Mix of experience prevails for local school boards

MARYSVILLE — Chris Nation says Marysville School Board Director Don Hatch will be a hard act to follow.

Hatch, a member of the Tulalip Tribes, is retiring next month after a long term of service on the school board.

When the first batch of ballots was counted Tuesday night, Nation had 4,363 votes or 59 percent to Heather Thweatt’s 2,956 or 40 percent in a hotly contested race to take over the school board seat representing Tulalip and part of Marysville.

Nation has spent 12 years on school committees and led efforts to pass school bonds in the district.

“It looks positive at the moment, and it’s a sign that voters recognize that I have the experience to help the school district move forward,” Nation said. “I admit flat out that I won’t be who Don Hatch has been. But Don said he will walk alongside me and help make our district better for all kids.”

Thweatt was not available for comment.

Arlington

Incumbent Arlington School Board director Bob McClure was leading challenger Jim O’Day with 2,237 votes or 58 percent to O’Day’s 1,591 votes or 41 percent.

McClure has held the position for 14 years.

Darrington

Preliminary ballot counts from Snohomish and Skagit county voters show that incumbent Darrington School Board Position 4 Director Andrew Hatfield could be losing to challenger Roy Bryson. So far, Bryson leads with 302 votes or 53 percent to Hatfield’s 260 votes or 46 percent of the vote.

In the Position 5 race, Doug Lenker is leading his opponent Jentry Wright. Lenker has 310 votes or 57 percent to Wright’s 225 votes or 41 percent of the vote.

Edmonds

Susan Phillips was handily beating challenger Mark Zandberg, a former district employee, in the only contested race for the Edmonds School Board.

Phillips, the board’s vice president, had taken 66 percent of the vote, or 11,048 votes, to Zandberg’s 33 percent, or 5,516.

Phillips said she appreciated the confidence of the voters, and sounded encouraged by the margin of her lead.

“I guess I wasn’t really sure what was going to happen,” she said.

Granite Falls

In the District 1 race for Granite Falls School Board, incumbent board chairman Rick Short was leading with 895 votes or 55 percent to challenger Drew Mow’s 715 votes or 44 percent.

In District 2, Rebecca Loney was leading handily with 1,103 votes or 71 percent to the 447 votes or 29 percent of the vote garnered by Scott Jones, who was appointed to the board a year ago.

Monroe

Tom MacIntyre was well on his way to beating challenger Ryan Moody to win yet another term on the Monroe School Board.

MacIntyre, who has been on the board for nearly 14 years, had taken 60 percent of the vote, or 2,450 votes, to Moody’s 39 percent, or 1,638 votes.

Mukilteo

The lone contested race for the Mukilteo School Board was in a near dead heat on Tuesday night, and may be decided as more mail-in ballots trickle in.

Challenger Ken Renfro held a razor thin lead of 42 votes over incumbent Jeff Thorp on Tuesday night.

Renfro had taken 50 percent of the vote, or 3,694 votes, to Thorp’s 49 percent, or 3,652 votes.

Thorp is trying to win a second term to the board. He went unchallenged in his first term.

Snohomish

Shaunna Ballas already had won the support of the Snohomish School Board — they appointed her to an open seat in January.

Now she has the support of voters as well.

Ballas was leading Gregory Pratt in her first election with 61 percent of the vote, or 3,629 votes, to Pratt’s 38 percent, or 2,290 votes.

Northshore

Both contested races for the Northshore School Board found incumbents falling behind in the polls, with one race far too close to call.

In District 5, the two candidates were separated by a mere 61 votes.

Todd Banks was leading with 50 percent of the vote, or 2,355 votes, to incumbent Cathy Swanson’s 49 percent, or 2,294 votes.

Swanson, seeking a third term, had not been challenged in her first two runs for the board.

In District 1, incumbent Sue Buske was losing by a healthy margin to challenger Julia Lacey.

Lacey was winning with 56 percent of the vote, or 2,674 votes, to Buske’s 43 percent, or 2,047 votes.

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455, arathbun@heraldnet.com.