3-way race in Edmonds separated by less than 200 votes

Published 11:00 pm Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Following is a recap of primary election races for city council and mayor from cities around Snohomish County. The top-two vote getters in each race will advance to the general election.

Races listed below are those contested in the primary election only. Races with only one or two candidates running will not be affected by Tuesday’s results.

Arlington

Incumbent City Councilman Scott Solla was gliding to victory Tuesday and will likely face Brook Hecla this fall in a race for Position 3 on the City Council.

Solla had 58.3 percent of the vote, more than double Hecla’s total of 26.8 percent.

Kari Ilonummi is a distant third with 14.3 percent.

Solla, 51, was appointed to the council in 2006 and is seeking his first full four-year term.

Hecla, 24, runs an information technology business in Arlington, and Ilonummi, 26, is obtaining a master garden certification.

They both said they entered the race in hopes of bringing a younger voice to the City Council.

No one on the current council is under 40 years old with Solla being one of its youngest members. He believes his wisdom and experience is valuable while the challengers contend they will bring a fresher perspective to the lawmaking body.

Bothell

Incumbent City Councilman Del Spivey and challenger Gerry Gawne appear headed for a fall showdown.

On Tuesday, Spivey garnered 1,700 votes, slightly more than half of those tallied. Gawne trailed with 1,199 votes while Jeffrey Bogdan was a distant third with 231 votes.

Spivey led in ballot counting in both Snohomish County and King County.

One of the key issues will be their approaches to reshaping Bothell’s downtown area once the city completes plans to buy acreage owned by the Northshore School District.

Spivey wants to ensure the council has a strong hand in the property’s use while Gawne has talked of letting private developers guide the effort.

Edmonds Position 2

It looks like Diane Buckshnis will be giving councilman Strom Peterson quite a fight for his job.

Buckshnis, with 3,158 votes, is headed to a fall matchup with Peterson, who had 3,028 votes. Alvin Rutledge was a distant third.

All three of the candidates competed against each other in January when they sought appointment to fill the vacancy left by Deanna Dawson, who moved to Washington, D.C.

Since getting the appointment Peterson, a 41-year-old small business owner, has voted for a plastic bag ban and opposed placing a multimillion-dollar levy to fund city services on the November ballot.

Buckshnis, 53, is a retired banker and has said her experience will be most useful in helping the cash-strapped community deal with its budget woes.

Rutledge, 69, was making his fifth run for office.

Edmonds Position 3

In one of the closest races of the night, less than 200 votes separate incumbent councilman Ron Wambolt and two women trying to unseat him.

Challenger Adrienne Fraley-Monillas was leading the contest Tuesday with 2,306 votes followed by Wambolt with 2,263 votes and Lora Petso with 2,183 votes.

Only the top two votegetters will advance. More results will be posted this afternoon, though it is not known how many more votes are left to be counted in the city.

Wambolt’s showing may be tied to concern raised by a campaign contribution he received from a company seeking to build two 75-foot tall condo towers near the city’s waterfront.

Fraley-Monillas called the move “questionable ethics at best” and said she’d never approve increasing building heights in the downtown or waterfront neighborhoods.

Petso also opposes increased building heights anywhere in Edmonds. She said her focus would be on dealing with the city finances.

Gold Bar

Three candidates competed in Gold Bar to fill the City Council position being left vacant by Lonn Turner.

On Tuesday night, Christopher Wright led with 101 votes, followed by Susan Forbes with 44 votes and Noel Frederick with 36 votes.

The top two will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. However, since voters had until Tuesday to mail their ballots, votes yet to be counted could affect the results in the community of 2,400.

The four-year term on council pays $100 per month.

Forbes brought the most municipal experience to the race. She has served on the city planning commission since 2001.

Frederick and Wright were both making their inaugural runs for elected office.

Frederick filled a vacant planning commission spot in 2008. He campaigned on budgetary issues and a desire to attract small business.

Wright is a new face in Gold Bar. He moved to the community from Stanwood in 2008. He hoped to use the experience he gained as a Boeing project manager to grow the city and attract tourism.

