Cumming wins fifth term

Incumbent Bill Cumming apparently won a fifth term Tuesday evening, receiving 2,981 votes to Jeff Asher’s 2,009.

The close contest that had been anticipated at the ballot box had not materialized after all precincts and early absentee ballots were counted.

Late absentee ballots still must be counted Wednesday, but those ballots aren’t expected to change the sheriff’s race.

In what proved to be a bitter campaign between law enforcement rivals, Cumming will have bested Asher if the voter trend continues after absentee ballots are counted.

“I’ll be glad when it’s over,” Cumming said, when asked early on election day about his fifth campaign for office.

“This campaign has required a lot of attention, resources and money.”

As of Aug. 23, Asher’s campaign reported raising $13,000. Cumming’s campaign had raised roughly $18,500 as of Sept. 12.

Re-election gives Cumming four more years in office and will boost his total number of consecutive years of service as the county’s top cop to 20. Cumming said he is confident that with his re-election the department will be back on the same page under his administration.

“I’m looking forward to getting back to business,” he said.

Asher said support for his campaign and the reaction of the public to issues he raised were encouraging.

“Whether it’s for Bill or for me, I’m glad people got out there and voted about the issues of public safety,” he said. “This department is very important.”

The sheriff’s race was Asher’s first run for political office. He said he is proud of his campaign and his team, however, he’s unsure about his political future if the race goes to Cumming.

“It was seven days a week, from dawn to dusk,” he said of the campaign. “I think we made the best case we could.”

Election challenge

Regardless of Tuesday’s primary results, the sheriff election looks like it’s heading into extra innings.

With two Democrats squaring off in the primary, and no candidates from other parties on the ballot, voters were on course to elect a sheriff Tuesday night.

They will have to wait.

Late Monday afternoon, an Asher supporter claimed Cumming is not a U.S. citizen. Cumming is seeking his fifth term as the county’s top law enforcement official. He has been sheriff for 16 years.

Friday Harbor attorney Carla Higginson filed the challenge at the county Election Office. The county Canvass Board is now scheduled to meet Monday at the courthouse and rule on the challenge.

In the affidavit filed at Elections, Higginson said Cumming’s campaign website said he was born in Canada.

“A check of INS records showed he did not naturalize to become a citizen,” Higginson stated in her affidavit.

Cumming, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, blasted the accusation as a mean-spirited campaign tactic and vain attempt to discredit him. Documentation will prove that he is a U.S. citizen, he said, adding that two passports have been issued in his name by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which requires proof of citizenship before issuing a passport.

“I’ve been a citizen since I was 18,” said Cumming, whose parents emigrated from Canada to Arizona in 1952. “My parents became naturalized citizens when I was child and a minor, and that gave me status as a U.S. citizen.”

At Cumming's request, Congressman Rick Larsen’s office contacted INS officials to clarify passport procedures. The reply, forwarded to Cumming, stated the INS and the Seattle Passport Agency would not issue a passport without proof of citizenship.

— For updated election results, visit islandsweekly.net

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.