Non-partisan Races Sometimes Elect Independents

In the newly non-partisan Assessor-Treasurer race in 2008, outsider Dale Washam was elected. The results of races are affected by the structure of the election. Making the Assessor-Treasurer race non-partisan allowed an independent to compete more effectively.

Below we examine four different structures and what the impact of those structures would have had on the Assessor-Treasurer race. The data used in the analysis was obtained from the Pierce County Auditor's website.

Partisan RCV Winner: Barbara Gelman, Jan Shabro or Terry Lee

In partisan races, RCV rules give the parties the right to determine who is allowed to use their name on the ballot. The Democrats endorsed Gelman and Beverly Davidson in the non-partisan race, so it is reasonable to assume that in the case of a partisan RCV race, they would have allowed the same candidates to use their label. The Republicans would likely have allowed Shabro and/or Lee to use their label on the November ballot. Washam would have had to run as an independent or a third party candidate.

In this scenario, Washam would likely have received about as many votes as Mike Lonergan did in the County Executive race and one of the Democrats or Republicans would have won the race.

Non-partisan RCV Winner: Dale Washam

This is how the race was structured and Washam won.

Non-partisan Top 2 Winner: Dale Washam

In the November election, Dale Washam and Terry Lee had the two highest first choice totals. If there had been an August primary, these two candidates would have made it through to the November general election.

During the actual race, neither Washam nor Lee campaigned much for the position other than putting in their candidate statements and asking the News Tribune for their endorsement, which Lee received. The data shows Washam would have beaten Lee in the non-partisan Top 2 general election.

Partisan Top 2 Winner: ???

In the Top 2 system, candidates can prefer to be "Democrat" or "Republican" without the permission of the party. In this environment, Gelman and Davidson would have preferred the Democrats while Shabro and Lee would have preferred the Republican party. Washam and Bernardo Tuma would probably have picked parties as well. It is really not clear what would have happened in this environment. The winner could have been Gelman, Lee, Shabro or Washam. It is quite difficult to tell from the data we have.

Conclusion

Whether a race is partisan vs. non-partisan has more impact on the outcome of a race than Top 2 vs. RCV. In a partisan RCV race, Washam clearly would not have won. In any non-partisan race, Washam would have won.

For analysis of the impact of election structure on voter turnout, see here.

Voter Participation in Pierce County

Total voter turnout in Pierce County was very high in 2008 due to the presence of Barack Obama on the ballot. Partisan races had higher voter participation than non-partisan races. Contested races had higher voter participation than uncontested races. Since there were no uncontested Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) races, voter participation in partisan county level races increased from 2004 to 2008.

Partisan versus non-partisan races

In Pierce County, every statewide partisan race had higher voter participation than every statewide non-partisan race. At the county level, every partisan race had higher voter participation than every non-partisan race. This was particularly evident in the Assessor-Treasurer race which shifted from being partisan to non-partisan between 2004 and 2008. In the 2008 Assessor-Treasurer race, voter participation fell to a level between the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the judicial races.

It appears as if there are voters who will vote for a candidate simply based on the partisan affliation and who skip non-partisan races where they don't know the candidates.

Number of Candidates

In November 2004, there were five State Representative elections and two County Council elections in Pierce County which had just one candidate on the ballot. In November 2008, all of these races had two or three candidates on the November ballot. All of these races experienced significant increases in voter participation. This is not surprising since many voters skip uncontested races with just one candidate on the ballot.

In the 26th State Legislative District, there were three candidates on the ballot in each State Representative race in 2004. In 2008, there were only two candidates on the November ballot. Undervotes increased in these races.

In most of the statewide races, we saw an increase in undervotes from 2004 to 2008. We also saw most statewide and countywide races increase turnout as measured by percent of registered voters, but decrease as a percent of the presidential vote. One reason for this is the significant number of voters who just voted for President in 2008.

Another reason is the move to the Top 2 which restricts the numbers of candidates on the ballot in November. In 2004, there were at least three candidates on the ballot in most races. This appears to have allowed more voters to express their views.

Since there were no uncontested partisan RCV races, on average those partisan county level races moving to RCV experienced an increase in voter participation.