Lynnwood Position 1

Newcomer Kimberly Cole, who’s day job is as legislative aide to Snohomish County Councilman Mike Cooper, appeared headed for a November showdown against Dan Swank, who is also running for the position for the first time.

In early returns Tuesday, Cole garnered 38.8 percent of votes to Swank’s 27.7 percent.

Cole, 30, also is an elected commissioner at Stevens Hospital. She said her government positions give her an edge for being a public official, especially her familiarity with Lynnwood’s proposed annexation.

Swank, 42, is co-founder of Telco-Pacific, a wireless telecommunications company. He says the city needs to be smarter with its money.

Following closely behind was Donald Chan, 22, with 24.2 percent.

Michael Megill, 48, a real estate professional who’s been on the parks board and was a strong advocate of a reconstructed recreation center, received 8.8 percent.

Lynnwood Position 2

Incumbent Councilman Mark Smith had a big lead in early returns for a three-way race Tuesday and appeared headed into the Nov. 3 general election against Craig Parsons, who got into the race after fighting a city plan to add bike lanes on his street by eliminating parking.

Smith, 47, received 52.4 percent of the vote to Parson’s 29.9 percent. Smith is executive director of the Japan-America Society of Washington. Douglas Ivar Kerley, a 60-year-old retiree, was next with 16.3 percent.

Lynnwood Position 3

In the closest council race, business owner and newcomer Kerri Lonergan, 45, led incumbent Ruth Ross, garnering 35.8 percent of votes cast to 33.7 for Ross. Bob Young was within striking distance with 28.8 percent of the vote.

Lonergan is co-owner of the Lombardi’s Neighborhood Italian Restaurants chain and said she’s running to restore fiscal responsibility. She also serves on the boards of the Washington State Health Insurance Board and the Ballard Chamber of Commerce.

Council President Ross, 49, has served for eight years and says her top priority is to make sure annexation happens the right way.

Monroe Position 2

Four candidates squared off in the primary for Position 2 on the Monroe City Council, but only R. Todd Fredrickson and Patsy Cudaback were on pace Tuesday night to advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Fredrickson led with 470 votes, followed by Cudaback with 332 votes, Bridgette Tuttle with 254 votes and Paul Loots with 213 votes. The top two will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

The four-year term on the council pays $100 per meeting.

Fredrickson’s lead was a bit of a surprise. Although he has been active in city government for years, he did not make a pointed campaign for the seat because of an unexpected medical condition.

Cudaback, executive director of Monroe’s YMCA, pointed to her work building that facility as a sign she should could handle the heavy work of the council.

Loots, a two-year veteran of the city planning commission, said he is used to working on projects from the ground up. He works as a restaurant designer.

Tuttle did not respond to a past interview request by the Herald.

Monroe Position 3

Three men vied for Position 3 on the Monroe City Council.

On Tuesday night, Jeff Frye led with 569 votes, followed by Tom Williams with 520 votes. Travis Brown trailed with 169 votes.

The top two will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.

Williams and Frye both pointed to the city’s acquisition of the land known as the North Kelsey site as a major issue.

Williams, a Western Washington University graduate, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Frye attended Lake Washington Technical College, earning an associate’s degree in structural steel detailing.

Brown campaigned on the desire to bring more commercial and industrial jobs to Monroe.

Mukilteo Position 2

Incumbent Richard C. Emery held a commanding lead Tuesday with 57.7 percent of votes in the initial returns.

He’ll likely face off Nov. 3 against Ed Kunigonis, who received 24 percent of the votes. A third candidate, Bruce Simpson, received 16.8 percent.

Emery, 61, is a contractor appointed to fill the seat in 2008 after former councilman Rep. Marko Liias was appointed to the Legislature.

Emery has been critical of the city’s annexation proposal, saying the city should wait until 2010 to decide the issue.

Kunigonis, 55, is a senior security manager for Boeing. Simpson, an Ace Hardware employee, said he ran mainly to oppose the annexation.