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Friday, November 8, 2013 • Bainbridge Island Review
Three new fire commissioners made the scene in Tuesday election BY LUCIANO MARANO Bainbridge Island Review
Experience seems to have been the deciding factor for island voters as three new commissioners, including one career firefighter and a manager of Human Resources for Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue, were chosen to join the Bainbridge Island Fire Department board following the announcement of election results Tuesday, Nov. 5. Three of the four board positions sought in this election will now be held by candidates who have never held an elected office before. Commissioner Position 3 was uncontested, and Dan Morrow was elected to a new term. Two of the races, Position 4 and 2, were heavily onesided and definitive victories
while the other, Position 5, remained too close to call. It was one of the few non-landslide elections of the night. All the candidates ran campaigns based upon concerns of fire station manning, departmental fairness and the responsible handling of the budget. Decisive issues of the elections remained possible conflicts of interest among candidates, responder training and the proper manning of Station 23, located at NE Phelps Road.
Position 2: Cho-Lynch Long-time island resident and career firefighter YongSuk Cho successfully beat out opponent David H. Lynch for Position 2. Cho has 65.9 percent of the vote, while Lynch only has 33.9 percent.
The latest vote tally, released Wednesday, Nov. 6, was 3,618-1,862. “I’m surprised,” Cho said upon hearing the initial results on Tuesday. “I’m definitely thankful for all the support that I am getting.” Cho said it was his history of experience with the department that made him the favorite among Bainbridge voters. “To be completely honest, unfortunately, the voters don’t know a whole lot about the fire district and what’s going on in the department itself,” Cho said. “I’m thinking that they trust me to do the right thing.” Cho, 43, ran a campaign based on his years of experience as a firefighter and emergency responder, claiming inside knowledge of the department and its issues
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were critical for effective board leadership. Cho will be sworn in as the Position 2 commissioner during the first meeting of January 2014. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, according to a spokeswoman with the fire department.
Position 4: McSherry-Ruddick In the largest landslide victory of any local election Tuesday night, Eileen A. McSherry beat fellow board hopeful William “Bill” Ruddick with a resounding win for the Position 4 seat. “It’s an absolute honor to be able to serve in this capacity and I’m very excited to do that,” McSherry said on Election Night. “We’ve got an outstanding fire department here on Bainbridge Island and I’m excited to continue to support them.” The latest vote count released by the Kitsap County Elections Division at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6, put McSherry in the lead by a commanding margin of
2,027 votes. McSherry has a decided advantage with 69.8 percent of the vote over Ruddick’s 30 percent. McSherry, 62, led a campaign based on her experience from working within the emergency response system and a desire to improve the island’s disaster preparedness. She also claimed there was a necessity to review departmental protocol to ensure first responders were in keeping with industry trends, such as administering the most effective treatment on-site, as well as the improved manning of Station 23. McSherry will be sworn in as the Position 4 commissioner during the first meeting of January 2014. That meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, according to a spokeswoman with the fire department.
Position 5: Dettmer-vanSchaick
In the closest race of any local election, Theresa “Teri” Dettmer is slowly pulling ahead with 51.6 percent of
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the vote while her opponent, Holly vanSchaick, has collected 48.1 percent of the vote in the race for Position 5. The latest vote tally, released Wednesday, Nov. 6, was 2,546-2,375. “I guess we have to wait a few more days to see the rest of the results. But I am honored that the — so far, anyway — voters have supported me,” Dettmer said Tuesday night. The initial gap in the race was only 88 votes, by initial count, but has since grown to 171. Dettmer, 61, also said that she had no immediate guess as to why her race was so close. “I think the fact that my opponent has firefighting experience was a real help to her,” she said. Dettmer, who unsuccessfully sought an appointed position on the board of fire commissioners for the Bainbridge Island Fire Department last year, will be sworn in as the Position 5 commissioner during the first meeting of December.
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