EVERETT — The leaders in the primary for Snohomish County executive switched places in updated ballot counts released Wednesday.
The latest totals from Tuesday’s primary election showed County Council Chairman Dave Somers with a five-vote lead over incumbent John Lovick. The night before, Somers had trailed Lovick by almost 900 votes.
The two Democrats, with about 32 percent of the votes each, appear to be the finalists from the five-person field. Under the top-two voting rules, the leaders will face off again in the Nov. 3 general election.
The majority of the votes for the primary have been tallied already, but there are more to go. Ballots counted so far reflect 18 percent of the 420,529 issued.
“While we will still receive on-time ballots in the coming days, it does appear that Snohomish County will have a total turnout short of the 26 percent (statewide) projection,” county elections manager Garth Fell said.
The updated results did not affect the top-two finishers in city council and school board races around the county, including in Everett, Lynnwood, Lake Stevens and Mukilteo.
A proposal to create a taxing district to support parks in the city of Snohomish continued to fail, with more than two-thirds of voters opposed.
Facing elimination from the executive’s race was third-place finisher Robert Sutherland, a Republican who captured about 26 percent. Sutherland trailed Somers and Lovick by more than 4,600 votes.
Executive candidate James Robert Deal, who stated no party preference, followed with 5 percent of the total. In last place was Republican Norm Nunnally, who took just shy of 3 percent.
Everett City Council’s longest-serving incumbent, Ron Gipson, could to be in for a tough re-election campaign, primary results suggest. Gipson was trailing challenger Cassie Franklin Wednesday with 33 percent of the votes to her 58 percent. They’re competing for council Position 4.
Leading the race for Everett City Council Position 5 was incumbent Scott Bader with 56 percent of the vote. Challenger Charlene Rawson had 29 percent.
In Lake Stevens, the top two candidates for City Council Position 5 were Rauchel McDaniel, a business owner, and Michael Boe, a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant who works at the Monroe prison. McDaniel had 44 percent of the vote, Boe 32 percent.
In Lynnwood, incumbent City Councilman Loren Simmonds was headed for a general-election contest for his Position 4 seat with community activist Shirley Sutton. Simmonds received 45 percent support, Sutton 37 percent.
In Mukilteo, former Councilman Richard Emery was the frontrunner for Position 6 with 58 percent of the vote. Jon Boyce, a real estate broker, was in second place with 27 percent.
In an Edmonds School Board race, Gary Noble, a 12-year incumbent, was ahead with 61 percent of the vote, followed by Mary Murphy, a volunteer and mother of two teenagers, with 24 percent. Mark Norton, who works in security for King County Metro, looked to be out of contention with 14 percent.
Updated ballot counts are scheduled to be released by the county auditor after 5 p.m. Thursday. The county must certify results by Aug. 18.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465; nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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