In local election, winners come into view, as count continues

The results of the election won’t be certified until Nov. 23. according to King County Elections.

Votes are still being counted for the Nov. 2 general election, and the election won’t be certified until Nov. 23, but a picture is now in sharp focus regarding the results of the Vashon races.

This year, local elections have been marked by a dearth of candidates, with only one truly contested race. Still, many Vashon voters showed up anyway, with voter turnout at 49.9% as of Monday, Nov. 8 — significantly besting King County’s estimated turnout at 43%, at this point, but below Seattle’s 53.9% turnout.

Local participation still didn’t come close, of course, to Vashon’s 78.8% turnout percentage for the 2020 election.

Vashon’s only contested race was between Keith Prior and Steven Brewer, for Vashon Park District Commissioner seat 4. As of Monday, Nov. 8, King County election results show Prior in a wide lead, with almost 65% of the vote to Brewer’s 35%. Tabulations show 3,768 votes total counted thus far in the race.

In other Parks commissioner races, incumbent Joshua Henderson will be reelected to his seat, and Sarah George will take over the Position 2 seat on the board. Both ran unopposed, and have garnered more than 99% of the approximately 2900 votes so far counted in each of their elections.

In school board races, Allison Krutsinger has now garnered 88% of the 2,682 votes counted at this point. Her opponent, Kristen Cohen, has picked up 406 votes, despite having earlier dropped out of the race.

Likewise, islander Renee Henson will almost certainly be elected to the school board, winning 96.5% of the votes cast so far in her unopposed race, with the remaining 92 votes cast for write-in candidates. However, Henson, too, has withdrawn from the race and on Monday confirmed to The Beachcomber that she will resign her office. Her seat will most likely be filled in the same application and interview process by which Kali Aguilera was recently appointed to the board following Bob Hennessey’s resignation from his seat in September. (See page 4.)

Pam King and John Simonds are on track to become commissioners at Vashon Island Fire District, filling seats vacated by current commissioners, Brigitte Schran Brown and David Hoffman, who did not run for re-election.

Both ran unopposed, though Simonds’ race also showed Ron Smothermon on the ballot. Smothermon had also dropped out as a candidate but has still garnered approximately 10% of the votes in the race so far, to Simonds’ 89%. Write-in votes accounted for the remainder of the 3428 votes counted thus far in the race.

Lisa Ann Ryan Devereau, also running unopposed, has picked up 99% of the votes in her race for King County Cemetery District No. 1, Commissioner Position No. 3.

Incumbents Truman O’Brien and Robert Therkelsen will be declared the victors in their unopposed commissioner races for King County’s Airport District on Vashon, each garnering approximately 99% of the votes counted in their races.

Alan Aman has also won 99% of the 2808 votes cast in his unopposed race to serve as a Vashon Health Care District commissioner. Aman will take the seat of LeeAnn Brown, who did not seek re-election.

According to the current count, fewer islanders were eligible to cast votes in two other unopposed races.

Incumbent Don Joy will be re-elected as Bunker Trail commissioner for the Vashon Sewer District, picking up 192 of the 194 votes counted in the race so far.

In an unopposed race for the Water District 19 seat to be vacated by Bob Powell, Robin Pfohman has won 98% of the 740 ballots counted so far.

Follow the count as it continues and wraps up here.