

Cost savings, but more elections expected

Gillespie said voting by mail-only, as in the M&O levy question in

March, saves the county about $10,000.

In September, when only four races countywide had primaries, the county

opted for a mail-in ballot that cost a $27,899. The M&O levy ballot is

expected to cost $30,000 to $35,000, versus $40,000 to $45,000 if the

elections department had to pay poll workers and rent on voting space.

“It costs us $6,000 just to pay poll workers,” Gillespie said.

Gillespie has good reason to save money; she expects more elections are

possible in the future. Initiative 747, approved by state voters in

November, limits property tax increases to 1 percent annually. For a greater

increase, local governments must ask for voter approval. “That could force

more elections,” she said.

What They Earn

Assessor: $58,470

Auditor: $58,470

Clerk: $58,470

Commissioner: $60,480

District Court judge: $88,090

Prosecuting attorney: $86,920

Sheriff: $70,840

Treasurer: $58,470

— Editor Richard Walker reports on local government, politics and economic development for sanjuanjournal.com and The Journal of the San Juan Islands, sister publications of islandsweekly.net and The Islands’ Weekly. He can be reached at (360) 378-4191 ext. 15 or email.

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