Conclusion

Voter participation is heavily driven by the excitement of a Presidential race. Down ballot partisan races experience higher voter participation than down ballot non-partisan races. Uncontested races generally do not experience high voter turnout. RCV generally has more candidates and fewer uncontested races. Eliminating the partisan/non-partisan and uncontested race effects, there was little difference in voter turnout between Top 2 and RCV elections in 2008.

McCarthy still leading County Executive race

Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy saw her lead shrink in the preliminary results published tonight, but the lead appears to be significant enough to hold up through further vote counting.

In the results published Tuesday night, McCarthy's lead over Pierce County Council member Shawn Bunney was 8507 votes after the allocation of Mike Lonergan and Calvin Goings' supporters' second choices. Tonight the lead had shrunk to 6695 votes. This represented a significant decline in the percentage lead, but Bunney will need stage a big swing in the remaining ballots to overcome McCarthy's 6695 vote lead.

McCarthy is still receiving more support from Lonergan and Goings supporters than Bunney. The big margin amongst Goings supporters was expected since both McCarthy and Goings are Democrats. Lonergan, though, tried to run as a Republican, but was rejected. One would have expected that Lonergan supporters would mostly be Republicans, but McCarthy and Goings were getting the majority of the second choices.

The schedule calls for these results to be updated again next Friday. Given the closeness of the race, it would be good if the Elections Department added a Monday or Tuesday update to this race.

Pierce County Republicans surge as Poll Votes Counted

Last evenings' posted preliminary results posted by the Pierce County Auditor's Office showed Republican percentages moving up in several close races around the county. The votes counted over the last couple of days represent mostly poll votes and it is unclear whether this surge will continue when the counting of the poll votes is complete and we move back to counting exclusively the late arriving mail-in ballots.

County Executive race tightens

In the Pierce County Executive race, Republican Pierce County Council member Shawn Bunney's lead in first choices has moved from just under 3% on election night to about 6 3/4% as of last night. This will likely result in a substantial narrowing of Democrat Pat McCarthy's lead in the RCV race.

In Tuesday night's tabulation of results, McCarthy picked up substantial second choices from Mike Lonergan and Calvin Goings supporters. Tomorrow night we will get another opportunity to see the RCV tabulation. It will be interesting to see if the poll supporters of Lonergan and Goings gave their second choices to McCarthy.

This analysis will be possible due to the release of a ballot image file with the poll ballots in the file. (As of Tuesday's listing the Auditor's office had only counted mail-in ballots received before Tuesday.)

This race appears to still be too close to call.

Close County Council races

In the open Pierce County Council, District #2 race, Republican Joyce McDonald saw her percentage of first choices rise to 47.64%. This is sufficiently close to 50%, it will make it difficult for Democrat Al Rose to catch her with second choices from Carolyn Merrival's supporters.

In Tuesday night's preliminary results posting, Republican incumbent Pierce County Council member Roger Bush (District #3) trailed his Democratic opponent Bruce Lachney by over a percentage point. As of last night's posting, Bush had pulled ahead by over 2 percent. This two-way race is still too close to call.

Meanwhile, Democrat Tim Farrell and Republican Dick Muri are cruising to easy re-election in their County Council races.

Assessor-Treasurer race too close to call

The nonpartisan Assessor-Treasurer's race is still way too close to call. Four candidates (Barbara Gelman, Dale Washam, Jan Shabro and Terry Lee) still have a shot at winning. This race will not be determined until at least a week from now.

Last night's tabulation appeared to only take about 30 minutes including the time for checking the results. It appears as if increasing the memory of the computers has substantially sped up the generation of results as compared to Tuesday night.

Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer race too close to call

The Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer race is far too close to call at this point. Dale Washam has a small lead in first choices, but has only 24.67% of the first choices. Barbara Gelman has a very small lead over Washam, Jan Shabro and Terry Lee after a preliminary run of the Ranked Choice Voting allocation of second and third choices.

Due to the large number of votes yet to be counted, any one of these four candidates could still win this race. The allocation of second and third choices will be crucial in this race. The next tabulation of second and third choices will be on Friday afternoon. We expect this race to be too close to call until at least that point.

