Raines and Lindgren elected to county posts, Svoboda leading

Washington voters have been voting by mail throughout most of the month of October leading up to election day. The results are in, and as of Tuesday night, 41 percent of Grays Harbor’s registered voters had cast ballots. The results are preliminary, with the next count scheduled for Friday when last-minute ballots will be tallied, but voters have elected the county’s second female county commissioner and seem likely to elect its first female prosecutor.

County commissioner

Cosmopolis Mayor Vickie Raines won her bid for a county commission seat, defeating Republican Keith Olson, a logger and former teacher from Lake Quinault. She expressed no party preference and is believed to be the first commissioner elected without a party affiliation.

Of the votes counted Tuesday night, she had more than 59 percent, leading Olson 8,577 votes to 5,817.

She becomes the second female commissioner in county history, the first being Terry Willis, elected in 2008. Willis served one four-year term.

Prosecutor

It could be history in the making as Acting Chief Deputy Prosecutor Katie Svoboda leads Mike Spencer, a former prosecutor and Superior Court Judge. If Svoboda is elected, she will be the first female prosecutor in Grays Harbor County history.

She has about 52 percent of the vote, leading Spencer 6,926 to 6,306.

Assessor

In a familiar face off, Assessor’s Office employee and Democrat Dan Lindgren took on incumbent Assessor and former Ocean Spray manager Rick Hole. The two ran against each other four years ago. This time the results were different, with Lindgren winning.

In voting so far, Lindgren leads 8,859 to 5,343, for 62 percent of the vote.

In 2010, Lindgren lost by 2,164 votes, earning about 45 percent.

Hole has been beset by questions over whether the computer infrastructure he has advocated worked well enough to produce accurate property assessments on an annual basis. He has wanted the county to develop its own system in order to save money. His critics, including county commissioners, have said he should have purchased an “off the shelf” version.

PUD

Grays Harbor PUD District 3 Commissioner Russ Skolrood is looking at a second term.

As of election night vote counting, Skolrood has 57 percent of the vote, leading John Straka 7,341 to 5,300.

Other positions

Grays Harbor County Auditor Vern Spatz, Clerk Cheryl Brown, Coroner Lane Youmans, Sheriff Rick Scott and Treasurer Ronald Strabbing all were unopposed and will be re-elected.