POULSBO — It’s Election Day.
Ballots must be postmarked today or deposited into a dropbox by 8 p.m.
As of end of day Nov. 3, the Kitsap County Auditor Elections Division had received 55,388 ballots of 154,462 ballots mailed out, a 35.86 percent voter turnout. But Shawn Devine, communications coordinator for the Elections Division, predicted a 55 percent voter turnout based on historical trends.
It’s a significant election. Post-election, Kitsap County will have a new sheriff (Undersheriff Gary Simpson is unopposed in his campaign to succeed Steve Boyer, who is retiring), a new assessor (Paul Avery is retiring after 16 years), a new auditor (Walt Washington is retiring after six years in the job), and a new District Court judge (James Riehl is retiring).
Meredith R. Green is unopposed in her campaign for another term as county treasurer, and on election day will receive four more years on the job. Ditto for unopposed state Supreme Court justices Mary Yu and Mary Fairhurst; Court of Appeals Judge Lisa L. Sutton; Kitsap County District Court judges Jeffrey J. Jahns, Marilyn G. Paja, and Stephen J. Holman; and Public Utility District commissioner James (Jim) Civilla.
But North Kitsap voters will help decide who represents them in 10 other local and state offices, and will select justices in two state Supreme Court races. They will also decide two local measures related to fire department funding, as well as two statewide measures related to background checks on gun purchasers.
Here’s what’s on the North Kitsap ballot.
CONGRESS
Derek Kilmer, D-Bremerton, is seeking a second term representing the 6th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Marty McClendon, is a Republican from Gig Harbor. He’s a pastor and real estate agent.
DISTRICT 23 STATE REPRESENTATIVE, POSITION 1
Sherry V. Appleton, D-Poulsbo, is seeking a sixth term in the state House of Representatives. She is chairwoman of the Community Development Housing & Tribal Affairs Committee, and a member of the Capital Budget and Public Safety committees.
Scott Henden, a Republican from Kingston, is an electrical contractor and vice chairman of the North Kitsap School Board.
DISTRICT 23 STATE REPRESENTATIVE, POSITION 2
Drew Hansen, D-Bainbridge, is a lawyer and is running for a second full term in the state House. He is vice chairman of the Judiciary Committee and a member of the Finance and Higher Education committees.
James M. Olsen, a Republican from Bainbridge Island, is a retired Coast Guard captain making a third run at the state House.
COUNTY COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 3
Linda Streissguth, a Democrat from Silverdale, was appointed to the County Commission in January to complete the term vacated by Josh Brown, who resigned. She is a former Bremerton planning commissioner and manager of community engagement for Puget Sound Energy.
Edward E. Wolfe, a Republican from Bremerton, served as an assistant U.S. secretary of State and ambassador in the Reagan and Bush 1 administrations. He is founded a law firm in Kitsap in 1997 and has served as a Municipal Court and District Court judge pro tem and as a Superior Court arbitrator.
Paul Andrews, a Democrat from Port Orchard, is a data analyst for Kitsap County, working for the last 19 years in information services serving the assessor and two years before that as project manager
Phil Cook, a Republican from Silverdale, is a mortgage consultant with New American Funding in Poulsbo and a property manager in Kitsap County. Previously he was an operations manager for a manufacturing firm, assistant to a city manager, and a high school teacher and coach.
Dolores Gilmore, a Democrat from Port Orchard, is Kitsap County’s elections manager with 30 years’ experience working in all four divisions of the Auditor’s Office.
Kelly Emerson, a Republican from Bremerton, resigned earlier this year from the Island County Board of Commissioners and moved full time to Illahee, where she has a home. She is also a master electrician with experience as an industrial electrical construction project manager.
Gerald (Gary) Chaney, is a Republican from Bremerton. He is a real estate broker with John L. Scott Silverdale and a licensed building contractor.
Dave Peterson, a Democrat from Bremerton, is seeking a fourth term as county clerk. He is a former Central Kitsap School District administrator.
Greg Sandstrom, a Republican from Port Orchard, is seeking a fifth term as coroner. He is a former Washington State Patrol trooper, chaplain for South Kitsap Fire & Rescue, and EMT.
Jeff Wallis, a Bremerton resident who states no party preference, is a deputy coroner and Central Kitsap firefighter/paramedic. He served seven years as a fire chief in a small town in Eastern Washington.
Russ Hauge, a Democrat from Silverdale, is seeking a sixth term as prosecuting attorney. He previously practiced criminal defense, tort litigation, and commercial and environmental law.
Tina Robinson, a Republican from Port Orchard, is a Kitsap County public defender and former regional manager for Group Health.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE, DEPARTMENT 1
Claire Bradley has been a county prosecutor since 1997 and has been chief deputy prosecuting attorney since 2009.
Tracy Flood of Port Orchard is a lawyer with civil and criminal trial experience, and has served as a pro tem judge in various courts.
LOCAL BALLOT MEASURES
Residents of Kitsap County Fire Protection District No. 18, aka Poulsbo Fire, will vote on a bond to raise nearly $2.75 million to upgrade apparatus, fire and life safety equipment, and make necessary capital improvements to district facilities. For approval, there must be 40 percent turnout and at least 60 percent of those voters must approve the measure.
Residents of the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue fire protection district will vote to increase their property tax levy to support fire protection and emergency medical services, facilities, maintenance, staffing and operations. For approval, there must be 40 percent turnout and at least 60 percent of those voters must approve the measure.
Residents of the North Kitsap Fire & Rescue district will vote to pay a special property tax levy to raise $600,000 over four years to support fire protection and emergency medical services, facilities maintenance, staffing and operations.
If approved, the levy rate will be determined based on overall assessed property valuation in the district, which is expected to increase, district spokeswoman Michele Laboda said.
Laboda said the estimated levy rate for each property owner will be 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. But if overall valuation in the district goes up, the levy rate will go down.
For approval, there must be 40 percent turnout and at least 60 percent of those voters must approve the measure.
BALLOT DROPBOX LOCATIONS
Ballot drop boxes are located at:
— Bainbridge Island Fire Department, 8895 Madison Ave. N.E., Bainbridge Island.
— Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton.
— Norm Dicks Government Center, 345 6th St., Bremerton.
— North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, 26642 Miller Bay Road N.E., Kingston.
— Kitsap County Auditor – Elections Division, 619 Division St., Port Orchard.
— On the corner of Division Street and Cline Avenue, Port Orchard.
— Poulsbo Fire Station, 911 N.E. Liberty Road, Poulsbo.
— Central Kitsap School District Administration Building, 9210 Silverdale Way N.W., Silverdale.
