Orange surges to early lead in Port of Vancouver raceFree

Don Orange received 64.24 percent of the vote Tuesday to build a commanding lead in the race for a seat on the Port of Vancouver’s Board of Commissioners.

The race between Orange and Kris Greene was widely viewed as a referendum on the port’s proposed oil terminal project, and with an estimated 18,000 votes remaining to be counted — not all of them in the port district — the trends favor Orange.

The port race was the most expensive and high-profile of dozens of city, school and other local service district races put before voters in this odd-year election. It also gave voters a chance to cast ballots of five local tax measures.

Anne McEnerny-Ogle received 74.72 percent of the vote to be elected Vancouver’s first female mayor according to election results released shortly after polling closed Tuesday. Her opponent, Steven Cox, dropped out of the race but still received 23.46 of the vote. Jonathon Sauerwein, a write-in candidate, received 0.97 percent of the vote.

The late Scott Campbell, who died during the campaign from complications of cancer, nevertheless received 61.54 percent of the vote over Maureen McGoldrick in the race for the Vancouver City Council, Position 1, filling a position vacated by Jack Burkman.

If Campbell’s lead holds, the city council must appoint someone to take his place and stand for election in November 2018.

In other Vancouver races, Alishia Topper defeated Justin M. Forsman with 78.72 percent of the vote for Vancouver City Council Position 2, and Linda Glover was defeating Michelle Beardshear with 66.53 percent of the vote for Vancouver City Council Position 3.

In other contested races, Molly Coston was defeating Dan Coursey with 54.01 percent of the vote in the race for Washougal mayor, and Wendy Smith was leading Heather Christiansen with 55.54 percent of the vote in the race for Position 3 on the Vancouver Public Schools Board of Directors.