Elections employees are still tallying votes, but nearly all the local races have been decided.
Ballots hit the mail Oct. 20, and the first round of votes flashed on general-election followers’ computer screens the evening of Nov. 8.
The Northshore School District races for directors No. 2 and 3 generated a slew of letters to the Reporter and comments on its Web site.
At press time, incumbent Dawn McCravey holds a roughly 53-percent to 47-percent lead over B-Z Davis at Director No. 3 and inches closer to victory with each vote count.
“I am pleased so many people in our community have voted to put kids first in this election. I am proud of my team’s effort in this race. We ran an honest race, providing facts about current issues in education, the differences I have made in Northshore and hope to make in the future,” McCravey said.
The race is tight at Director No. 2, with incumbent Janet Quinn leading Joe Marshall 53.445 percent to 46.27 percent at press time.
“I’m thankful to put the campaign behind me and eager to continue to focus on the important collaborative work of meeting the needs of our students,” Quinn said.
“It’s an exciting race. I’m honored that so many Northshore voters put their confidence in me,” said Marshall, who added that he looks forward to seeing everyone “work together and embrace the expertise of our parents, stay financially sound and support our outstanding teachers so we can serve all of our kids in these tough times.”
• Bothell annexation
After more than a week’s worth of results released by Snohomish County elections, at press time there were 3,674 “no” votes (53 percent) against Bothell annexation to 3,257 “yes” votes (47 percent) in the unincorporated Snohomish County North, East, West Bothell Annexation (NEWBA) area. Proposition 1 needed a simple majority to pass.
The “no” annexation group said that “Bothell’s annexation fails to maintain current levels of fire and emergency medical service,” two fully-staffed fire stations in the annexation area would close and emergency response time would rise from eight minutes to about 15 minutes.
The “yes” group disagreed with that assessment, noting that increased public services and lower property taxes were pluses to annexing into Bothell.
“I would say today that the ‘no’ campaign is very happy with the decision to reject annexation. Our grassroots effort started 13 years ago when the ‘yes’ campaign said they started,” said Bud NcCorchuk, treasurer for Citizens for Responsible Annexations. “The will of the people has spoken and we hope the city of Bothell honors that. Our message was we wanted a better deal, we will see what the future holds.”
“I’m very proud of the city’s employees in the way that we’ve conducted ourselves and provided factual information for voters to make an informed decision,” said Bothell City Manager Bob Stowe, noting that 1,100 unincorporated Snohomish County residents signed a petition to be annexed into Bothell. “I think it’s unfortunate that there was so much misinformation that had been circulated about the annexation.”
The Bothell Annex Yes! group noted that the Snohomish County Boundary Review Board approved the annexation as being in the best interests of the NEWBA area, and they hope the city decides to run the annexation again soon.
The NEWBA area consists of 5.6 square miles with a population of 22,283 residents.
“The citizens in favor of annexation are obviously disappointed in the results of the recent election,” reads a statement from the “yes” group. “We feel that Snohomish Fire District 1 deliberately misled the voters and frightened them with a series of untrue statements about stations closing, medics responding from Kirkland and taxes. This confusion was the obvious difference in the campaign.”
A Snohomish Fire District 1 press release notes that it has made reductions in its administrative staff in a budget move to address a 12.3 percent reduction of property tax revenue for 2012.
Nine administrative positions have been eliminated through a combination of retirements and layoffs that take effect this month as the district seeks to offset a $3 million funding gap in 2012, according to Fire Chief Ed Widdis.
• Bothell City Council
Over at Bothell City Council, incumbents Mark Lamb and Bill Evans and newcomer Andy Rheaume had a handle on their races from the get-go.
At press time, Lamb led Tris Samberg roughly 62-38 percent; Evans topped Nicholas Carlson roughly 65-35 percent; and Rheaume garnered 61 percent of the votes to Adam Brauch’s 39 percent.
“I am honored by this vote of confidence in the record of our City Council and the positive direction for our future that Councilmember Evans and I laid out in this campaign. I look forward to working with Councilmember-elect Rheaume on behalf of all the people of Bothell in the new year,” said Lamb, Position 6.
Added Rheaume, Position 2: “I want to thank my team of Bothell residents that worked on my campaign. I would not have been successful without them. Running for the office of Bothell City Council has been a humbling experience, visiting over 4,500 residences and walking every street in our city has given me a strong sense of community.”
Evans, who is winning at Position 4, said that he’s looking forward to serving his new term and continuing to participate in Bothell’s downtown revitalization projects.
• Kenmore City Council
In Kenmore City Council voting, David Baker, Milton Curtis and Brent Smith all ran unopposed and will man spots on the council.
Both Mayor Baker (Position 5) and Curtis (Position 3) are back on council while Smith (Position 1) will be a first-timer.
“Effective city leadership requires strong communication with the other councilmembers, the city staff and the citizens. I’m grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to serve all of the citizens of Kenmore. I will work hard to represent our city at both a local and a regional level,” Smith said.
Added Curtis: “I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Kenmore City Council. The council has studied many issues in depth to create the best policies for our city and our citizens. I am looking forward to the next four years of ongoing careful stewardship of the city’s resources.”
The race for Position 7 featured current councilmembers Glenn Rogers and John Hendrickson. At press time, Rogers held a roughly 55-45 percent lead.
“It has been a privilege to serve for the last eight years, and I respect the voters,” Hendrickson said.
Rogers was unavailable for comment.
• Northshore Utility District
Incumbent Trudy Rolla is running away with the Commissioner Position No. 1 spot with a roughly 77-23 percent lead over Ian W. Macdonald.
Bruce Gardiner, running unopposed, will take the No. 4 position.
• King County Fire Protection District No. 16
Newcomer Eric Adman has a roughly 56-44 percent lead over incumbent Don Ellis.
“I would like to thank my opponent for his many years of dedicated service to the community. Thanks also to all the people who helped with my campaign. As a commissioner, I hope to keep receiving input from the community,” Adman said.
