Gold Bar candidate dies; name will stay on ballot

GOLD BAR — A Gold Bar woman’s name will still appear on the ballot next month even though she died of cancer.

Cheryl Crumpler, 51, was running for Gold Bar City Council when she died Sept. 17, too late for the ballot to be changed.

Crumpler would have represented the people in Gold Bar well, said longtime friend Debra Hunt said. She intends to vote for her friend even though the campaign has stopped.

“I think she will get a few votes,” Hunt said.

It’s pretty unusual for candidates to die during an election, but it has happened before, said Carolyn Ableman, Snohomish County chief deputy auditor.

If Crumpler wins, the City Council will have to appoint someone else for the job, Ableman said.

Crumpler’s opponent for Position 5 on the council, Joe Beavers, 64, was surprised by the death. Beavers said he has slowed down his campaign and put up just one sign in town.

Beavers said that his top priority is to get more people involved in the city’s activities. The city of about 2,200 people has limited resources and can use citizen support in everything from grounds maintenance to setting growth plans, he said.

The city continues to grow, said Beavers, a retired engineering manager who handled factory automation systems. He would like to use his business experience to help the city plan for its future.

“I felt that Gold Bar needs somebody on the council with a long-term fiscal outlook,” Beavers said.

Hunt said Crumpler had worked for the city as a utility clerk for several years. Hunt added that Crumpler, a longtime Gold Bar resident, would’ve made a good council member because she knew the city’s operation from inside.

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