2009 elections mostly maintain status quo
Published on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Local News
With incumbent candidates holding wide margins in most north Snohomish County contests, the real nail-biter was the fate of Referendum 71, which was approved by only about 3 percentage points.
Among all the city council and school board contests, the only one in which a newcomer toppled an incumbent was for the Arlington City Council At-Large spot. Linda Byrnes, former schools superintendent and a community activist, won nearly 60 percent of the vote to bypass incumbent Graham Smith.
Across Snohomish County, voter participation was reported at just over 47 percent. Slightly more than 175,000 residents mailed in their ballots, out of 371,915 registered voters.
Initiative 1033, which aimed to curb government spending, was soundly defeated, with more than 55 percent of all voters checking the "No" box. Just over 51 percent of voters supported the approval of Referendum 71, which addressed a domestic partnership law signed by the governor earlier this year. A levy proposal for Sno-Isle Libraries also passed, with slightly more than 53 percent of voters approving the tax measure.
The Snohomish County Council will remain unchanged, with John Koster hanging on to his District 1 seat despite a strong challenge from Ellen Hiatt Watson. Koster received 20,765 votes to Watson's 14,792, and will return to the council for his third and final term of service. Dave Gossett and Dave Somers also defeated their opponents in Districts 4 and 5, respectively.
Four seats on the Marysville City Council were up for re-election, but only two councilmembers faced challengers this year. Jeff Seibert and Donna Wright were both re-elected to the council, returning along with Jon Nehring and Jeff Vaughan.
For the Marysville School Board, Michael Kundu was unopposed and will serve another term. Chris Nation was victorious over Heather Thweatt for the District 1 seat vacated by Don Hatch, earning nearly 60 percent of the votes cast.
In Arlington, councilmembers Steve Baker and Chris Raezer were re-elected without opposition. Scott Solla took a 70 percent lead over challenger Brock Hecla, while incumbent Graham Smith lost to Linda Byrnes by less than 700 votes.
Ursula Ghirardo will be the new face on the Arlington School Board, replacing Carolyn Erickson as the District 3 representative. Current board member Bob McClure outpolled his opponent, Jim ODay, 58 percent to 42 percent.
In the hotly-contested judicial race for Superior Court Judge, Joe Wilson emerged victorious over a crowded field of candidates, earning nearly 40 percent of the votes. Rico Tessandore finished second, with approximately 30 percent of the 146,438 votes cast.
Among all the city council and school board contests, the only one in which a newcomer toppled an incumbent was for the Arlington City Council At-Large spot. Linda Byrnes, former schools superintendent and a community activist, won nearly 60 percent of the vote to bypass incumbent Graham Smith.
Across Snohomish County, voter participation was reported at just over 47 percent. Slightly more than 175,000 residents mailed in their ballots, out of 371,915 registered voters.
Initiative 1033, which aimed to curb government spending, was soundly defeated, with more than 55 percent of all voters checking the "No" box. Just over 51 percent of voters supported the approval of Referendum 71, which addressed a domestic partnership law signed by the governor earlier this year. A levy proposal for Sno-Isle Libraries also passed, with slightly more than 53 percent of voters approving the tax measure.
The Snohomish County Council will remain unchanged, with John Koster hanging on to his District 1 seat despite a strong challenge from Ellen Hiatt Watson. Koster received 20,765 votes to Watson's 14,792, and will return to the council for his third and final term of service. Dave Gossett and Dave Somers also defeated their opponents in Districts 4 and 5, respectively.
Four seats on the Marysville City Council were up for re-election, but only two councilmembers faced challengers this year. Jeff Seibert and Donna Wright were both re-elected to the council, returning along with Jon Nehring and Jeff Vaughan.
For the Marysville School Board, Michael Kundu was unopposed and will serve another term. Chris Nation was victorious over Heather Thweatt for the District 1 seat vacated by Don Hatch, earning nearly 60 percent of the votes cast.
In Arlington, councilmembers Steve Baker and Chris Raezer were re-elected without opposition. Scott Solla took a 70 percent lead over challenger Brock Hecla, while incumbent Graham Smith lost to Linda Byrnes by less than 700 votes.
Ursula Ghirardo will be the new face on the Arlington School Board, replacing Carolyn Erickson as the District 3 representative. Current board member Bob McClure outpolled his opponent, Jim ODay, 58 percent to 42 percent.
In the hotly-contested judicial race for Superior Court Judge, Joe Wilson emerged victorious over a crowded field of candidates, earning nearly 40 percent of the votes. Rico Tessandore finished second, with approximately 30 percent of the 146,438 votes cast.
blog comments powered by Disqus
