Filing for this fall's elections is still a few days away, beginning July 23, but with the number of signs hammered in yards and vacant lots around town you would think it was already the final weeks of the campaign. Around Wenatchee, the hottest race -- at least judging by the number of yard signs -- is the election for an open seat as judge in Chelan County District Court. The current judge is retiring. Since the position is officially nonpartisan, there are actually four announced candidates: Allen Blackmon, Tony DiTommaso, Nancy Harmon and Stan Morse.
Three of the four live in Wenatchee; Morse lives in Chelan. All appear to have solid credentials as prepaaration for a judicial position. Blackmon is currently a deputy prosecutor for Chelan County, and Harmon does the same for Douglas County. DiTommaso is a local attorney. Interestingly, I know the three local candidates through friends or because I had their children in class (Harmon and DiTommaso).
If the number of signs is an indicator, Harmon is the best organized and most popular of the candidates. She has a strong and diverse committee of well-connected locals, and they were out early lining up endorsements and placing signs. She is also a Democrat precinct committee officer, so I suspect that organization helped her a bit. I sent her $50.
DiTommaso comes in second -- I noticed he had some large signs on streetcorners usually occupied by the Republican-backed candidates. I assume he has a network that spans both parties. I also noticed yesterday that a lot mor eyard signs were out along some of the arterial streets, so perhaps a committee had canvassed the neighborhoods.
Blackmon seems to be off to the slowest start. He has just a few yard signs out, and they are in locations that are not especially visible, at least compared to the other announced candidates. He initially tried to sign me up to serve on his steering committee, but I hesitated. I saw Harmon was running soon after, and I am glad because I really like her and think she would be best.
Morse just announced this week, according to local media, and he has campaign experience. He lost a bid each for state Supreme Court and for Chelan County Superior Court. Perhaps the open seat will give him a chance, but he is not from the major population center, so he has a struggle for recognition.
The state primary is in a couple months, and the nonpartisan races are on the ballot. Not only will that election winnow the field to two candidates, but if anyone were to receive over 50 percent of the vote, he or she would be elected. That makes the early contest especially interesting. Chelan County also will switch to all voting by mail, so turnout could be higher as well.
In Douglas County, all I have seen signs for is the sheriff's race, and that race has been one where the local Republican party has been very involved. I don't live there, so I pay little attention, but it has made the paper several times.
Meanwhile, on my travel to Ellensburg yesterday, I noticed two large signs for Senate candidate Mike McGavick. One was at Liberty and the other in a yard a few miles outside Ellensburg. I have not seen any in Chelan County yet. I did see plenty of campaign signs for other offices in Ellensburg, including county treasurer, county commissioner, sheriff, state senate and state representative. I also noticed that there were signs for both Democrats and Republicans, and I was pleased to see that there in Kittitas County, at least, that races do not regularly go unopposed. In Chelan County, some of the countywide offices have such entrenched Republicans that they don't even have to put up a yard sign or buy an ad. Hopefully the efforts of the re-energized Democrats in Chelan and Douglas counties will bring more elected Democrats.
-- Wenatchee, Wash.
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2 comments:
Just found your comments on the district court race. As an English teacher, you might be interested in the two books I've written, both of which are posted on my website. Circling the Earth in a Wheelchair; and Brothers of Summer, which is being posted on my website stanmorse.com in twenty-page increments each week, primarily for school-aged kids from NCW;it is a coming-of-age novel set during the summer of 1969. Thanks for taking an interest in who the candidates are. Judicial races are the toughest for voters because we are prohibited from declaring a party or commenting upon serious issues. So here are a few facts about me. Born and raised in Chelan County. Fifty-two years of age. Lifelong Grange member. FFA public speaking state champion as a junior in highschool. Broke my back at Mission Ridge on New Year's Eve 1971 and as a paraplegic have been in a wheelchair since then, but am quite healthy and active. I've practiced law nearly twice as long as Harmon or Blackman, and six years longer than DiTommaso. (Admitted to the Bar in 1979.) Stan Morse
Thanks for the post. This is shaping up to be the hottest race in the county this year. I did pass a Stan Morse sign near Peshastin on Sunday. Certainly all the candidates seem like good people and upstanding citizens. We'll see how things shape up after Labor Day.
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