Local incumbents were holding their own and all seem likely to make it through to the November general election according to preliminary results from the Aug. 18 primary.
Initial results were released by King County just prior to 10 p.m. the day of the election. Counting will continue throughout the week.
In Bothell, incumbent Councilman Del Spivey held a comfortable lead in a three-way race. Seeking his second term on council, Spivey was in front of challengers Gerry Gawne and Jeffery Bogdan, earning 866 ballots, or 56.9 percent of the vote.
Gawne seems Spivey’s likely challenger come the fall. In the early tallies, he had picked up 549 votes, or 36 percent, with Bogdan a distant third, taking in 99 votes, or 6.5 percent.
In Kenmore, another incumbent, Councilwoman Laurie Sperry, had earned 947 votes, or just over 50 percent of the ballots cast.
“I appreciate the support of the voters and am grateful to have won over 50 percent of the vote in a three-way race. I look forward to continuing to make Kenmore one of the best places to live in America,” Sperry said.
Challengers Diane Brennan and Bob Black were in a fairly close race for second place and a spot in the general election.
Brennan had tallied 493 votes, or 26.4 percent, compared to Black’s 416 ballots, or 22.3 percent.
“I am very pleased with the support shown thus far in the primary. The campaign is quickly gaining momentum, and I am excited about reaching out to even more Kenmore residents before the November election,” Brennan said. “We can do better. We need to have higher expectations from our public servants and I’m committed to listening to the concerns of citizens and resolving our problems.”
Added Black: “Historically, primary elections do not have a good turn out and this hurts those citizens that want to make things better for the community. I appreciate all that voted no matter whom they voted for, but we must have tools to make the city governments accountable, and the initiative and referendum format is just that tool.”
Finally, in voting for the Northshore School District Board of Directors, incumbent Sue Buske and challenger Julia Lacey seem headed for what could be a close November showdown.
Buske was slightly ahead in the vote count, earning 2,115 votes, or 33 percent, while Lacey had taken 2,073 ballots, or 32.5 percent.
Candidate Arthur Hu was running in third place with 1,242 votes, or 19.4 percent. Jeff Wirrick was bringing up the rear with 927 votes, or 14.5 percent.
“I just want to thank all of my supporters for having a great show of confidence in me. I will continue to work diligently on the school board and volunteer in the community,” Buske said.
Added Lacey: “I am thrilled with the primary results and happy to be one step closer to representing the community as a school board director for Northshore School District. For now, I will continue to meet with concerned citizens to listen to their ideas and learn more about the issues affecting our district.”
