Jason Hearn has filed to seek another term on the Lacey City Council, setting up a challenge from newcomer Michael Steadman for the council position 1 seat. Hearn ran as a GOP candidate for a seat in the Legislature last year and lost. He was one of 18 candidates to file for local office Thursday in Thurston County.
The weeklong filing period for local-government candidates ends at 4 p.m. Friday for online filers and at 5 p.m. for in-person filing at the Thurston County Auditor’s Office, at 2000 Lakeridge Drive S.W., Building One, in Olympia. In Mason County, in-person filing ends at 4:30.
A few other contested council races also emerged Thursday in Rainier, Tenino and Tumwater, and in the Shelton mayor’s race. Among them, Debbie Sullivan filed to challenge Tumwater City Council member Joan Cathey, one of four Tumwater incumbents who filed for re-election.
Here are new Thurston County filers as of 5 p.m. Thursday (terms are for four years unless marked otherwise):
Lacey City Council: Jason Hearn, position 1, against Michael Steadman.
Rainier City Council: Bob Shaw filed for position 2, against Tom Arnbrister, who filed previously; Christine Winslow, position 5, is running against Greg Myers (two-year term).
Tenino City Council: Philip Simmons, position 5, against Wayne Fournier, who had filed.
Tumwater City Council: Debbie Sullivan filed for position 3 against incumbent Joan Cathey, who had filed. Griffin school board: Maureen Karras, position 2.
Rainier school board: Maureen Baker, position 3.
Rochester school board: Viki F. Draper, position 2; Ben M. Elkins, position 3; Glen Morgan, position 4.
Tenino school board: Stacey Kalkus, position 3, against Tamara Schroder, who had filed.
Centralia school board: Kim Ashmore filed for position 2 (district overlaps southwest Thurston County).
Thurston County fire districts: Vasiliy V. Stupin III filed for Lacey District 3 position 3 against Gary W. Hartloff (six-year term); Thomas T. Nelson filed for Lacey District 3 position 4 (six-year term); R. Kip Busby of Centralia, Gibson Valley District 16 position 2 (six-year term); Dave Shepherd of Rainier and Ronnie Kemp of Rainier, Southeast Thurston Fire Authority/Subregion 1 position 3 (six-year term); Kay Crookshanks, West Thurston Fire/Rochester position 3 (two-year term).
In Mason County, new filers as of 5 p.m. Thursday included:
Shelton mayor: Gary Cronce; Dawn Pannell filed earlier.
Shelton schools: Jim Barrett filed for school director district 3; Gene Crater withdrew his candidacy for director district 2 against Cheryl Williams, then refiled for at-large position 2.
Southside school board: Steven Peters, position 5.
Brad Shannon: 360-753-1688
bshannon@theolympian.com
www.theolympian.com/politicsblog
