Eastside/Snohomish County | Three vie for Redmond mayor's post

A three-way battle to replace Redmond Mayor Rosemarie Ives and about a dozen other primary races lead the slate of Eastside political contests this fall.

At least 20 council incumbents are not running for re-election to their positions this fall, which means lots of competitive races and newcomers leading their cities next year.

The races became clear Friday, the last day of candidate-filing week.

In Newcastle, three of the four council members whose terms are up -- John Dulcich, Pam Lee and Bill Erxleben -- are not running, and the remaining incumbent, Sonny Putter, has drawn two opponents.

Redmond city councilmen John Marchione and Jim Robinson are leaving their seats to run for mayor. They'll join former City Councilwoman Holly Plackett in the Aug. 21 primary.

In Woodinville, four people are vying to replace outgoing Councilwoman Gina Leonard -- Parks Commissioner Liz Aspen, Emergency Preparedness Commissioner Al Taylor and community activists Christy Diemond and Susan Boundy-Sanders.

A four-way race will also determine who fills the job of outgoing Mercer Island Councilman Sven Goldmanis. Developer Jon Friedman, retired firefighter Bob Bersos, marketing consultant Maureen Judge and PTA leader Mike Cero have all filed for the seat.

In Medina, the two incumbents up for re-election have drawn several opponents. In the open race to replace outgoing Councilwoman Katie Phelps, Planning Commissioner Mark Nelson and resident Pete Bryant will face off in November.

All four Bellevue council members up for re-election are running.

Councilman Phil Noble is running against small-business owner Keri Andrews; Councilman John Chelminiak is up against Valentina Kiselev, an advocate for seniors; and Mayor Grant Degginger is challenged by activist John Albertson, who's run twice unsuccessfully for council. Incumbent Claudia Balducci is unopposed.

Kenmore Councilman John Hendrickson took the unusual step of leaving his seat to run against his colleague, Councilman Bob Hensel.

Bothell City Councilwoman Andrea Perry is not running, and two of the candidates to replace her -- David Wickwire and Bill Moritz -- withdrew their names this week. That leaves Bill Evans, a Bothell resident and Kenmore park manager, to run unopposed for Perry's job this fall.

Eastside school districts

Some of the Eastside school districts, meanwhile, will see more competition than usual.

Lake Washington School Board member Matt Gregory, who was sworn in this week to replace retired board member Bob Hughes, will face challenger Chris Carlson.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District, which saw its $209.2 million construction bond fail twice this year, will also have some busy races.

Parent leader Caroline Loundenback will challenge Richard Krona, the longest-serving member of the district board.

Paul Sprouse has also filed to run against Krona, but Superintendent Joel Aune said he doesn't live inside the position's geographic boundaries and isn't qualified to run.

The same goes for Cindy Sattler, who filed to replace outgoing board member Kim Horn, Aune said. Three other candidates filed to replace Horn: Kathryn Lerner, Sue Korol and Stephne Porterfield.

Snohomish County

In his bid for re-election, Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon may need little help in knocking off political unknown, and now Republican challenger, Jack Turk, a former Microsoft executive who makes a career as a consultant to magicians.

Turk is at a huge disadvantage in terms of money and time.

The GOP candidate entered the race only at the end of last month, following a frantic search by the local party to find a replacement for outgoing Republican Sheriff Rick Bart.

Bart announced late last year his intent to run against Reardon -- the two have often verbally sparred over funding of the sheriff's office -- only to come up short financially to mount an effective campaign.

Plus, Republicans acknowledge there's little in Reardon's record as executive to give Turk any kind of advantage.

As the weeklong period for candidates to file ended Friday, a number of races shaped up.

Republicans will be hard-pressed to keep two seats on the County Council this year, as longtime GOP member Gary Nelson steps down.

The Republican has held the District 3 seat serving the Edmonds area for almost 12 years and is out under term-limit laws. The problem for Republicans these days: Edmonds votes mostly for Democrats.

Also stepping down from the County Council after 12 years is veteran Kirke Sievers. But Sievers, not ready to retire, will take another run for county treasurer, a position he held for 12 years before being elected to the County Council.

Races for county assessor, clerk and sheriff also are being contested, while the auditor spot will stay with incumbent Carolyn Diepenbrock.

Diepenbrock was appointed to the post in January after longtime auditor Bob Terwilliger stepped down to take another position and was the only candidate to file.

In noteworthy city races, Everett City Councilman Ron Gipson will face three challengers for his Position 4 seat; and in Edmonds, Mayor Gary Haakenson, seeking his third term, will face City Councilwoman Mauri Moore and candidate Don Fiene.

Staff reporters Christopher Schwarzen, Rachel Tuinstra and Amy Roe contributed to this story. Ashley Bach: 206-464-2567 or abach@seattletimes.com