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Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2017)
2019 →
← 2015
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| 2017 King County elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: May 19, 2017 |
| Primary election: August 1, 2017 General election: November 7, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: County Executive, County Council, Sheriff, Port of Seattle Commission |
| Total seats up: 10 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
King County also held a nonpartisan general election for county executive, county sheriff, and five seats on the county council on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Dow Constantine won re-election to the county executive's office, while Mitzi Johanknecht defeated incumbent John Urquhart for the sheriff's office. Incumbents won re-election to all five council seats. A nonpartisan primary election was held on August 1, 2017. The top two vote recipients for each seat in the primary advanced to the general election. The filing deadline for county offices was May 19, 2017.[1][2]
Click here to read about Seattle's municipal elections.
Port of Seattle Commission
Position 1
General election
- ☐ John Creighton (i)
- ☑ Ryan Calkins
Primary election
- ☑ John Creighton (i)
- ☑ Ryan Calkins
- ☐ Claudia Kauffman
- ☐ Bea Querido-Rico
Position 3
General election
- ☑ Stephanie Bowman (i)
- ☐ Ahmed Abdi
Primary election
- ☑ Stephanie Bowman (i)
- ☑ Ahmed Abdi
- ☐ Lisa Espinosa
Position 4
Incumbent Tom Albro did not file for re-election.
General election
Primary election
- ☐ Ray Armitstead
- ☐ Fernando Martinez
- ☐ John Persak
- ☐ Richard Pope
- ☐ Ken Rogers
- ☐ Brooks Salazar
- ☑ Preeti Shridhar
- ☑ Peter Steinbrueck
What is the Port of Seattle Commission?
The Port of Seattle Commission is a five-member commission with members elected at large to four-year terms. Members of the commission are responsible for hiring the port's executive and establishing port policy. The Port of Seattle's facilities include Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, two cruise ship terminals, three conference centers, three marinas, and four properties for fishing and shipping.[3] Commissioners were responsible for managing $620.2 million in operating revenues and $384.7 million in the 2017 budget.[4]
Past elections
2015
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 2, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan |  Courtney Gregoire |
85.6% | 342,925 | |
| Nonpartisan | Goodspaceguy | 13.8% | 55,242 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.6% | 2,310 | |
| Total Votes | 400,477 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 24, 2015 | ||||
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 5, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Fred Felleman |
57.8% | 215,727 | |
| Nonpartisan | Marion Yoshino | 41.6% | 155,470 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.6% | 2,218 | |
| Total Votes | 373,415 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 24, 2015 | ||||
2013
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 1, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | John Creighton |
69.4% | 293,086 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pete Lewis | 30.2% | 127,424 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.5% | 1,937 | |
| Total Votes | 422,447 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 26, 2013 | ||||
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 2, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Courtney Gregoire |
83.6% | 360,851 | |
| Nonpartisan | John Naubert | 15.7% | 67,632 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.7% | 2,964 | |
| Total Votes | 431,447 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 26, 2013 | ||||
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 3, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Stephanie Bowman |
71.8% | 297,811 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Wolfe | 27.7% | 115,138 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.5% | 2,015 | |
| Total Votes | 414,964 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 26, 2013 | ||||
| Port of Seattle Commission, Position 4, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Tom Albro |
59.9% | 245,943 | |
| Nonpartisan | Richard Pope | 39.7% | 162,913 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in | 0.4% | 1,815 | |
| Total Votes | 410,671 | |||
| Source: King County Elections, "Election Results: General and Special Election," November 26, 2013 | ||||
County executive
General election
- ☑ Dow Constantine (i)
- ☐ Bill Hirt
Primary election
- ☑ Dow Constantine (i)
- ☑ Bill Hirt
- ☐ Stan Lippmann
- ☐ Goodspaceguy
County sheriff
General election
- ☐ John Urquhart (i)
- ☑ Mitzi Johanknecht
County council
Contested seats
District 3
- ☑ Kathy Lambert (i)
- ☐ John Murphy
District 9
- ☑ Reagan Dunn (i)
- ☐ Denice Carnahan
Uncontested seats
District 1
- ☑ Rod Dembowski (i)
District 5
- ☑ Dave Upthegrove (i)
District 7
- ☑ Pete von Reichbauer (i)
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also: Washington elections, 2017
King County's elections shared the ballot with races for mayor, city attorney, and two city council seats in Seattle. There were also races for school boards throughout the county as detailed here.
The general election ballot featured three statewide advisory questions and one county ballot measure.
