Countywide sales tax proposal is approved handily
By Don Nelson
With the final round of ballot counting for the Nov. 7 general election concluding on Tuesday (Nov. 14), Sally Ranzau has been elected mayor in Winthrop, defeating town council member Bob DeHart; and incumbent Methow Valley School Board member Gary Marchbank is the winner over challenger Paul Budrow in the contest for the Position 4 seat on the school board.
Winthrop Town Council member Kirsten Vanderhalf defeated former mayor and council member Anne Acheson in the race to fill Position 1 on the Winthrop council.
And county voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure authorizing a 0.1 percent increase in the county’s sales tax to support upgrades to the juvenile detention facility.
The final results reflected voting trends that emerged in the first two ballot counts on Nov. 7 and Nov. 9. Election results will be certified by Nov. 28, the Okanogan County Auditor’s office said. The auditor said that voter turnout in the county was about 42 percent.
The countywide sales tax increase was supported by nearly 60 percent of the county’s voters, leading in the vote count by 5,454-3,612. The funds will be used for upgrades at the juvenile detention facility, which has been in use since 1974 with only minor improvements.
The county commissioners put the sales tax proposal on the ballot after residents objected to a proposal that would move juvenile offenders to a private contract facility near Spokane.
Marchbank, seeking his third term on the school board, prevailed over Twisp Police Chief Budrow 1,174-787 in voting for the at-large position, or 60 percent to 40 percent.
Ranzau defeated DeHart by 120-64, polling about 65 percent of the votes. Vanderhalf drew about 60 percent of the vote against Acheson, for a 102-73 victory.
Two positions on the Twisp Town Council were on the ballot, with incumbents running unopposed for the four-year terms. Alan Caswell was re-elected to council position 3, and Aaron Studen was re-elected to council position 2.
One uncontested seat on the Okanogan County Fire Protection District 6 commission was on the ballot. The position is held by Jerry Palm, who has been a District 6 commissioner since 1994. Palm was re-elected to another six-year term on the commission.
In Winthrop, Position 1 was the only council seat being contested. Vanderhalf — who was recently appointed to the council — will continue as a council member, but in a different position.
William Kilby ran unopposed to fill position 4, which Vanderhalf now holds by appointment. Joseph O’Driscoll, who recently was appointed to the position 1 seat vacated when council member Rick Northcott was appointed mayor, ran unopposed for the position 2 seat now held by Mike Strulic, who did not seek re-election.
Northcott, who did not seek re-election (but received two write-in votes anyway), was appointed mayor to replace Acheson after she resigned. Council member DeHart, who now holds council position 5, acted as mayor pro tem between Acheson and Northcott.
By running for mayor, DeHart gave up position 5. That seat was won by Bill McAdow, who ran unopposed. Ben Nelson ran unopposed to continue filling position 3, which he now holds by appointment. Nelson, appointed to the council in April, will be the longest-tenured council member when all the new members are sworn in.
Ranzau will join McAdow and Kilby as new faces on the Winthrop council. All three have been attending recent council meetings. Ranzau held elective office when she lived in Colorado, but this is her first foray into Winthrop politics.
Vicki Orford and Tracy Shrable ran unopposed for positions on the Hospital District 1 (Three Rivers) board of directors.
