Dickson captures City Council seat; Howard wins close Buckley battle

An Enumclaw incumbent was ousted, a slow-growth trio was pushed into power in Black Diamond and an Enumclaw School Board race could be headed for a recount.

Those were among the local results stemming from the Nov. 8 general election.

In Enumclaw, a contentious race for the Position 2 seat on the City Council proved less than dramatic. Challenger Darrel Dickson started with an election night lead over one-term incumbent Richard Elfers and held his advantage later into the week. Thursday’s results showed the fiscally-conservative Dickson with 55 percent of the vote, leading 1,243 to 1,008 in the popular vote.

That was the only contested race for the Enumclaw council, as incumbent Jim Hogan and newcomer Chance LaFleur ran unopposed.

In Black Diamond, three seats were contested but it was quickly apparent none would be close. The common theme is that each victor has gone on record as supporting slow, manageable growth for the small town dealing with the prospect of massive expansion.

In the Position 1 race, Tamie Boxx-Deady is taking 73 percent of the vote in her race against incumbent Kristine Hanson. For Position 3, Joe May has more than 76 percent support in his challenge of Pam McCain. And for Position 5, challenger Ron Taylor has more than 77 percent of the vote, trouncing incumbent Leih Mulvihill.

Things were just the opposite in the Position 7 race for a seat on the Buckley City Council, where Bryan Howard and Marvin Sundstrom were deadlocked when the election night totals were released. Twenty-four hours later, Howard held a slim, 12-vote lead and, two days after the election, the margin had increased to 43 votes.

In Buckley’s other contested council race, Milt Tremblay managed a comfortable victory over Sandra Sundstrom, taking more than 56 percent of the total. In other Buckley Council races, James Montgomery and Norm Irons were unopposed.

The closest local race proved to be for a seat on the Enumclaw School Board. Chasing a vacant post, Dan Peterson and Tina McGann squared off for the District 4 seat that represents Black Diamond and the rural area north of Enumclaw. By the close of Thursday, McGann had a 22-vote advantage. If nothing were to change with the final votes that straggle in, the slim verdict could force a recount.

Three incumbents on the school board – Nancy Merrill, April Schroeder and Corey Cassell – ran unopposed.

The same was true with the White River School Board, where incumbents Jean Lacy and Susan McGuire had no competition.

In Wilkeson, Proposition 1 passed with 62 percent ‘yes” votes. The measure was a property tax levy in support of emergency medical services.

Three board positions in the Carbonado Historical School District went unchallenged. The same was true for three seats on the Wilkeson Town Council.

There was no lack of competition for town of Carbonado seats. For Mayor, Brian Whitmore defeated Richie Morgan. For the Position 3 council seat, Jay Argo defeated Steve Ellis and for Position 5, Sandi Carlson was the victor over Buck McBride. Wally Snover was unopposed for Position 4.

 

Contact Enumclaw Courier Herald Senior Writer, Editor Kevin Hanson at editor@courierherald.com or 360-802-8205.

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