• Proposition 1: Levy Lid Lift for Veterans, Seniors and Vulnerable Populations 
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of replacing an expiring tax with a new property tax lasting from 2017 to 2023 to fund facilities and services for veterans, seniors, and other vulnerable populations. |
| A no vote was a vote against replacing an expiring tax with a new property tax lasting from 2017 to 2023 to fund facilities and services for veterans, seniors, and other vulnerable populations. |
The primary ballot featured one ballot measure.
• Proposition No. 1: Sales Tax for Cultural Access Program 
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of approving a one-tenth of one percent increase to the county sales tax for seven years to fund a cultural access program. |
| A no vote was a vote against a one-tenth of one percent increase to the county sales tax for seven years to fund a cultural access program. |
Endorsements
General election
The following table displays group endorsements issued in King County's 2017 general election:
| Candidate endorsements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorser | Executive | Sheriff | Council #3 | Council #9 | Port #1 | Port #3 | Port #4 |
| Equal Rights Washington[5] | N/A | Mitzi Johanknecht | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| M.L. King County Labor Council[6] | Dow Constantine (i) | John Urquhart (i) | N/A | N/A | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | N/A |
| Seattle Weekly[7] | Dow Constantine (i) | John Urquhart (i) | N/A | N/A | Ryan Calkins | Ahmed Abdi | Preeti Shridhar |
| The Seattle Times[8] | N/A | Mitzi Johanknecht | Kathy Lambert (i) | Reagan Dunn (i) | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | Peter Steinbrueck |
| The Stranger[9] | Dow Constantine (i) | Mitzi Johanknecht | N/A | N/A | Ryan Calkins | Ahmed Abdi | Preeti Shridhar |
Primary election
| Candidate endorsements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endorser | Executive | Port #1 | Port #3 | Port #4 | |
| Teamsters Joint Council No. 28[10] | N/A | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
| The Seattle Times[11] | N/A | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
| UFCW 21[12] | Dow Constantine (i) | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
| UNITE HERE Local 8[13] | N/A | John Creighton (i) | N/A | John Persak | |
| 1st District Democrats[14] | N/A | John Creighton (i) | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
| 37th District Democrats[15] | Dow Constantine (i) | Ryan Calkins | Stephanie Bowman (i) | N/A | |
| 43rd District Democrats[16] | Dow Constantine (i) | Ryan Calkins | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
| 45th District Democrats[17] | Dow Constantine (i) | Ryan Calkins | Ahmed Abdi | Peter Steinbrueck | |
| 47th District Democrats[18] | N/A | Claudia Kauffman | Stephanie Bowman (i) | John Persak | |
Key dates
| King County voter? What you needed to know for November 7: | |
|---|---|
| When was the last day to register to vote in the general election? | Tuesday, October 10, 2017[19] |
| When did voting take place? | City residents were able to cast ballots by mail or via drop-off locations from October 19 to November 7. King County mailed ballots to registered voters starting on October 19 with ballot drop-off locations opened on October 20. |
| What were ballot return options? | Click here to find ballot return options for King County.[20] |
Issues
State audit of port payments
The Washington State Auditor released an audit of the Port of Seattle in January 2017 that concluded $4.7 million in payments to 642 port workers violated the state constitution. The auditor's office concluded that the December 2015 payments to approximately one-third of the port's employees were prohibited by two constitutional clauses: an Article II prohibition on extra compensation for public employees and an Article VIII prohibition on gifts of public funds.[21] All five commissioners unanimously approved the one-time payments on December 8, 2015, to account for salary changes for non-union employees as they moved from 37-hour weeks to 40-hour weeks.[22]
The auditor's office expanded their routine audit after finding accounting irregularities including 26 employees who received payments even though they already worked 40-hour weeks and 12 first-year employees who received payments during their probationary period. Commissioners responded that the one-time payments were approved in public and were more cost-effective than increasing salaries for all of the employees.[23] The auditor's final report recommended that the commission begin a review of accounting and legal procedures to determine how to resolve the payment issue.[24] Commission President Tom Albro responded to the audit by saying, "We believe it was constitutional when we did it - and did it all in public session - and we did it because we believe it was the right thing for taxpayers and employees."[21]
Port CEO resignation, tensions with commission
The state audit story coincided with Ted Fick's resignation as the port's chief executive officer (CEO) on February 2, 2017. Fick was suspended by the commission on January 23, 2017, as an investigation was initiated into allegations of approving his own pay raise and violating ethics rules.[25] Fick did not disclose to the commission a $24,500 payment to himself, which he repaid following his resignation. He was also accused of accepting tickets to sporting events from port tenants that were prohibited by the port's ethics rules These accusations were made in the commission's 2016 evaluation of Fick, which also argued that Fick's relationship with commissioners included instances of miscommunications on both sides.[26]
After Fick's resignation, the former CEO criticized commissioners for blaming him for the auditor's report when they approved the payments.[27] Chief Operating Officer Dave Soike serves as the interim CEO until the commission appoints a replacement for Fick.[21] On June 13, 2017, the commission changed the position of a CEO to an executive director prior to conducting a search for a replacement. This title change did not impact the position's powers but indicated a step toward appointing a replacement for Fick.[28]
Port candidate responses to Ballotpedia survey
Ballotpedia sent surveys to all of the 2017 port commission candidates on May 22, 2017. You can read responses by candidates who answered the survey by clicking [show] on the boxes below.
