STANWOOD CAMANO NEWS: Primary election results: Lead in one local race flips after ballot count updates

The Stanwood Camano News reports:

The lead in one local race changed hands, but both candidates will move on to the general election regardless. No other local races dramatically shifted after updated ballot counts Wednesday and Thursday.

The race for assessor flipped after initial results on election night. Kelly Mauck, a Republican, was initially trailing Theodore Kubisiak, who did not list a party, by 149 votes. After ballot updates Wednesday and Thursday, Mauck now leads by 192 votes (10,127 votes to 9,935 votes).

They Said It

“We’re disappointed at the results, but we understand why people may have voted against it. There’s lots of uncertainty with peoples’ finances and inflation. I don’t feel (the no vote) is an indicator of our relationship with the community,” [Camano Island Fire and Rescue] Chief Levon Yengoyan said. 

Yengoyan said the CIFR Board of Fire Commissioners have indicated they will ask for a levy again in 2023.

“We know that next time we go out to voters, we will have to do a better job getting out and educating people about the need for the levy,” he said.

In the meantime, Yengoyan said they plan to take a closer look at the results and reach out to the community to better understand why the levy was rejected. 

‘We will then reassess what we want to ask of the voters for the next levy,” he said. 

Yengoyan said the levy’s rejection won’t mean layoffs or cuts in service in the short term. 

“But it does mean we might have to put some long term planning on hold,” he said. “Our focus will be on maintaining staffing levels.”