Historic Ranked Choice Voting Election in Pierce County

Pierce County voters are about to participate in an historic Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) election for county officials. Voters will have more choices and will be able to order their choices. Voters will be able to choose the person, not the party, if they want to do so. RCV ensures that we get majority winners in each election. It is an exciting path-breaking event in our history.

More Choices When It Matters

In the race for Pierce County Executive, voters will have four solid candidates from whom to choose. The Assessor-Treasurer race has six candidates. The Sheriff and District #2, County Council races have three candidates each in them. This is in stark contrast to the state level elections where there will be only one or two candidates on the ballot.

There are more third party and independent candidates on the November ballot than the rest of the state combined. Independent voters in North Tacoma will have Ken Paulson as a choice for County Council. Mike Lonergan is running as a third party candidate for County Executive.

Vote Your Heart

In these races, voters will be allowed to list their first, second and third choices. In the County Executive race, if you love candidate A, like candidate B, can live with candidate C and loath candidate D, you, as a voter, can list A as your first choice, B as your second choice and C as your third choice. No need to worry about throwing the race to candidate D. No need to settle for second or third best, because "they have the best chance to win." Vote your heart in these ranked choice elections.

Majority Winners

In a RCV election, if one candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, then that candidate is the winner. If no candidate receives a majority of the first choice votes, then the candidate with the fewest first choices is eliminated and those votes are allocated based on the voters' second choices.

If after this allocation a candidate has a majority of the votes, that candidate wins. If not, repeat the process until one candidate has a majority. This process ensures a majority winner and prevents candidates from winning with less than a majority of the voters supporting that candidate.

Remember to Fill Out the Separate Ballot

This will be the first November election with more than one ballot card in Pierce County. Be sure to fill out both the traditional ballot card and the Ranked Choice Voting card and return both in the envelope.

Make sure you read the voters' pamphlet for the instructions. The Elections Department has done a good job of explaining how to fill out your ballot for these races.

Participate in History

This RCV election is, by far, the largest implementation of RCV in a partisan election in the US. Have fun with it. Vote your heart. People throughout the country see Pierce County as a leader in election reform. And you get to participate.

Barbara Gelman for Assessor-Treasurer

For more information about the Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

By Barbara Gelman

Thank you for the opportunity to provide additional information on why I am asking for your vote as the next Pierce County Assessor Treasurer.

I have spent the last 20 plus years in public service representing the citizens of Pierce County. For eight of those years, I served as Assessor-Treasurer (AT). My knowledge of the RCW’s, State Department of Revenue, and County processes and procedures relating to the AT Office, place me well above any other candidate in terms of background and experience. I will be a ble to hit the ground running from day one. No on-the-job training will be required.

I also still have strong relationships with staff within the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office. I have a reputation for hiring good people and establishing clear and comprehensive policies and procedures. I worked hard to ensure that systems were in place to help employees do their work more efficiently, and to make sure information was available for the public easily and quickly.

Additionally, it is widely acknowledged that Customer Service is my number one priority. I believe in an open-door policy and will commit to making my office accessible to all the citizens of Pierce County. We are there to serve you! During my tenure, the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office was recognized for its customer service and customer friendly atmosphere. If elected, I will commit to insuring that attit ude is reinstated.

I will also work hard to assure the taxpayers of Pierce County that over $89 billion work of assessed property is fairly, accurately, and honestly appraised. Nobody should pay more than they are legally responsible…not one penny more! I will also pledge to offer assistance with the appeal process for any citizen who believes their appraisal is too high.

I will be honored to receive your vote.

Thank you,

Barbara Gelman

For information about Jan Shabro.

For information about other candidates.

Jan Shabro for Assessor-Treasurer

By Jan Shabro

People should vote for me, Jan Shabro, as their next Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer because:


I have both the experience and credentials to be a good administrator.

I have a Masters degree in Administration from Pacific Lutheran University. In the private sector, I served both as manager of a successful business and instructor to middle management at Boeing. In the public arena, I was a school teacher who instructed hundreds of students, conferenced with parents and collaborated with colleagues. I was elected twice as a Pierce County Council member and served as both chair of the council and various committees. I served four years as a state representative. My peers elected me as caucus chair where I presided over meetings as we analyzed complex legislation. And I dealt with a variety of staff issues.


I will work for customer satisfaction.