Position 1
| Ryan Calkins | |
|---|---|
|
What about your professional experience should encourage voters to select you for the commission? Identify one public figure, past or present, whom you admire. What would be your top priority if you are elected to the commission? What is the biggest challenge facing Seattle's port today? What is the biggest challenge for the port in the next decade? What is your stance on the state legislative proposal to expand the port commission to nine members and require by-district elections? What is your response to the state audit that found $4.7 million in payments to port employees that the auditor's office concluded might be unconstitutional under Article II, Section 25 of the state constitution? |
Position 3
| Stephanie Bowman | |
|---|---|
|
What about your professional experience should encourage voters to select you for the commission? Focusing on the environment, I have spearheaded numerous efforts to expand environmental initiatives at Sea-Tac international Airport to reduce the carb footprint of airport operations. Identify one public figure, past or present, whom you admire. What would be your top priority if you are elected to the commission? What is the biggest challenge facing Seattle's port today? What is the biggest challenge for the port in the next decade? What is your stance on the state legislative proposal to expand the port commission to nine members and require by-district elections? What is your response to the state audit that found $4.7 million in payments to port employees that the auditor's office concluded might be unconstitutional under Article II, Section 25 of the state constitution? |
Position 4
No candidates provided responses to the survey as of June 19, 2017.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms King County Washington election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| King County, Washington | Washington | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ King County, Washington, "2017 Offices Subject to Election," April 11, 2017
- ↑ King County, Washington, "Who has filed: 2017 candidate filing," accessed May 19, 2017
- ↑ Port of Seattle, "About the Port," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ Port of Seattle Budget, "2017 Budget Overview," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ Equal Rights Washington, "Endorsements," accessed October 16, 2017
- ↑ M.L. King County Labor Council, "2017 Endorsements," August 24, 2017
- ↑ Seattle Weekly, "Sweep the Sweepers! Our Endorsements For the Nov. 7 Election," October 18, 2017
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Seattle Times endorsements for the Nov. 7 general election," September 7, 2017
- ↑ The Stranger, "The Stranger's Endorsements for the November 7, 2017, General Election," October 11, 2017
- ↑ Teamsters Joint Council No. 28, "2017 Endorsements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "Endorsements for the Aug. 1 primary election," July 11, 2017
- ↑ UFCW 21, "2017 Primary Election Candidate Endorsement Recommendations," July 11, 2017
- ↑ UNITE HERE Local 8, "UNITE HERE Local 8's 2017 August Primary Election Endorsements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ 1st District Democrats, "2017 Endorsements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ 37th District Democrats, "2017 Election Endorsements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ 43rd District Democrats, "2017 Endorsement Results," June 21, 2017
- ↑ 45th District Democrats, "Endorsements & Elections," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ 47th District Democrats, "Endorsements," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ King County Elections, "Register to vote," accessed October 5, 2017
- ↑ King County Elections, "Home," accessed October 5, 2017
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 King 5, "Port of Seattle may have unlawfully spent $4.7 million on employees: State auditor," February 3, 2017
- ↑ Port of Seattle, "Approved Minutes: Commission Regular Meeting December 8, 2015," December 8, 2015
- ↑ Port of Seattle, "Approved Minutes: Commission Special Meeting February 7, 2017
- ↑ The Seattle Times, "State audit: Port of Seattle illegally gave out $4.7 million in raises," February 3, 2017
- ↑ Scribd, "CEO Suspension Signed," accessed June 20, 2017
- ↑ Scribd, "CEO Evaluation 2016," accessed June 20, 2017
- ↑ Puget Sound Business Journal, "Former Port of Seattle CEO Ted Fick has a new job," June 1, 2017
- ↑ Port of Seattle, "Commission Regular Meeting Agenda," June 13, 2017
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