General Election Results updated 7 PM 11/8/18

General Election results imageThursday, election officials in the Mason County Auditor’s Office counted more ballots from Tuesday’s General Election. There are no significant changes to report. Here are the latest unofficial results:

Sharon Trask’s lead on Kevin Schmelzlen is now 976 votes. Trask has 12,677 votes (52%) while Schmelzlen has 11,701 votes (48%).

Incumbent Casey Salisbury continues to have a significant lead on Darin Holland for Mason County Sheriff. Salislbury has garnered 65.84 percent of the vote (15,848 votes) while Holland has 34.16 percent (8,224 votes).

Patti McLean increased her lead on incumbent Melody Peterson for Mason County Assessor. McLean’s lead is now 2,031 votes with 12,794 votes (54.31%) to Peterson’s 10,763 votes (45.69%).

Paddy McGuire’s lead on Charles Rhodes is now 630 votes for Mason County Auditor. McGuire has 11,868 votes (51.34%) to Rhodes 11,248 votes (48.66%).

In the race for Mason County District Court Judge, George Steele has 12,172 votes (58.52%) to Eric Valley’s 8,629 votes (41.48%).

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Start Preparing for Winter Driving

The falling leaves and colder weather can mean only one thing – snow and ice are just around the corner. With the changing seasons, now is the perfect time for travelers to shift their focus towards winter driving.

The Washington State Department of Transportation urges all travelers to start preparing themselves and their vehicles well before the threat of snow and ice kicks into high gear. Drivers can check out WSDOT’s winter driving web page for tips and information. WSDOT also asks travelers to always “know before you go” and get the most up-to-date roadway information before heading out.

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General Election Results Updated 7 PM 11/7/18

More ballots from Tuesday’s General Election were counted Wednesday. There are no significant changes in the latest numbers.

Sharon Trask still leads Kevin Schmelzlen for Mason County Commissioner District 3. That lead is now 988 votes. Trask has 11, 018 votes (52.35%) while Schmelzlen has 10,030 votes (47.65%).

Incumbent Casey Salisbury maintains a substantial lead on Darin Holland for Mason County Sheriff. Salisbury has garnered 65.74 percent of the vote (13, 639 votes) to Holland’s 34.27 percent (7,112 votes).

Patti McLean increased her lead slightly on incumbent Melody Peterson for Mason County Assessor. McLean has a 1,690-vote lead with 11,015 votes (54.15%) while Peterson has 9,325 votes (48.85%).

In the race for Mason County Auditor, Paddy McGuire leads Charles Rhodes now 51.15 percent (10, 218 vote) to 48.84 percent (9,758 votes).

George Steele leads Eric Valley for Mason County District Court Judge.

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City Partners with Yelm & Thurston County to Produce Biosolids

The Shelton City Council approved an agreement with the City of Yelm and Thruston County Tuesday night, finalizing a partnership to continue processing digested sewer sludge at the City’s wastewater treatment facility into Class A Biosolids.

As one of the only municipalities in the South Sound region capable of producing Class A Exceptional Quality (EQ) biosolids, the City has established partnerships with several local communities and businesses to process digested sewer sludge produced by other wastewater treatment facilities,
including Mason County, Squaxin Island Tribe, Skokomish Tribe, Washington State Parks, and Alderbrook Resort.

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Price of Olsen Furniture Building Increased

[VIDEO] Mason County Commission approved a higher purchase price for the former Olsen Furniture Building on Franklin Street in downtown Shelton. The County will now pay $900,000 for the building. That is $25,000 higher that the purchase price approved on October 23rd. Tuesday morning’s action was again unanimous despite two residents voicing opposition.

One of the two people also brought the issue to the attention of the Shelton City Council.

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General Election Results as of 10 PM 11/6/18

After initial results from Tuesday’s General Election, Trask, Salisbury, McLean, McGuire, Steele, Sheldon, Griffey, and MacEwen lead their respective races. Fire District merger is passing. Carbon fee failing. Firearms and law enforcement measures are passing.

Sharon Trask has a 978-vote lead on Kevin Schmelzlen for Mason County Commissioner District 3. That’s 9,778 voting for Trask (52.63%) to 8,800 for Schmelzlen (47.37%). This position is currently held by Terri Drexler who did not seek re-election.

Incumbent Casey Salisbury has a sizable lead on challenger Darin Holland for Mason County Sheriff. Salisbury has 12,002 votes (65.59%) to Holland’s 6,296 votes (34.41%).

In the race for Mason County Assessor, challenger Patti McLean has 1,370-vote lead on incumbent Melody Peterson. McLean has 9,656 votes (53.82%) to Peterson’s 8,286 votes (46.18%).

For Mason County Auditor, Paddy McGuire is leading Charles Rhodes 51.17% to 48.83%. McGuire has 9,031 votes to Rhodes’ 8,619. This seat is currently held by Karen Herr who is retiring at the end of the year.

George Steele leads Eric Valley in the race for Mason County District Court Judge. Steele has 59.41 percent of the vote (9,402 votes) and Valley has 40.59% (6,424 votes). This position is currently held by Victoria Meadows who is retiring.

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No Rate Increase in PUD 3’s 2019 Budget

Mason PUD 3 Commissioners are considering a $75.5 million budget for 2019 that does not include an increase in local electricity prices. If adopted, it would be the third straight year that PUD 3 has gone without a rate increase.

The proposed 2019 budget is 5.6 percent higher than 2018. The PUD expects a nearly three percent increase in the amount of electricity used next year by its customers, and a 4.1 percent increase in the sale of energy. This is because of improving economic forecasts, and new energy customers coming online throughout 2019.

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Shelton Yacht Club Interested in Marina

The Shelton Yacht Club is interested in buying Oakland Bay Marina from the Port of Shelton. The Port’s Executive Director, Wendy Smith, told the the Port Commission Tuesday that they are currently in negotiations with the Yacht Club.

A purchase price has not yet been reached but officials hope to come to an agreement before the end of the year. However, an executive session scheduled for Tuesday to discuss real estate was canceled due to the absence of Port Commissioner Dick Taylor.

Digiprove sealCopyright protected by Digiprove © 2018 Dedrick Allan

Initial General Election Results

The initial result from the General Election show Sharon Trask leading Kevin Schmelzlen for Mason County Commissioner. Incumbent Casey Salisbury has a substantial lead on Darin Holland for Mason County Sheriff. Patti McLean leads incumbent Melody Peterson for Mason County Assessor. Paddy McGuire topping Charles Rhodes for Mason County Auditor. George Steele has a substantial lead on Eric Valley for Mason County District Court Judge. And the incumbents leading in the three 35th Legislative District races. 

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