When elected, I will convene a committee of citizens to find ways to make the office more customer friendly. We will investigate ways to: make online tax payment more affordable (currently there’s a 2% charge for each transaction); remind people to pay their property taxes on time and avoid costly fines; effectively educate people in the appeal process when they disagree with their assessments; and other issues that concern citizens.


I will advocate for lower property taxes.

I will be a strong advocate for you, the taxpayer. As a state legislator, I voted against legislation that would raise your property taxes and voted for laws that would lower property taxes. And, as your next Assessor-Treasurer I will continue to fight for state laws that provide property tax relief.

Consequently, with my administrative experience, commitment to customer satisfaction, and pledge to work for lower property taxes, I, Jan Shabro, am your first choice for Asssessor-Treasurer.

Ranked Choice Voting elections start

Pierce County voters will be receiving their Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) absentee ballots in the mail today or Monday. There will be far more choices for the county level RCV races than the state level Top 2 races. For example, in the countywide races, there are four candidates in the County Executive race, six in the Assessor-Treasurer race and three in the Sheriff's race.

Part of the excitement is no one is quite sure who will win several of the county level elections, so your vote counts. The County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer, County Council, District #2 and #3 races have no clear cut favorite to win. On the other hand, Congressman Norm Dicks will win re-election his Top 2 election whether you vote for him or not.

Since RCV requires majority winners, your second and third choices in the County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer and County Council, District #2 races are likely to impact the ultimate outcome. Voters should be sure to list their second and third choices in these races.

Help democracy work. Vote in the county level elections. Be sure to put your RCV ballot back in the return envelope when you return it.

News Tribune Assessor-Treasurer endorsements

The Tacoma News Tribune editorial blog posted their intention on Monday to endorse

First Choice: Terry Lee
Second Choice: Barbara Gelman
Third Choice: Jan Shabro

in the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer race.

Since this is a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) race where voters will be allowed to list their first choice, second choice and third choice, the News Tribune is making the three endorsements in the race. This is particularly important in this race since there are six candidates in the race and it is likely no one candidate will receive a majority of the first choices. As a result, second and third choices become important to determining the winner.

This is good information for the voters of Pierce County. Thank you to the News Tribune for providing this public service.

2008 Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer race

For more information about the Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

The Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer race in November 2008 is non-partisan and features six candidates which is the most of any Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) race in the county. In order of their appearance on the ballot, the candidates are Dale Washam, Terry Lee, Jan Shabro, Bernardo Tuma, Barbara Gelman and Beverly Davidson. For comments on why each of the candidates are running, see Why?

Several of the candidates have sufficient name recognition and/or qualifications to gain significant first choice vote totals. None of the candidates has raised sufficient funds to do a countywide mailing to likely voters. The race is likely to be highly affected by the quality of the candidates' voter pamphlet statements.

It is likely that no candidate will receive a majority of the first choices of the voters. This is the type of race where candidates have different campaign strategies with RCV than Top-2.

Saving your resources for the General Election

In Top-2 races, there was a primary in August and all but two candidates have been eliminated. In this type of system, we would have seen quite a bit of campaigning in the Assessor-Treasurer race during June, July and August with the candidates trying to be one of the two who makes it through the primary into the general election.

Since this race is an RCV election, there was no primary and all of the candidates move directly to the general election. While there was a bit of campaigning this summer, we didn't see a single yard sign for the Assessor-Treasurer race before the primary. Some candidates noted in their responses to questions, that they had postponed the heavy campaigning in the race until the fall since there was no primary.

To Win, You Need a Majority

In an RCV race, voters are allowed to list their second and third choices as well as their first choice. Davidson, Lee, Shabro and Washam all want as many first choices as possible, but are also asking for second and third choices as well. When asked if he was campaigning for second choices, Lee stated "I sure am, with 6 candidates it's unlikely any candidate will get a simple majority on first count."

If no candidate receives a majority of the first choices in a RCV race, the candidate with the fewest first choices is eliminated and those votes go to the second choices on their ballots. If a candidate receives a majority of the votes in this round, that candidate wins. If no candidate has a majority, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the process is repeated. In the Assessor-Treasurer race, it is likely that we will need three or more rounds of counting before the winner is determined.

