Nine elected position are up for grabs this spring, and the time to file your intent to run is now.
On the ballot will be the commissioner seats for Drainage District 5/5A, Drainage District 6, and Drainage District 13, all of which are in Enumclaw.
These drainage districts are special purpose tax districts that take care of nearly 50 miles of drainage districts in and around the city to prevent flooding, taxing only the citizens who live in their districts to cover the costs.
It’s highly unusual to have all three seats in each district up for election at the same time.
The reason behind this unique opportunity came after former Drainage District 5 Commissioner Allan Thomas was investigated and charged with allegedly stealing more than $400,000 from local taxpayers. King County Councilman Reagan Dunn called for a restructuring of Enumclaw’s three drainage districts and nominated three people to each board.
Serving as commissioners for Drainage District 5, which covers the northeastern section of the city (and includes the downtown area and a part of the golf course), is David Ballestrasse, Mark VanWieringen and Alan Predmore.
In Drainage District 6 is John Koopman, Cathy Dahlquist and Kenny Bosnik, who watch over south Enumclaw, east of state Route 410, south of downtown, and west of the golf course.
Finally, John Millarich, Jim Puttman and Brad Goodwin were appointed to Drainage District 13, which covers a rectangular area in unincorporated King County north of Southeast 416th Street, east of 264th Avenue Southeast, south of Southeast 384th Street, and west of 276th Avenue Southeast.
To toss your name into the ring, you must first own property inside one of the drainage districts; additionally, only property owners inside each district can vote during the election.
The filing period is Dec. 9 through 13, and a declaration of candidacy form is available from the King County Elections Office, which can be contacted at 206-296-1565. Declarations are due by 4:30 p.m. Dec. 13; any late declarations, even those postmarked as having been sent before the deadline, will not be considered.
Candidates are also encouraged to submit a 150-word statement with the declaration of candidacy.
Because Washington state requires there to be a special purpose tax district election every two years (on even years only), commissioner elections are staggered so as to not have more than one commissioner in each district up for election at a time; after the 2020 election, one commissioner will be up for election in 2022, the second in 2024, and the third in 2026, so if you do file your intent to run, make sure to pay attention to which position you’re filing for.
