With ballots in the mail, the battle for the right to challenge Dave Somers is engaged

July 31, 2:01 PMSnohomish County Progressive ExaminerChad Shue

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So the August, 18 Primary ballots are in the mail and will be arriving in a mail box close to you sometime soon; that is if you have anyone to vote for in this primary. It is worth noting that this election will not be seating any new office holders as we are simply paring down the field to arrive at the top two vote getters in races where there are more than two nominees. The survivors will then return on your November General Election ballot. In Snohomish County where three of the five county council positions are up for election, only district 5 will appear on the primary ballot. As I noted when I first wrote about this race in June the incumbent, Democrat Dave Somers is being challenged by former Snohomish Mayor, Steve Dana, current Lake Stevens Mayor, Clem (Vern) Little, and erstwhile GOP spoiler Greg Stephens from Maltby. It is a pretty safe bet that Somers will make the top two in this field and that Stephens has about as much chance to win in a Republican primary as I do  so the only real drama here will be waiting to see which of the two remaining Republicans has done the necessary work to carry that party's banner in November.

A quick look at the PDC records gives the funding edge to Dana. The Snohomish restaurant owner has raised some $9,000 while his expenditures are listed at just over $1,600; leaving him with over $7,000 cash on hand. Little's PDC listing reflects contributions of $2,390 plus a personal loan of $3,051. His expenses are listed at $2,050 (with the bulk going toward repayment of his loan) leaving him with a bit over $1,000 cash on hand.

While Dana has been running since well before the filing deadline, Little, who only announced his intention to run at the end of the filing period, appears to be receiving the warmer reception from the County Republicans. A quick look at their website offers a link to Little's campaign and an invitation to attend a kick-off event for the Lake Stevens politico while there is nary a mention of Dana's campaign. And, while Dana has made an effort in his most recent blog posting to associate himself with the county's most visible Republican, John Koster - the only remaining Republican on the county council, it is Little who has received any of Koster's money.

And so, with just under three weeks before the ballots must be cast and postmarked the two men will be left to decide what else they can do to gain the confidence of District 5 voters in the hopes of being afforded the opportunity to take on a popular incumbent with a vastly superior campaign bank account and the support of some very active and motivated Democrats in November.

Peace,
Chad Shue