Conniry, Griebel, Ensley leading in primary first count

Lynn, Rubin, Scott all in second place after initial City Council ballots tallied

By Angelo Bruscas • August 8, 2017 1:30 am
City Council candidates address the public at a Town Hall sponsored by the Ocean Shores Block Watch group last month.
City Council candidates address the public at a Town Hall sponsored by the Ocean Shores Block Watch group last month.

Three of the four Ocean Shores City Council races were on the Aug. 1 primary election ballot and two of the three sitting council members are moving on to the general election.

In the Position 1 race, incumbent John Lynn (636 votes/37.04 percent in first returns) was in second place behind Planning Commission member Susan Conniry (805 votes/46.88 percent). Parks proponent Michael Darling trailed in third place (276 votes/16.07 percent). The top two vote-getters move on the the general election in races where three or more candidates were on the ballot.

The most crowded field was for Position 3, now held by Lisa Griebel, who was appointed by City Council vote when former councilman Dan Overton stepped down to take a new job in Olympia. Griebel (548 votes/32.58 percent) will face Canterbury Inn manager Shannon Rubin (561 votes, 33.35 percent), who garnered the most votes in the four-candidate race. John Schroeder, a former council member was third (349 votes/20.75 percent), and two-term council member Jackie Farra was fourth (224/13.32 percent).

The Position 5 contest will come down to former city finance director Steve Ensley (852 votes/52.46 percent) against former councilman Randy Scott (557 votes/34.3 percent). The third candidate, Will Oaks had announced he pulled out of the race but still attracted some votes (215 votes/13.24 percent).

The Nov. 7 general election also will include the contest between Robert Crumpacker and Carlos Roldan for Position 7.

The Grays Harbor County Auditor’s Office has said the next ballot total update will be at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. County-wide, voter turnout was 25.2 percent for the primary.

Also on the Nov. 7 general election are several other positions of interest to North Beach voters. For Hospital District 2 Position 1, Ocean Shores attorney John Farra faces retiring Aberdeen Police Chief Robert Torgeson for a six-year term on the public body that oversees Grays Harbor Community Hospital.

In the North Beach School District, all three candidates are running unopposed: Jeff Wilson for Director District 1 (two-year term vacated by Rob Paylor); Linda Poplin for Director District 2, and Rachel Carl for Director District 3, both four-year terms.

For North Beach area fire districts, two candidates are running for Fire District No. 8 Position 1: Clinton Davis of Moclips and Stephanie Allestad of Pacific Beach. For Fire District No. 7, Joseph Fernandez will face Jim Richards for Commissioner Position 3 (a four-year unexpired term), while Darrell Haglund had no opposition for Position 2 (6-year term).

Oct. 9 is the deadline for mail or online new registrations and voter updates with the Grays Harbor County Auditor’s Office prior to the general election. The last day for in-person registration to vote in the general election is Oct. 30 at the county elections center: 100 W. Broadway, Suite 2, in Montesano.