The primary election is Aug. 17.
Washington state’s primary election is a “Top Two” primary, which means the top two candidates in any race will advance to the general election Nov. 2. With the exception of Clallam County treasurer, biographies are written only for those in races with more than two candidates. The Gazette will publish another election forum page prior to the general election.
North Olympic Library System levy proposal
Website: www.nols.org
The North Olympic Library System is asking voters in Clallam County to restore its 2010 regular property tax levy rate from 33 cents to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation for collection in 2011.
The library last asked for a levy in 1978 and has branches in Sequim, Port Angeles, Forks and Clallam Bay.
Library staff drafted the business plan, NOLS 2012, in hopes of the levy passing to secure financial stability for the libraries and to repair and maintain deteriorating infrastructure for the next 10 years.
Staff attributes the need for a levy lid lift to a 2001 state law change putting a 1-percent limit on budget growth each year along with increased inflation being higher than revenues.
For more on the levy, visit www.nols.org or contact Paula Barnes, NOLS executive director at director@nols.org or 417-8525.
State Representative, Legislative District 24, Position 1 (2-year term)
Craig Durgan, R-Port Ludlow
Website: newwaycampaign.blogspot.com
Contact: 360-437-4127, durgan@olympus.net
A Washington native born in Seattle, 53-year-old Craig Durgan is seeking his first election to public office.
Durgan attended Rainier Beach High School and received an appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. He sailed on commercial ships for 28 years, rising to the rank of chief engineer.
In 2008 he retired to focus his attention on business in Jefferson County.
Durgan says he’s alarmed with the increase in emphasis placed upon the environment with no consideration for the economy, and with the increase in regulations from the State Department of Ecology.
He and fellow Port Ludlow resident Larry Carter, a candidate for Legislative District 24’s Position 2, are not accepting campaign donations.
Dan Gase, R-Port Angeles
Website: www.voteDanGase.com
Contact: 417-2804, dan@voteDanGase.com
A longtime local businessman, 56-year-old Dan Gase is former president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Uptown Realty in Port Angeles seeking his first political office.
Last December Gase sold his ownership in that business and now works at the firm as a real estate broker specializing in commercial marketing.
Gase also has held positions within the banking and finance arena including vice president of First Federal during the late 1980s.
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he is a licensed commercial pilot with advanced flight ratings and flies both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters.
Gase boasts a multi-decade history of volunteer work in the area. He is the vice president of the board of directors of Volunteers in Medicine of the Olympics and recently completed a three-year term on the board of the Olympic Medical Center Foundation. He’s also been president of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, president of the Port Angeles Kiwanis Club and a YMCA board member.
Gase says there are not enough business people representing Washington businesses in Olympia.
Gase and his wife, Cynthia, have been married 26 years and have a daughter, Vanessa.
Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim
Website: www.kevinvandewege.com
Contact: 360-477-0548, kevinvandewege@hotmail.com
Rep. Kevin Van De Wege represents the 24th District in the state House of Representatives. The 24th District includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and one third of Grays Harbor County that includes Hoquiam but not Aberdeen.
The 35-year-old Van De Wege is seeking his third term. He first was elected to his Position 1 seat in November 2006, defeating the incumbent, Joyce Republican Jim Buck.
Van De Wege is a firefighter/paramedic with Clallam County Fire District No. 3 in Sequim. He and his wife, Jennifer, a teacher, have a daughter and a son.
He serves as deputy majority whip in the Legislature. He also is on the Agriculture and Natural Resources, Technology, Energy & Communications, and General Government Appropriations committees in Olympia.
Van De Wege lists his recent legislative accomplishments as helping to secure permanent, year-round funding for a rescue tug at Neah Bay, promoting research into new energy technologies (such as forest biomass fuel) and opening Peninsula Plywood, creating 250 jobs with benefits.
In 2009, he was presented with a “Sound Hero” award from People for Puget Sound for his work to help protect Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca from oil spills.
State Representative, Legislative District 24, Position 2 (2-year term)
Larry (Jack) Carter, R-Port Ludlow
Website: newwaycampaign.blogspot.com
Contact: 360-437-9224; lwc@cablespeed.com
Larry Carter, 62, has not held political office.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy who rose to the rank of master chief in the Naval Nuclear Power Program, Carter was command master chief in his last two assignments for the service.
