This year’s November General Election had a full lineup of races. It did not have a full show up at the ballot box. Voter turnout was 52.81 percent of the 12,874 registered voters
Fourteen races were on San Juan Island and three were in the Town of Friday Harbor, though races appeared on ballots based on voters’ precincts. As of 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 7, 4,027 ballots have been counted. The next ballot count is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Nov. 14. Visit https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/current/sanjuan/ for full results.
School board
Position 1
In the race for San Juan Island School District 149 School Board Director 1, Sarah Werling-Sandwith is in the lead against Ruth McKenna. Werling-Sandwith has 65.68 percent (1,747 ballots) and McKenna has 34.32 percent (913 ballots).
Werling-Sandwith said she decided to run for a position because she would like to offer the San Juan Island school board a new perspective through the lens of a parent, Head Start teacher and family advocate. “I am most concerned that the existing San Juan Island School District budget is lacking sustainability,” Werling-Sandwith told the Journal in September. “I would like to see a greater transparency of the district’s finances made available to the public, as we need transparent communication about what happened and how we got here.”
Position 2
In the race for San Juan Island School District 149 School Board Director 2, Barbara Bevens is in the front with 69.43 percent (1,765 ballots). Her opponent TJ Heller has 30.57 percent of the vote (777 ballots). Bevens was a teacher for five years before moving to the island and becoming the Griffin Bay homeschool liaison for seven.
“There is never enough money,” she said about the district’s number one problem. “The most pressing concern today is the vagaries of the legislature’s funding concept (budget) and what the State Supreme Court and ensuing lawsuits will do to it.”
Hospital board
Position 2
In the race for the San Juan County Public Hospital District 1, Commissioner 2, Anna Lisa Lindstrum is ahead with 61.45 percent (1,723 ballots). Meanwhile, John Manning has 38.55 percent (1,081 ballots).
Lindstrum’s platform focuses on affordable health care, family planning and island EMS sustainability. She was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Votes.
“I believe I am the best candidate for hospital commissioner because, like many of you, I am deeply concerned about what is happening to healthcare on a national level, and how it affects our local community,” Lindstrum told the Journal. “I believe communities are successful when they have access to affordable healthcare, EMS services and skilled nursing care.”
Position 4
Peg LeBlanc, who dropped out of the race for the board’s commissioner 4 position, has 1,471 votes. Ballots were printed prior to her announcement, leaving her name appears as a viable option to voters. The hospital district commissioners can appoint a replacement through public interviews.
Town of Friday Harbor Mayor
In the race for the Mayor of the Town of Friday Harbor, Farhad Ghatan is taking the lead with 392 votes, 60.12 percent of the ballots cast. His opponent Matt W. Shildneck has 260 votes, 39.88 percent. Ghatan has served on the Town of Friday Harbor Council since 2013.
Ghatan said he ran for mayor because of his hope that, “with my leadership, dedication and vision all of the hard work that has been done by the current mayor and council for the past eight years will continue to move forward without disruption.”
Port of Friday Harbor
In the race for the Port of Friday Harbor Commissioner 2, Barbara E. Marrett is ahead with 1,798 votes, 65.12 percent of the ballots cast.
Her opponent Keith Carver has 34.88 percent of the votes (963 ballots). Marrett has served as post commissioner since 2005.
Marrett’s background includes volunteerism and work at the San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau. “As an experienced port commissioner, I will use my education and institutional knowledge to move the port forward during this time of new opportunities,” Marrett told the Journal in September. “And, I will provide continuity of leadership.”
