Gipson leading challengers in Everett
Published 11:36 pm Tuesday, August 21, 2007
EVERETT — Everett City Councilman Ron Gipson appeared to be headed to the November general election after he was leading three challengers who were trying to unseat him.
Meanwhile Tuesday, voters were favoring Shannon Affholter and David Simpson to face off for the open seat left by council veteran Bob Overstreet, who is stepping down after three decades of service.
The top candidates will now advance to the Nov. 6 general election.
Early elections results Tuesday showed Gipson — who was seeking his fourth term in office — with a comfortable lead with 44.7 percent of votes that were tallied, followed by Rawson, who garnered 26.9 percent.
Gipson, 49, was first elected to fill his father’s council seat in 1995 and was re-elected to three consecutive terms.
He is a corrections officer at Denney Juvenile Justice Center. He is also the president of the Snohomish County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
His father is former longtime City Councilman Carl Gipson, the first black resident elected to office in the community. He served on the council for 24 years.
Rawson, 53, is an Everett mortgage broker and Port Gardner neighborhood representative.
If elected, she said she would be more actively involved in building bridges between the City Council and Everett’s 19 organized neighborhoods.
Political newcomer Shannon Affholter, 39, said he was pleased with elections results posted out of the County Elections Office. As of Tuesday night, the pharmaceutical company sales representative and neighborhood crime watch leader collected 42.8 percent of the vote. Simpson trailed with 36.1 percent.
Simpson, 51, previously served one term on the Everett City Council and was later appointed to a brief stint as a state legislator. He said he was encouraged by early counts.
Two other city council matches on the November ballot were not affected by Tuesday’s election. Council President Brenda Stonecipher is running unopposed. City Councilman Drew Nielsen, an Everett attorney who was elected to his first term in 2004, will face anti-illegal immigration activist Shawna Forde.
Everett City Council members are paid an annual salary of $24,000 for regular members and $31,000 for council president.
Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com