He was a nuclear power plant operator for several years and served on two submarines, an aircraft carrier, and a cruiser. Two of his tours were spent in Bremerton.
Carter grew up in Louisiana and attended Northeast Louisiana State College before he met and married his wife, Bugsy. They settled in Washington in 1998.
Like running partner Craig Durgan, Carter is not accepting campaign contributions. The pair have taken a political vow to spend only $3,000 between the two of them.
Carter says he’s concerned most with laws and their impact on small business people. He says he would set up an independent civilian review committee to evaluate any proposed new bills to determine their cost and long-term consequence. He says he’d also like to see state performance audits enacted.
John (Jack) Dwyer, D-Montesano
Website: www.jackdwyer.net
Contact: 360-249-8041, jackdwyerdc@yahoo.com
Jack Dwyer, 54, is a chiropractor and former Catholic priest who was elected to the Montesano School Board in 2009.
Dwyer holds degrees from Burlington County College, N.J. (associate of science), Thomas Edison State College, N.J. (bachelor’s of science), John XXIII College, Mass. (master’s of divinity); and Cleveland Chiropractic College, Calif. (doctorate of chiropractic).
Dwyer grew up in Philadelphia, Pa., and after 20 years as a Catholic priest, he decided he wanted a family.
He has been involved in Hope From Horses, a program that offers pony rides for children with disabilities. He also serves as vice president of the ARC of Grays Harbor, a program for people with disabilities, and he has been a volunteer with the Special Olympics.
Dwyer describes himself as a moderate Democrat and a fiscal conservative who believes in setting priorities and then sticking to them.
He says his priorities as state representative would be job creation, working to lower the business and occupation tax, helping people who need to be on the state basic health plan and fully funding basic education.
Jim McEntire, R-Sequim
Website: www.jimmcentire.com
Contact: 452-2199, VoteJimMcEntire@gmail.com
Jim McEntire, 60, is seeking his second political office after being elected as Port of Port Angeles commissioner in 2007.
McEntire retired at the rank of captain from the U.S. Navy in 2000. He served 32 years, 28 years as a commissioned officer.
He was a senior analyst from the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Departmental Budget Office, covering performance and budget issues for the entire department. He also was a deputy assistant secretary for budget and strategic planning for the U.S. Department of Labor and was director of business transformation for U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He retired in 2006.
McEntire holds a bachelor of science degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., and master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University.
McEntire and his wife, Sherry, a retired social worker, have three grown children and five grandchildren.
He’s a member of the Rotary Club of Sequim, is on the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula, is chairman, Northwest Peninsula Committee, of the Friends of the National Rifle Association, and is past president and member of the Peninsula Rifle and Pistol Club.
Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim
Website: www.stevetharinger.com
Contact: 360-912-2221, steve@stevetharinger.com
Steve Tharinger, 61, is serving his third term as Clallam County commissioner representing the First District.
He has oversight responsibilities for five county departments – Health and Human Services, Community Development, Treasurer, Assessor and Cooperative Extension.
Tharinger and his wife, Yvonne Yokota, a fish biologist, have been active residents and small business owners in Clallam County for more than 30 years. He moved to the Dungeness area in 1977.
He received the Clallam County Community Service Award in recognition of his long-standing community
involvement.
Tharinger is a member of Sequim Sunrise Rotary and a state-certified, volunteer mediator with the Peninsula Dispute Resolution Center. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Colorado College.
He’s serves on a number of committees and boards at the county, regional and state levels, including those of the Clallam Economic Development Council, Puget Sound Partnership and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, as well as the Olympic Area Agency on Aging. He’s chairman of Clallam County’s Lodging Tax Advisory and Agricultural Advisory committees.
Director of Community Development (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
Alan Barnard, Port Angeles
Website: barnardfordcd.com
Contact: 306-461-0175, barnardfordcd@gmail.com
Alan Barnard, 65, is an associate broker and owner of Re/Max Performance Team in Port Angeles. Although he hasn’t held an elected political office, Barnard is chairman the Port Angeles city’s Public Safety Advisory Board and the Clallam County Sheriff’s Citizens Advisory Committee. Barnard also is the county emergency management aviation coordinator and represents the city of Port Angeles on the Clallam County Opportunity Fund Board. He was a Washington State Real Estate commissioner from 2000-2006.
