Most voters in Jefferson County won’t get a ballot for the Primary Election this year, while races in November’s General Election will largely revolve around campaigns for school board seats in four local school districts.

This year’s primary will only see contested races in the Sequim School District.

Candidates for four positions for the school board will first navigate the 2023 Primary Election to shrink the pool to two candidates for November. School district director races for District 1, District 4, and District 5 all have three candidates seeking the position. Two of the three slots — for Position 4 and Position 5 — are at-large seats.

All told, 46 elected positions were up for grabs during Candidate Filing Week this year. A total of 62 candidates filed for office. Three have since withdrawn from their races.

Local school board races

Three positions on the Port Townsend School Board will be on the ballot in November, and only the Position 5 seat has an incumbent seeking another term.

Annie Bartos and Simon Little are running for the District 2 director position.

Matt Klontz will square off against Nancy Papasodora for the Director District 3 seat.

And for the at large Position 5 seat, School Board Member Nathanael L. O’Hara is facing a challenge from Timothy S. Hawley.

The Position 5 seat had four people file to run as candidates, but two — Shasta Berg and Nancy Papasodora — have since dropped out.

“I decided to withdraw because it seemed like I could best support the school district by lending my support towards Nathanael,” Berg said in an email.

“It will cost the school district funds to run a primary and I didn’t want to be the reason they spent money on that instead of students or teachers. I’ll run in the future but when the time is right,” she added.

Voters will also decide two contested races for the Quilcene School Board.

Ron Frantz and Ronald Leon Jones are both running for the Position 1 seat. Trisha Freiberg, the incumbent, is not seeking another term.

And for Position 4, Anne Bessey and James Hodgson, will be on the ballot.

The Position 4 incumbent, Jessica Gossette, decided against running for another term.

Hodgson said he decided to run after seeing declining standardized test scores in the district.

“I believe educators must prepare students for the world they will face and be accountable when our students fall short of minimum expectations,” Hodgson said in a statement provided to The Leader.

“Our school must reset its focus on time honored basics. The basics must include: reading, math, writing, the arts, science and technology. I would like to see Standardized Tests reflect this focus and currently they do not.”

Hodgson also said the school board needs leadership.

“I have served on many boards and will make tough calls if the need arises. I will seek counsel and wisdom from those I trust and will listen to both sides of an argument before arriving at a decision,” Hodgson said in his candidate’s statement.

Hodgson has been on the ballot before, having previously been elected as a precinct officer.

A former sixth-grade teacher, he served as band director in the Quilcene School District for 25 years. He was also a founding member of Quilcene-Brinnon Dollars for Scholars, currently serving as vice president.

Bessey is taking her first shot at running for elected office.

A retired nurse, she has lived in Quilcene for 48 years. A former preschool teacher, Bessey has served on the community center board and was involved in the first Quilcene Fair.

More recently, she has been a volunteer in the kindergarten.

“When I thought about running for school board, I didn’t know Quilcene would be faced with finding a new superintendent,” Bessey said in her candidate’s statement provided to The Leader. “But, I filed anyway, only to find out the next day our principal was also leaving.

“Quilcene is facing some changes and probably some challenges. I’m ready to step up and help my community and the students. It’s my turn to serve,” she added.

Several noteworthy positions will advance to the November election with only one candidate.

Brandon Mack, appointed as judge of Jefferson County Superior Court by Gov. Jay Inslee following the retirement of Keith Harper, is running unopposed to retain the position.

Four incumbents on the Port Townsend City Council will run to retain their positions without a challenger this November.

Mayor David Faber and fellow Councilmembers Amy Howard, Monica MickHager, and Owen Rowe registered as candidates for the November election on  the first day of Candidate Filing Week.

All four were first elected in 2019.

There was a contest, though fleeting, for the Position 3 seat on the Port Townsend City Council.

Little filed as a candidate but withdrew from the race. Little then filed as a candidate for the District 2 director position on the Port Townsend School Board.

That race will advance to the November ballot, as Annie Bartos is also a candidate for the seat.

More candidates needed

Not every position on the ballot this November attracted candidates during May’s filing period, so Jefferson County will now have a special three-day filing period for candidates.

The special filing period is Wednesday, June 7 through Friday, June 9.

According to county election officials, the races will appear only on the General Election ballot, no matter how many candidates file for the office. Also, candidates who file during the special period may not withdraw.

