PORT ANGELES — A Clallam County woman has filed a civil complaint challenging the residency of a candidate for Olympic Medical Center Commission.
Michelle Ridgway filed the complaint the day before the primary election.
She claims OMC Board District 1 candidate Ann Marie Henninger does not live in that district.
Ridgway alleges Henninger used an address that is not her primary residence in filing for the position and her primary residence is outside District 1, which includes Sequim and the east end of Clallam County.
Property records show Henninger and her husband own three properties in the Port Angeles and Sequim area. We reached out to Henninger for comment, and we have received the following statements via email:
“My address and candidate filing information are correct. I am mystified as to why there is any controversy at all. I am registered to vote where I live, which is in District 1. If a judge or the County Auditor wants me to prove that, I would be happy to do so.”
Henninger says she was out of town Monday and received the notification to appear in court two hours before Monday’s hearing.
Ridgway wants a judge to order Henninger to show she lives in the appropriate district. If not, she wants Henninger’s name removed from the general election ballot should she advance from the primary.
Court Commissioner Brandon Mack reviewed the complaint and on Tuesday denied Ridgway’s request for an emergency “ex parte” decision and ordered her to file for a hearing on the weekly court docket.
Photo from Henninger’s Facebook page.