John Miller, Port Angeles
Contact: 457-8347, jhmiller49@msn.com
Port Angeles resident John Miller, 61, is the incumbent in this race. He served on the Clallam County Charter Review Commission from 2002-2007 and was elected to lead the Department of Community Development in 2006. (Clallam County is the only county in the nation where the community development director is elected). Miller holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Princeton University.
Sheila Roark Miller, Carlsborg
Website: www.ElectRoarkMiller.com
Contact: 683-1884, sheila@olypen.com
Carlsborg resident Sheila Roark Miller, 51, is seeking her first publicly elected position. She is a 20-year employee of the department, working as Clallam County code compliance officer and deputy fire marshal. Roark Miller holds an associate of arts degree from Peninsula College and attended the National Fire Academy.
Sean Ryan, Port Angeles
Contact: 452-1111, ryansofsequim@aol.com
Sean Ryan, 48, is a small business owner and volunteer firefighter for Clallam County District No. 3. Ryan has not been elected to public office.
Tim Woolett, Port Angeles
Contact: 452-6404, tswoolett@olympus.net
Tim Woolett, 54, worked full-time for the Green Crow timber products company and now is a land use planner consultant. He has a bachelor of arts degree in geography from Western Washington University and two degrees from Peninsula College.
Judge-District Court 1 (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
Tim Davis, Port Angeles
Website: facebook.com; Tim Davis for District Court Judge
Contact: timdavisforjudge@gmail.com
Tim Davis, a 59-year-old Port Angeles resident, is a state assistant attorney general and former Clallam County deputy prosecutor. He has a bachelor of arts degree from Keele University and law degree from the University of Iowa. He has not been elected to public office before.
Davis grew up in England and met his wife while teaching English in Japan. They have four children.
He is a Port Angeles Youth Soccer coach and sits on the board of Healthy Families. He is also part of the Peninsula Rifle and Pistol Club and Shotokan Karate of America.
Pam Lindquist, Port Angeles
Website: www.pdlindquist.com
Contact: 457-6406, pdlindquist@justice.com
Pamela Lindquist, 42, has practiced law in Clallam County since 2002.
Lindquist earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a bachelor’s degree in economics from California State University – Northridge. She has not been elected to office before.
She’s worked as a prosecutor, public defender, family court facilitator and mediator. Her practice in Port Angeles assists clients in estate planning, probate and real estate matters.
She volunteers time for the Clallam County Literacy Council, First Step Family Support Center, Forks Abuse Program, Domestic Violence Taskforce and local schools.
Rick Porter, Port Angeles
Website: facebook-PorterforJudge
Contact: 452-2532, rdporter@olypen.com
Incumbent Rick Porter, 51, has a law degree from the University of Puget Sound and has been a licensed attorney for 20 years.
He has served as district court judge since election in 2002. Before that he was county senior prosecuting attorney for five years.
Porter is also member of the Washington Air Guard and has 19 years experience as a judge advocate general in the United States Air Force. Porter is a Rotary Club member, volunteer instructor with the YMCA sailing program and father to three.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney (4-year term)
Lauren Erickson, D-Sequim
Contact: 460-3834, laurenerickson@wavecable.com
Lauren Erickson, 54, is an administrative law judge and attorney in Port Angeles specializing in child welfare cases.
She held office on the Port Angeles City Council from 2000-2006.
Erickson holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Washington and a law degree from Seattle University.
She’s a former district court judge pro tem.
Larry Freedman, D-Sequim
Contact: 306-809-0164, larryf@olypen.com
Larry Freedman, 72, is seeking his first political office.
Freedman is a Sequim-based attorney, a former Sequim deputy prosecutor and arbitrator for Clallam County Superior Court. He also is former chairman of the Sequim Planning Commission.
Freedman hold a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law.
Freedman was owner and managing partner of L. Freedman and Associates, a law firm of 10 attorneys and 15 paralegals with an emphasis on criminal defense, real estate and litigation. He was senior managing partner for Freedman, Freedman and Swersky, with an emphasis on litigation.
He spent 14 years as adjunct professor at George Mason University School of Law.
A longtime member of Sequim Sunrise Rotary Club, Freedman also is a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of the Olympic Peninsula.