The filing period opens at 8:30 a.m. June 7 and ends at 4:30 p.m. June 9. Candidates are needed for the following positions:

Queets/Clearwater School Board, Position 3;

Queets/Clearwater School Board, Position 5;

Clearwater Fire Commissioner, Position 1;

Clearwater Fire Commissioner, Position 2;

Clearwater Fire Commissioner, Position 3;

Paradise Bay Water District Commissioner, Position 2;

Paradise Bay Water District Commissioner, Position 3; and

Brinnon Water District Commissioner, Position 2.

On the ballot

Candidates who filed are:

Chuck Fauls, Port of Port Townsend Commissioner, District 1;

Pam Petranek (incumbent), Port of Port Townsend Commissioner, District 1;

Monica MickHager (incumbent), Port Townsend City Council, Position 3;

Owen Rowe (incumbent), Port Townsend City Council, Position 4;

Amy Howard (incumbent), Port Townsend City Council, Position 6;

David J. Faber (incumbent), Port Townsend City Council, Position 7;

Bruce J. McComas, East Jefferson County Hospital District Commissioner, Position 1;

John Nowak, Port Townsend School District Director, District 1;

Annie Bartos, Port Townsend School District Director, District 2;

Simon Little, Port Townsend School District Director, District 2;

Matt Klontz, Port Townsend School District Director, District 3;

Nancy Papasodora, Port Townsend School District Director, District 3;

Nathanael L. O’Hara, Port Townsend School District Director, Position 5;

Timothy S. Hawley, Port Townsend School District Director, Position 5;

Kristina Mayer (incumbent), Chimacum School District Director, District 3;

Tami Robocker (incumbent), Chimacum School District Director, District 4;

Ron Frantz, Quilcene School District Director, Position 1; 

Ronald Leon Jones, Quilcene School District Director, Position 1; 

Viviann Kuehl (incumbent), Quilcene School District Director, Position 3; 

Anne Bessey, Quilcene School District Director, Position 4; 

James Hodgson, Quilcene School District Director, Position 4; 

Joshua Cunningham (incumbent), Brinnon School District Director, Position 2;

Michelle Matheson (incumbent), Brinnon School District Director, Position 3;

Bill Barnet (incumbent), Brinnon School District Director, Position 4;

Dorothy Cook, Queets/Clearwater School District Director, Position 1;

Vanessa Kowoosh, Queets/Clearwater School District Director, Position 2;

Thomas Obi (incumbent), Queets/Clearwater School District Director, Position 4;

Lawrence (Larry) Jeffryes (incumbent), Sequim School District Director, District 1;

John Graham, Sequim School District Director, Position 1;

Jim Shepherd, Sequim School District Director, Position 1;

Eric Pickens, Sequim School District Director, Position 3;

Dean Christian, Sequim School District Director, Position 4;

Derek Huntington, Sequim School District Director, Position 4;

Maren Halvoresen (incumbent), Sequim School

District Director, Position 4;

Hunter Gilliam, Sequim School District Director, Position 5;

Sandra Kellso, Sequim School District Director, Position 5;

Michael Rocha, Sequim School District Director, Position 5;

Shannon Dahlgren (incumbent), Quillayute Valley School District, Position 1;

William H. Rohde (incumbent), Quillayute Valley School District, Position 3;

Michael A. Reaves (incumbent), Shannon Dahlgren, Quillayute Valley School District, Position 5;

Casey Carson (incumbent), Discovery Bay Fire Commissioner, Position 5;

Geoff Masci (incumbent), East Jefferson Fire Commissioner, District 4;

Marcia Kelbon (incumbent), Quilcene Fire Commissioner, Position 3;

Richard Moore (incumbent), Brinnon Fire Commissioner, Position 1;

Dustin Kraft, Fire District 1 (Forks) Commissioner, Position 1;

Chet Hunt (incumbent), Fire District 1 (Forks) Commissioner, Position 2;

Dustin Kraft, Fire District 3 (Sequim) Commissioner, Position 2;

Terry Wood (incumbent), Gardiner Cemetery District Commission, Position 3;

Mary Ann Stamper (incumbent), Quilcene Cemetery District Commissioner, Position 2;

Norman Johnson, Coyle-Thorndyke Park and Recreation District Commissioner, Position 1;

Thane Grooms (incumbent), Coyle-Thorndyke Park and Recreation District Commissioner, Position 3;

Richard Hull (incumbent), Coyle-Thorndyke Park and Recreation District Commissioner, Position 5;

David Dickson, West (Forks) Jefferson County Hospital District Commissioner, Position 1;

Brian Hoctor, West (Forks) Jefferson County Hospital District Commissioner, Position 1.