By Margie Doyle
Updated Feb. 13 at 11 p.m.
Lisa Byers and Rick Hughes have secured their place in the upcoming Council Candidate Election for Orcas district, along with Lovel Pratt and Bob Jarman in the San Juan district.
As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, election reports state that Byers received 47.38 percent (2,772) of the 5,850 ballots counted. Rick Hughes earned 27.7 percent, or 1,622 votes. Ayers had garnered 24.89 percent of the vote, or 1,456 votes. Ayers conceded the election at 9:45 p.m. last night in a website statement.
On San Juan Island, with 5,692 votes counted, Lovel Pratt’s lead has grown slightly to 48.45 percent, or 2,758 votes. Bob Jarman’s lead over Marc Forlenza for the race against Pratt still holds, although it has slipped. Jarman holds 31.99 percent of the vote (1,821 ballots); Forlenza’s vote count now is 19.55 percent (1,113 ballots). Both men were elected to San Juan Island seats in the November 2012 election, when the Council was composed of six members.
When the county voted for the Charter Proposition #1 in that election, the county determined that new, county-wide elections for the three district seats be held this spring. Today’s election was the primary contest in that race. On Lopez Island, Jamie Stephens and Brian McClerran are running for the Lopez residency district.
As of the Wednesday afternoon tabulation, the election drew a 51.68 percent voter turnout; there are nearly 12,000 registered voters in San Juan County.
Certification of this election will be on February 26. The next count will be posted on the website https://vote.wa.gov/results/current/sanjuan/ on Wednesday, February 20 at 5 p.m.
Voters in San Juan County Fire Protection District #4 have approved the Proposition Regarding Regular Property Tax Levy increase by a vote of 872 or 78.26 percent out of 1,113 votes.
