Hawkins Dominating Chelan Commision Race, Douglas Race Closer
Initial results in Tuesday's primary election shows a promising start for the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department's proposition for a "fire benefit charge"
It's getting more than the 60 percent approval needed to pass in both Chelan and Douglas counties.
The measure would reduce the fire levy paid by residential property owners, but would add a "fire benefit charge".
The charge would be based on a building's square footage instead of its assessed value.
The proposition of passing by a 70 percent margin in Chelan County and 63 percent in Douglas County.
Chelan County
Outgoing State Senator Brad Hawkins has a commanding lead in the race for the Chelan County Commission District 3 seat.
Hawkins has garnered nearly 63 percent of the vote while Flint Hartwig (14.5 Percent) has a slight lead over Chris Willoughby (11 percent) and Brandt Cappell (10.5 percent) in a race for a distant second place.
The top two vote getters advance to the November general election.
All four candidates in the Chelan County Commission District 3 race are Republicans. Incumbent District 3 Commissioner Tiffany Gering is not running for reelection.
Republican Kevin Overbay is running unopposed in the Chelan County Commission District 1 race.
Douglas County
Meanwhile, the only other competitive race in Wenatchee Valley is much tighter.
Rock Island Mayor Randy Agnew (27 percent) leads four other candidates in the race for the Douglas County Commission District 2 seat.
Katie Shafer (26.7 percent) and Paula Lamanna (22.2 percent) are separated by a handful of votes for second place.
Austin Flemens (14.8 percent) and Jimmy Sherrell (14.1 percent) are both about 100 votes further back.
All five candidates are Republicans. Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Kyle Steinburg is not running for reelection.
Dan Sutton is running unopposed for the Douglas County District 1 seat.
The next ballot update for most races will be Friday.
Voter Turnout
Both Chelan and Douglas counties are getting low voter turnout in the primary.
Chelan County Auditor Skip Moore says they'll finish with well under 50 percent.
"We're probably bumping up on 40 percent, which I am not jumping up and down and cheering for," said Moore. "Why are we only having 40 percent turnout."
Voter turnout statewide is low in the current primary.
Participation is expected to be much stronger for the November election, which will feature the U.S. Presidential race.
Moore thinks overlooking the primary is a missed opportunity for voters.
He says they have a chance in the primary to set the menu for the general election but fail to show up.
"The menu's been determined," Moore said. "And folks have the opportunity to pick the menu in the primary, and they by and large don't"
The 12 Most Politically Divided Counties in Washington State
Gallery Credit: AJ Brewster