When a candidate withdraws but is still on the ballot, what is a voter to do?
I have published it several times in the Forks Forum that Bill Paul would NOT like your vote, but there is still confusion.
For personal reasons, Paul withdrew his name from the Forks City Council Position 3 election. He felt he did in time but the Auditor says it was not in time. So Paul’s name appears on the primary ballot. The two other candidates are Joe Soha and Mike Gilstrap.
Clallam County Auditor Shoona Riggs said, “Mr. Paul missed the deadline to officially withdraw his name from the ballot, which was May 22, 2017. The only way for the Auditor’s office to remove a candidate from the ballot would be by their withdrawal notice submitted by the deadline or a court order.”
RCW 29A.24.131 states, a candidate may withdraw his or her declaration of candidacy at any time before the close of business on the Monday following the last day for candidates to file under RCW 29A.24.050 by filing, with the officer with whom the declaration of candidacy was filed, a signed request that his or her name not be printed on the ballot.
Riggs added, “Because he missed the withdrawal deadline, his name remains on the ballot. If he is one of the top two candidates in the primary, he will move forward to the general election. If he is elected in the general election and does not want to hold the position for which he won, he would need to submit a resignation to the City of Forks stating that he no longer wants to hold the city council position.”
Paul said he did not do the public disclosure process that is required to be a candidate so he feels technically he is not a valid candidate for the General Election and his name should not go forward.
Ballots are due back on Aug. 1.
Paul said if he is elected he will not be able to serve on the City Council.
Information on all candidates running in the general election will be provided in the next few weeks.
FCCLA Awards
Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is a national Career and Technical Student Organization that provides personal growth, leadership development and career preparation opportunities for students in Family and Consumer Sciences education.
On June 30, three Forks High School FCCLA students left to attend the National FCCLA Competition in Nashville, Tenn.
Recent graduate Caitlynn Wells earned a Silver medal in the Environmental Ambassador category. For her project, she worked with the DNR and set up a river cleanup day held on National Public Land Day which was Sept. 24, 2016. Her group collected 1,360 pounds of litter and properly disposed of it. This also doubled as her senior project.
Bailey Powers, also a recent graduate, earned a Gold medal in the category of Focus on Children. Her project was a medication safety presentation given to second- and third-grade students. Her aim was to teach them basic, safe medication habits such as only taking medication from trusted adults. She played games with the students and had prizes for them. She worked with Chinook Pharmacy owner Chuck Carlson on the presentation last December.
Upcoming FHS junior Emma-Grayce Fleck brought home a Silver medal in the Entrepreneurship category. Her company, The Wandering Princess, is a party character company based in Forks. With help from princesses and super heroes, The Wandering Princess brings smiles and joy to children and adults. Emma-Grayce also owns three other companies.
The girls enjoyed a week of activities in Nashville which included the Fourth of July Celebration with a free concert by country music star Chris Young and the nation’s largest fireworks display. FCCLA also provided entertainment for the 8,000 students and chaperones with music by country music artists Dan and Shay and “The Voice” participant Preston James. The girls toured The Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Great job ladies for representing our town of Forks.
