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Primary Finalized; Push Is On for General Election [The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.](Chronicle, The (Centralia, WA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 01--The final results of the Lewis County primary election are in. Here is wrap-up of some of the higher-profile or interesting contests as local elections heat up toward their November climax. Primary Elections According to Lewis County Auditor data, 4,120 of the 12,557 registered voters within the precincts that voted in the primary -- 33 percent -- mailed in their primary election ballots. Only positions with three or more candidates vying for the same position, and one taxing measure -- an emergency medical services levy in Packwood that easily passed -- where included on primary ballots. Now those primary voters and the other approximately 30,000 registered county voters have the general election to look forward to. Centralia Things will be heating up in Centralia as first-term councilor and incumbent Mayor Harlan Thompson fights to keep his position 3 at-large council seat against political newcomer Gabe Anzelini. Thompson, a retired manager and business owner who received 33 percent of the primary vote, has been immersed with the rest of the council in finding solutions with Centralia's shrinking budget. Anzelini is a software developer and team leader employed by Lewis County government and is as-yet untested at public leadership. Despite his relative inexperience, Centralia primary voters preferred him by a slim margin over Thompson -- Anzelini received 37 percent of primary votes. The other fight brewing on the Centralia Council is between incumbent Councilor Bill Bates, a downtown pastor and chair of the Twin Transit board, and Jim Wheeler, a popular waiter at a Centralia eatery a block away from Bates' church. In the Centralia School Board race, incumbent Robert Fuller will be contending with challenger Amy Buzzard for the director position 3 slot, while incumbent Keith Macy will be defending his position 4 seat against Chris Thomas, a public relations spokesman for Providence Centralia Hospital. Chehalis In the Mint City, longtime councilor Dr. Issac Pope is being challenged by former Chehalis Mayor Fred Rider for the district 4 council seat. Morton In the Morton mayoral race, incumbent Jim Gerwig will be hoping to outdistance challenger Tony Sparozic on the general election ballots for the city's top elected slot. Napavine Napavine City Councilor John Sayers is hoping to step into the mayoral seat being vacated by current Mayor Nicholas Bozarth. But he will need to defeat fellow Councilor Bob Wheeler first. Pe Ell In another mayoral battle, incumbent Pe Ell Mayor Spencer Nichols will be defending his seat against challenger John Penberth, an outspoken former mayor of the West Lewis County town. Toledo Incumbent Mayor Jerry Pratt, who received a whopping 74 percent of votes in the primary election, is facing Eric Duerst to keep his top slot at the city council table in Toledo. One interesting election twist is in Toledo's Fire Dist. No. 2, commissioner position 2 race, where longtime Toledo firefighter Clark Spahr was surprised on filing week to discover he was running against his daughter-in-law, Jacqui Spahr, a former Yelm firefighter. Vader In south county, incumbent Mayor Ken Smith, who garnered 51 percent of the votes during the primary election, will be working to keep ahead of current City Councilor Rodney Allison, who received 45 percent of the vote. Voter Registration Deadlines General election ballots will be mailed to voters on Oct. 19, in time for voters to consider their choices in the Nov. 8 general election, according to County Elections Specialist Heather Boyer. For those who want to participate but need to register, the deadlines are fast approaching to register in time to vote. According to Boyer, those voters who have moved to a new voter precinct, or are unregistered but want to vote, must re-register. For registered voters who have moved to a new precinct, re-registration must completed online or by mail by Oct. 10. Unregistered voters new to the state or who are not currently registered in Washington must appear personally at the Auditor's Office with ID at the ready on or before Oct. 31 to receive a mail-in ballot. Primary election results and information can be found at www.vote.wa.gov/results/current/lewis/. Visit Chronline.com to view a complete list of the races that will be on the November general ballot. Lee Hughes: (360) 807-8239 ___ (c)2011 The Chronicle (Centralia, Wash.) Visit The Chronicle (Centralia, Wash.) at www.chronline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |