By Mark Edward Nero
Joe Downing and Jerry Farmer have won the Nov. 3 contests
for the District 1 and District 3 seats on the Port of Olympia Commission,
while incumbent Commission President George Barner Jr. has been ousted,
according to results from the Thurston County Auditor.
Downing, who works as a senior financial examiner for the
state and is a former member of the port’s citizen advisory committee, captured
nearly 58 percent in the battle for District 1, according to the results. Out
of a total of 43,454 votes, Downing received 25,178, or 57.9 percent, while his
opponent, incumbent commissioner Barner received 18,276 votes, or 42 percent,
according to the official results.
The race for District 3, however, was much tighter. Out of a
total of 43,254 votes cast, Farmer, a radio station co-owner, managed to win
21,811 votes, or 50.43 percent, while his opponent, EJ Zita, received 21,443
votes, or 49.59 percent, according to the county auditor.
Current District 3 commissioner Michelle Morris was
appointed to the seat in June after former commissioner Sue Gunn resigned in
April due to health reasons. But Morris, who’s a principal with Olympia-based
sustainability and anti-pollution company Sound Resource Management, declined
to seek election.
The Port of Olympia Commission, which has three seats, with
commissioners each representing a district within Thurston County.
Commissioners serve four-year terms.
