Election update: How Vashon race results are shaping up

In the only contested race in a local election, Keith Prior is now leading Steven Brewer.

By Elizabeth Shepherd • November 4, 2021 1:30 am
Image Courtesy King County Elections Data compiled from King County Elections, detailing ballot return throughout King County and in each district as of Nov. 4.
Image Courtesy King County Elections Data compiled from King County Elections, detailing ballot return throughout King County and in each district as of Nov. 4.

This article was first published online on Thursday, Nov. 4.

Not all the votes have been counted for the Nov. 2 general election, and the election won’t be certified until Nov. 23, but a clear picture is now coming into focus regarding the the results of Vashon races.

This year, local elections have been marked by a dearth of candidates, with only one truly contested race.

That race was between Keith Prior and Steven Brewer, for Vashon Park District Commissioner 4. As of Thursday, Nov. 4, King County election results show Prior in a wide lead, with 64.79% of the vote to Brewer’s 34.97%. Tabulations show 2,837 votes total counted thus far in the race.

In other Park District commissioner races, incumbent Joshua Henderson will be reelected to his seat, and Sarah George will take over the Position 2 seat on the board. Both ran unopposed, and have garnered more than 99% of the approximately 2100 votes so far counted in each of their elections.

In school board races, Allison Krutsinger has now garnered 87% of the 2,682 votes counted at this point. Her opponent, Kristen Cohen, has picked up 315 votes, despite having earlier dropped out of the race.

Likewise, islander Renee Henson will almost certainly be elected to the school board, winning 96% of the votes cast so far in her unopposed race, with the remaining four percent of the vote going to write-in candidates. However, Henson, too, has withdrawn from the race and is expected to resign if elected. Her seat will most likely be filled in the same application and interview process by which Kali Aguilera was last week appointed to the board following Bob Hennessey’s resignation from his seat in September.

Pam King and John Simonds are on track to become commissioners at Vashon Island Fire District, filling seats vacated by current commissioners, Brigitte Schran Brown and David Hoffman, who did not run for re-election.

Both ran unopposed, though Simonds’ race also showed Ron Smothermon on the ballot. Smothermon had also dropped out as a candidate but has still garnered 10% of the votes in the race so far, to Simonds’ 89%. Write-in votes accounted for the remainder of the 2539 votes counted thus far in the race.

Lisa Ann Ryan Devereau, also running unopposed, has picked up 99% of the votes counted in her race for King County Cemetery District No. 1, Commissioner Position No. 3.

Incumbents Truman O’Brien and Robert Therkelsen are also on track to be re-elected in unopposed commissioner races for King County’s Airport District on Vashon, each garnering approximately 99% of the votes counted in their races.

Alan Aman has also won 99% of the 2082 votes cast in his unopposed race to serve as a Vashon Health Care District commissioner. Aman will take the seat of LeeAnn Brown, who did not seek re-election.

According to the current count, fewer islanders cast votes in two other unopposed races.

Incumbent Don Joy will be re-elected as Bunker Trail commissioner for the Vashon Sewer District, picking up 137 of the 140 votes counted in the race so far.

In an unopposed race for the Water District 19 seat to be vacated by Bob Powell, Robin Pfohman has won 98% of the 539 votes counted so far.

The next ballot count will be posted by King County at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5.

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified school board candidate Kristen Cohen, referring to her as Lisa Cohen. We regret the error.