Special Report: Everett Primaries Week Recap
THE MAYORAL RACE
Snohomish County primary elections were held this week. August 1st was the deadline for submitting a ballot, either by drop box or by mail.
The purpose of the primary election (at least as far as mayoral candidates are concerned) was to narrow the race from four candidates to two final candidates. The deciding election for Everett's next mayor will be held in November.
It was bound to be a close primary race. All four candidates’ signs were spread thick around town, cropping up at any given intersection like a bouquet of gladiolas. I personally knew people who were supporting each of the candidates.
What was truly surprising, as results started coming in on Tuesday evening, was just how close the race truly was.
But first, a quick review of the contenders:
Judy Tuohy is the executive director of the Arts Council of Snohomish County. She is currently a member of city council and brought the Schack Art Center to town.
Cassie Franklin is the CEO of the nonprofit Cocoon House, which serves homeless youth. She serves on the city council and has been endorsed by outgoing Mayor Ray Stephenson.
Brian Sullivan has served on the Snohomish County Council and House of Representatives. He is a former mayor of Mukilteo.
Shean Nasin is a substitute teacher and sports coach with the Everett School District. He used to own a small business in downtown Everett.
Mayoral candidates at a debate in July.
THE RESULTS
Tuesday night’s results showed that Tuohy and Franklin were neck and neck with Sullivan close behind—Tuohy at 30.9% and Franklin at 30.3%. Sullivan at 29.6%. Nasin trailed behind, having brought in 8.9% of the votes.
When the County released updated vote totals at 4:34 PM on Wednesday, voters were still left on the edge of their seats. Franklin (30.77%) had pulled to the front of the race and was leading Tuohy (30.04%) by less than 1 percent. Sullivan was at 29.85%. Still, almost a three-way tie. No apparent front-runner or even front-runners, plural.
In a race where only 23.7% of the eligible population voted, this was a true nail-biter: an election where the difference between candidates was a matter of a few dozen votes.
Thursday night’s election updates didn’t reveal much. Franklin pulled ahead to 31.62% and appeared to be a clear front-runner. It’s unclear who will join her in the post-primaries elections season. Tuohy was at 29.53% and Sullivan was at 29.02%—a difference of 67 votes.
As of Friday morning (the time of this publication) there are no two clear final candidates. However, Cassie Franklin and Judy Tuohy seem to be the finalists in this race.
The Snohomish County Auditor's office will post the next ballot count update on Friday August 4, 2017 at approximately 5:00 p.m.
Who will work here next year? Still TBD.
OTHER STUFF
Also up for grabs were several city council seats. I won’t go into those details, but you can read about the results here.
There were 37 write-in ballots for mayor. I’m curious who people nominated, but I have no way of knowing this info. Maybe people nominated themselves?
As previously mentioned in this article, the percentage of people participating in the election has been low, at around 24%. One can only guess why voter turnout was so scarce. It is perhaps unfortunate that less than one-fourth of our citizenry voiced their opinion on a matter that affects a city of 103,000 plus people.
What also remains unclear is who is voting. Demographic information seems to be immediately unavailable. I called the County Auditor’s office but was unable to get a response about how voting statistics break down.
WHAT’S NEXT
The remaining candidates will continue to run their campaigns, appear in debates, take selfies with constituents, shake hands in coffee shops. The final election will be held in early November. Keep your eyes peeled for mail-in ballots to arrive in October.
You can follow your favorite candidates on social media. You can doorbell for your next mayor of choice. You can put a sign in your yard.
And, perhaps most importantly, you can vote.
Richard Porter is a musician and Live in Everett's content magician. He lives in North Everett and enjoys running, bicycling, and endless cups of coffee.