Deb Kelly, R-Port Angeles
Website: www.kellyforprosecutor.com
Contact: 452-3432, kellyforprosecutor@yahoo.com
Deb Kelly, 57, is seeking re-election to the office of Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney she was first elected to in 2003. She ran unopposed in 2006.
Kelly also was appointed to the District Court bench in 1993 and served through 1994.
A Port Angeles resident, Kelly holds a bachelor of arts degree from Rice University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
Kelly says she hopes to continue to aggressively prosecute sex and violent offenders, save and protect taxpayer monies, and demand accountability from public servants.
Treasurer (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
Selinda Barkhuis, Port Angeles
Website: www.barkhuis.com
Contact: 452-0825, sbarkhuis@yahoo.com
A Port Angeles-based lawyer, Selinda Bark-huis has been a senior planner with Clallam County Department of Community Development since 2006, working on a variety of long-range land use issues. For the past 30 years, Barkhuis has worked as an H&R Block tax preparer, law office manager, attorney, mediator, real estate agent, web master and grant facilitator before her position with the county. She practiced law in Clallam County from 1995-2003, specializing in family law, dependency law and criminal defense.
Judith A. Scott, Port Angeles
Website: re-electjudithscott.com
Contact: 457-6783, judyscott@tfon.com
Judith Scott, the incumbent, has served with the Treasurer’s Office for more than 27 years.
For 14 years she served as former treasurer Ruth Gerdon’s chief deputy. In the fall of 2004, Scott was appointed to serve as county treasurer by the Clallam County Board of Commissioners. In 2005, Scott was elected to serve the remainder of Gerdon’s term and was re-elected in 2006 to her current four-year term.
U.S. Representative (2-year term)
Doug Cloud, R-Tacoma
Website: www.dougcloud.com
Norm Dicks, D-Tacoma (incumbent)
Website: www.normdicks.com
Jesse Young, R-Tacoma
Website: www.jesseyoungforcongress.com
U.S. Senator (6-year term)
Charles Allen, D-Seattle
Website: www.charlesallen2010.com
Paul Akers, R-Bellingham
Website: www.akersforussenate.com
Will Baker, Reform-Tacoma
Website: www.TheTruthRocks.com
Bob Burr, D-Bellingham
Website: www.bobburr4senate.com
William Edward Chovil, R-Tacoma
Contact: 253-229-0556
Clint Didier, R-Eltopia
Website: www.clintdidier.org
Goodspaceguy, D-Seattle
Website: colonizespace.blogspot.com
Norma D. Gruber, R-Walla Walla
Contact: scottgruber@charter.net
Mike Latimer, R-Des Moines
Website: mike4senate.net/wa
Schalk Leonard, no party – Poulsbo
Website: www.schalk4senate.org
James (Skip) Mercer, no party – Bellevue
Website: www.mercerforsenate.com
Mike The Mover, D-Mill Creek
Website: www.theoriginalmikethemover.com
Patty Murray, D-Seattle
Website: www.pattymurray.com
Dino Rossi, R-Bellevue
Website: www.dinorossi.com
Mohammad H. Said, C-Ephrata
Website: www.drsaid.net
Supreme Court Justice, Position 1 (nonpartisan, 6-year term)
Jim Johnson, Tacoma (incumbent)
Website: www.jimjohnsonforjustice.org
Stan Rumbaugh, Seattle
Website: www.rumbaughforjustice.com
Supreme Court Justice, Position 6 (nonpartisan, 6-year term)
Bryan Chushcoff, Tacoma
Website: www.Chushcoff4Justice.com
Richard B. Sanders, Olympia (incumbent)
Website: www.friendsofjustice.com
Charlie Wiggins, Bainbridge Island
Website: charliewigginsforjustice.com
Without a challenger
Several candidates are running unopposed in this primary election:
_ Clallam County Sheriff (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
William Benedict, Sequim
_ Clallam County Auditor (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
Patty Rosand, Port Angeles
_ Clallam County Assessor (nonpartisan, 4-year term)
Pamela Rushton, Port Angeles
_ Clallam County Public Utility District, Position 1 (nonpartisan, 6-year term)
Will Purser, Sequim
_ Supreme Court Justice, Position 5 (nonpartisan, 6-year term)
Barbara Madsen, Seattle