Positive vs. Negative Campaigning

All of the candidates in the Assessor-Treasurer race who answered our questionaire are focused on getting positive messages out about their qualifications for this office. Tearing down one of the other candidates is not the best way to get a majority of voters to vote for you in this race. In fact, some candidates were willing to tell us their second choice.

Conclusion

In the Assessor-Treasurer race, we are seeing some straightforward changes in campaign strategy due to the RCV nature of the race. Conserving resources until the general election, asking for second and third choices and positive campaigning for the candidate rather than negative campaigning against one opponent are in evidence thus far.

Why are you running for Assessor-Treasurer?

Each candidate for Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer in 2008 was asked "Why are you running?" Below are their answers in order of the candidates' appearance on the ballot.

Dale Washam: Did not answer.

Terry Lee: After 30 years in the private sector overseeing multimillion dollar projects and 24 years in the public sector dealing with land use, I feel that I am the most qualified candidate running. I believe that I could build a bridge between the Assessor/Treasurer's Office and the citizens of Pierce County. I would like to see the implementation of a Property Tax Advisor, a position I created in the 2008 budget to help citizens who are appealing their tax assessments.

I would like to expand our Current Use Assessment program to provide additional property tax relief for addressing shoreline pollution problems, I would like to continue to work with our legislature as I did in 2007 and 2008 to get property tax relief for citizens negatively affected by the Growth Management Act. I would like to be more responsive and available as your Assessor.

Jan Shabro: I am running because I have the administrative skills necessary for the job, I want a customer-friendly experience for the taxpayer, and I want to be an effective advocate for the people to lower property taxes.

Bernardo Tuma: Did not answer.

Barbara Gelman: The Assessor-Treasurer’s Office is the only office in the County that touches every property owner. It is essential that the person selected by the voters is people-oriented and customer service focused! For
over 20 years in public service, customer service has been my number
one priority. I know the good you can do effectively running the Office
of Assessor-Treasurer as I have done it! And.... I love the job.

When elected, I will continue to support and improve the systems that
provide good customer service and will reach out to our senior
population, those that are disabled, as well as the various taxing
districts, businesses, and citizens. I also commit to assist taxpayers
every step of the way if they choose to appeal their assessments to the
Equalization Board.

Beverly Davidson: While serving as commissioner on the Pierce County Charter Review Commission I heard complaints about the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer's office. I realized I could give the taxpayers better service with my knowledge.

I worked in the Assessor-Treasurer's office for 16 years (1986 to 2003) under four different elected officials. My responsibilities allowed me to have hands-on knowledge of all aspects of the office including the department budget. I saw what was needed and expected from the taxpayer's point of view.

Return to the main posting.

2008 Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer candidates

For more information about the Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

For more information about the County Executive race, see here.

In order of their appearance on the ballot

Dale Washam has run for office several times, including running unsuccessfully for Assessor-Treasurer in 2004. Thus far, Washam has not reported raising any money for this campaign and did not respond to our questionnaire.

Terry Lee is the Pierce County Councilmember from Gig Harbor. Lee is the current Council Chair. He has not reported raising any money for this campaign yet.

Jan Shabro is a former member of the Pierce County Council and a former State Representative. Shabro has raised $12,700 for this campaign.

Bernardo Tuma is a former Metropolitian Parks Commissioner, a candidate for Port Commissioner and a small businessman in downtown Tacoma. Tuma has not reported raising any money for this campaign yet and did not respond to our questionnaire.

Barbara Gelman is the Pierce County Councilmember from District #5 and a former Assessor-Treasurer. Gelman has raised $13,200 for this campaign.

Beverly Davidson is a former Pierce County Charter Review Commissioner and a former employee of the Assessor-Treasurer's department. Davidson has reported raising $8,500 for this campaign.

For comments on why each of the candidates are running, see Why?

To review comments on the race.

Beverly Davidson volunteers to do Ranked Choice Voting education

Beverly Davidson, candidate for Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer, is running in a Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) race with five other candidates. Due to the strength of the field, it is unlikely that any candidate will receive a majority of the first choices.

Davidson's brochure has a section on RCV in which she notes this is the first year Pierce County will be using RCV. She goes on to say "Voters will rank their top three choices for all Pierce County Government elected officials on the ballot." She then volunteers to explain the process in detail.

