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On April 28, the 42 Democratic precinct committee officers in commissioner District 2 will vote to nominate one of the two candidates for the Aug. 19 primary election. Filing week for the primary election in June 2-6. The top two vote-getters in the primary will move on to the Nov. 4 general election.
Money raised as of April 11
•Halvorson: $27,378 cash, $607 in-kind
•Romero: $14,494 cash, $2,824 in-kind
•Reid: $430 case, $947 in-kind
•Edmondson: $300 cash
Top contributors
Halvorson
•$800, Ken Parsons Sr., Olympia, executive, Venture Bank, Lacey
•$500, Frank Hensley, Olympia, retired
•$500, Frank Kirkbride, Lacey, real estate developer, The Kirkbride Group
•$500, Ali Raad, Olympia, self-employed with Sami Co. LLC
Romero
•$300, Kathryn Kravit-Smith, Olympia, director, Pierce County Parks
•$300, Thomas Miller, New York, self-employed designer
•$250, Ernest Brooks, Olympia, retired
•$250, Stephen Klein, McKenna, administrator, JZK Inc., Yelm
Edmondson
•$200, William Ehlers, Lacey, retired
Reid
•$250, Steve Klein, McKenna, coordinator, Ramtha School of Enlightenment, Yelm
Source: State Public Disclosure Commission
Links
For more information about the functions of Thurston County commissioners, go to www.co.thurston.wa.us
•Jon Halvorson: www.jonwhalvorson.com
•Sandra Romero: www.sandraromero.com
•Robin Edmondson: www.robinedmondson.com
•Jackie Jo Reid: www.jackiejoreid.com
The Olympian
Top-two primary could advance 2 Democrats in commission race
By Keri Brenner | The Olympian
Voters in November's general election could end up deciding between two Democratic Thurston County Commission candidates with strong political resumes, the result of Washington's new top-two method for primary elections.
Sandra Romero, a former state legislator, and Jon Halvorson, a former Lacey mayor, are expected to be the top two vote-getters in the four-way Aug. 19 primary race in commission District 2, which includes Lacey, Yelm, Rainier and the eastern third of the county,
The winner will succeed 20-year commissioner Diane Oberquell, who retires at the end of the year.
Both Romero and Halvorson have strong party support, however, Democrats say they need to designate their favored candidate to preserve party rights as they fight the top-two primary system. Under the Supreme Court ruling that upheld Initiative 872's creation of the top two primary, the door was left open to further legal challenges if parties could show their legal rights are harmed by confusion they claim the system is causing.
The Democratic precinct committee is expected to vote on a nominee April 28. The two other candidates are Republican Robin Edmondson of Rainier and independent Jackie Jo Reid of Yelm.
The top two vote-getters in the primary will advance to the Nov. 4 general election, where one will be elected by voters countywide. The salary for the job is $105,276.
Whoever wins the seat will face significant challenges. Thurston County faces a budget shortfall of $4 million or more in 2009, the county is building a new jail, growth pressures are accelerating on rural land and costs are rising for public safety and roads.
Below are excerpts from Halvorson and Romero's comments on how they see five major issues that face the county.
1. Land use, growth and economic development:
HALVORSON: Since 22 percent of the general fund comes from the sales tax, a thriving business community is essential to pay for the law and justice services we need.
The county should not develop commercial or retail businesses on unincorporated land outside the urban growth area. Cities generate the sales tax, and the county gets a small share of that revenue.
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