By Jason Miller
posted 5.10.13

Several Upper Valley public offices will go to a vote in the Aug. 6 primary election and Nov. 5 general election this year.

Candidate filing week is May 13–17. Candidates who wish to run for public office must register during this period between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Candidates filing for office in Skagit County may file using any of the following methods:

• File online and use a credit card to pay the filing fee. Online filing will be available 24 hours a day starting at 9 a.m. Mon., May 13 and ending at 4 p.m. Fri., May 17. Online filers do not need to appear in person at the Elections Dept. To file online during candidate filing week, go to www.skagitcounty.net and click on Directory, then Auditor, then Elections, and follow the appropriate links from there.
• File in person in the Elections Department in the Office of the County Auditor, 2nd floor of the County Administration Building, 2nd & Kincaid, Mount Vernon
• Candidates who will be out of the area during the filing period can file by mail beginning Mon., April 29, and ending Fri., May 17 at 4:30 p.m. Filings received through the mail before April 29 or after May 17, regardless of postmark, are invalid. Contact the Elections Department of the Skagit County Auditor’s Office for more instructions.

Eligibility to hold office
According to RCW 42.04.020, anyone who wishes to run for public office must be a registered voter in the city or town for which they intend to hold public office. This means they must live within those town limits. According to our county auditor, there is no time limit on how long one must be a resident in that city or town before he or she can run for public office.

Several positions are up for election in Upper Valley communities.

Town of Concrete

• Mayor, currently held by Judd Wilson
• Council Position 3, currently held by Michael Bartel (for a two-year term to finish former councilmember Mike Criner’s term)
• Council Position 5, currently held by Jason Miller

There is no filing for any of the above positions.

Concrete School District No. 11

• Director Dist. 1, currently held by Rae (Crissie) Wilson
• Director Dist. 3, currently held by Gladys Silrus
• Director Dist. 4, At-Large, currently held by Bill Thompson

There is no filing for any of the above positions.

Darrington School District No. 330

• Director-at-Large Position 4, currently held by Roy E. Bryson
• Director-at-Large Position 5, currently held by Douglas Lenker

There is no filing for any of the above positions.
Town of Hamilton

• Mayor, currently held by Joan Cromley (for a two-year term, to finish former Mayor Tim Bates’ term)
• Council Position 1, currently held by Ruth McDermott (for a two-year term, to finish former councilmember Dale Bonner’s term)
• Council Position 3, currently held by Bethany Henderson (for a two-year term, to finish former councilmember Joan Cromley���s term)
• Council Position 4, currently held by Andrew Jensen
• Council Position 5, currently held by P. R. Moore

There is no filing for any of the above positions.

Town of Lyman

• Council Position 1, currently held by Eddie Hills
• Council Position 2, currently held by Rita Burke
• Council Position 4, currently held by Gail Ganga (for a two-year term, to finish Ganga’s predecessor’s term)

There is no filing for any of the above positions.

City of Sedro-Woolley

• Council-At-Large, currently held by Brett Sandström
• Council Ward 2, currently held by Tony Splane
• Council Ward 3, currently held by Thomas Storrs
• Council Ward 6, currently held by Rick Lemley

There is a $60 filing fee for each of the above positions.

Sedro-Woolley School District No. 101

• Director Dist. 1, currently held by Jim Kallio
• Director Dist. 4, currently held by Christine Johnson
• Director Dist. 5, currently held by Ken Van Liew

There is no filing for any of the above positions.