It is nice that a candidate is volunteering to help with voter education. Of course, for Davidson to win, she will need voters to list her as either their first choice, second choice or third choice, so it is her self-interest to volunteer.

Good for Davidson.

Pierce County Council poised for November shake-up

Bloggers Note: This article appeared in the Peninsula Gateway which circulates in the Gig Harbor area of Pierce County.


Chairman Terry Lee enters race for County Assessor-Treasurer
Paige Richmond
of the Gateway
Published: 03:51PM June 18th, 2008
The outcome of this November’s election could mean a new path for Terry Lee.

Lee, a Gig Harbor resident, has served on the seven-member Pierce County Council since 2003 and as chair of the council since 2006. He represents District 7, which includes the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula areas.

Although Lee’s term on the council isn’t up until 2010, he’s decided to enter the race this year for another position: County Assessor-Treasurer. If elected to the non-partisan position in November, Lee, a Republican, will leave both his council seat and the council chairman’s position open prematurely.

“If you’re in this role as an elected official, and you want to serve again, you look for opportunities,” Lee said about why he’s running for a position now instead of 2010. “If I waited until I term-limited off the council, I wouldn’t have anything to run for.”

Term limits are determining factors in this year’s council election. It’s not just national politics that could see a shake-up come this November; the Pierce County Council is poised for a change in leadership, too. Each member of the council is either up for re-election in 2008 or has entered a race for another county position.

“Part of it is because of term limits,” said Pierce County Auditor Pat McCarthy, who has entered this year’s competition for County Executive. “It’s not uncommon, in a county with term limits.”

Council members are limited to two terms in Pierce County. Those members who, like Lee, hope to continue serving as elected officials begin looking for new roles before their second term ends. Republican council member Shawn Bunney, for example, entered the race for County Executive this year, although his second term representing Council District 1 isn’t up until 2010.

Council member Barbara Gelman, a Democrat who represents District 5, is in a similar boat as Lee: She is also running for County Assessor-Treasurer, although her second term on the council ends in 2010.

Three of the council members — Democrat Timothy Farrell, who represents District 4, and Republicans Roger Bush and Dick Muri, who represent Districts 3 and 6, respectively — reach the end of their first terms this year and are running for re-election.

Democrat Calvin Goings’ second term ends in 2008, so the District 2 representative is making a run for County Executive.

Early last year, Lee had also announced his candidacy for the executive seat, only to withdraw shortly afterward. He said the decision was based on a desire to spend more time at home.

“I’ve been asked by a lot of people to do that,” Lee said about running for County Executive. “It’s a regional-type position, where I’m gone all the time. I’m getting to be at an age where having a private life is important to me, as well.”

The assessor-treasurer job, Lee said, fits best with his experience in both the private and public sectors. The position, which is being vacated by Ken Madsen this year, involves evaluating property for taxation.

Lee served on both the Pierce County Planning Commission and the Peninsula Advisory Commission addressing land-use issues before running for his council seat. One of his goals as assessor-treasurer, he said, is to provide public outreach about taxation.

“I think there’s a little bit of voodoo magic in property tax evaluation and assessment,” Lee said. “I think there’s a good opportunity to educate people about those things, and I’d like to do that.”

He said another of his goals is to provide tax relief for Pierce County residents who are “being taxed out of their homes.”

If Lee is elected to the Assessor-Treasurer’s seat in November, the Pierce County Republican Party would put forward three prioritized recommendations to replace him on the county council. The appointment would serve from January to November 2009, when the seat would be open for general election.

The appointed replacement, however, would not take Lee’s chairman role. That position would be chosen by the six other council members.

If Lee fails at his bid, he’ll continue as council member until 2010. By then, Lee could have another option for continuing his public service: Some Pierce County residents are attempting to add a measure to the 2009 ballot that would allow council members to run for a third term.

If the measure passes, Lee said he’d run again.

“I enjoy it. I just really enjoy it,” he said. “When I was first elected to the council, I thought, ‘If I could get a second term, that would be enough.’ But now, I’m not ready to retire.”


Roles to change in county

Each member of the seven-person Pierce County Council is running in this year’s election — some for re-election, some for new positions. Here’s a breakdown of the council members’ campaigns:

Two council members are running for County Executive. Calvin Goings, a Democrat from District 1, and Shawn Bunney, a Republican from District 2, are both running for the executive seat, which is being vacated John Ladenburg. Their terms end in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Democrat Pat McCarthy, the current county auditor, and former Republican Mike Lonergan, who has run for the seat twice before, are also in the race.

Roger Bush, a Republican from District 3, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Democrat Bruce Lachney is running against him.

Timothy M. Farrell, a Democrat from District 4, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Independent Ken Paulson is Farrell’s opponent.

Two council members are running for County Assessor-Treasurer. Barbara Gelman, a Democrat from District 5, and Terry Lee, a Republican from District 7, both reach the end of their second terms on the county council in 2010. Four other candidates — Dale Washam, Jan Shabro, Bernardo Tuma and Beverly Davidson — are running for the non-partisan position.

Dick Muri, a Republican from District 6, is up for re-election. He has served on the council for one term. Democrat Vincent Stewart is running against him.

Reach Reporter and Columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) races in Pierce County

For more information about the County Executive race, see here.

For more information about the County Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

Now that filing week is over in Pierce County, we know who is running in each of the races, it appears as if we will have three very interesting RCV elections this November in Pierce County.

The County Executive race has been going on for months now and all four of the known candidates signed up to run this week. There will be one Republican (Shawn Bunney), two Democrats (Calvin Goings and Pat McCarthy) and one Executive Excellence candidate (Mike Lonergan). About the only thing insiders are willing to predict about this race is that no candidate will receive a majority of the first choices, so candidates will have quite the incentive to ask for second and third choices. This will be the largest partisan RCV race in modern US history. The Pierce County voters and elections department will be making history together.

The non-partisan County Assessor-Treasurer race has attracted quite a field of candidates. There are six candidates, all of whom have either held political office before or have run for political office before. Once again, it is unlikely that one candidate will receive over 50% of the first choices, so campaigning for second and third choices is likely to be a big deal. This race is a poster child for why the newspapers and other endorsers should tell voters about their second and third choices.

The partisan County Council seat for District #2 promises to be interesting as well. Joyce McDonald, the Republican, is the best known candidate as she is a sitting State Representative. However, this seat is currently held by Democrat Calvin Goings who is now running for County Executive. Two Democrats (Carolyn Merrival and Al Rose) are angling to fill Calvin's seat. They will have to work together to beat McDonald or else McDonald will win easily.

Pierce County voters will have many choices in November for county level offices and sparse choices at the state level. The contrast will be stark. We believe voters will prefer more choices to just one or two.

The non-partisan County Assessor-Treasurer race in particular will provide a nice example of how non-partisan RCV races could work in Washington. Next year's legislature would do well to watch this race and consider giving local jurisdictions such as cities, port districts and school districts the option to elect their officials using RCV.

Candidate Filings in Pierce County RCV elections

For more information about the County Executive race, see here.

For more information about the County Assessor-Treasurer race, see here.

Pierce County will be using Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) to elect its county level officials this November. These races include County Executive, Assessor-Treasurer, Sheriff and 4 County Council positions. This past week was the week to file for these offices.

For County Executive, the following four candidates filed to run:

Shawn Bunney (R)
Calvin Goings (D)
Mike Lonergan (Executive Excellence)
Pat McCarthy (D)

For the non-partisan position of Assessor-Treasurer, the following candidates filed to run:

Beverly Davidson
Barbara Gelman
Terry Lee
Jan Shabro
Bernando Tuma
Dale Washam

For the non-partisan position of Sheriff, the following candidates filed:

Jesse Hill
R.P. Kollu
Paul Pastor

For County Council, District #2, the following candidates filed:

Joyce McDonald (R)
Carolyn Merrival (D)
Al Rose (D)

For County Council, District #3, the following candidates filed:

Roger Bush (R)
Bruce Lachney (D)

For County Council, District #4, the following candidates filed:

Tim Farrell (D)
Ken Paulson (I)

For County Council, District #6, the following candidates filed:

Dick Muri (R)
Vincent Stewart (D)

Editor's Note: We believe that the Jesse Hill running for Sheriff is actually the person better known as Robert Hill. It is possible that he may be ruled out of the race.