PORT ANGELES — Clallam County’s 2025 election season opened Monday with a wave of candidate filings and contested races already forming in Port Angeles and the Sequim-area hospital district. By day’s end, 22 candidates had filed for local offices.
In Port Angeles, incumbent Drew Schwab will face challenger Tyler Slater for City Council Position 2, one of the first contested races of the season. Incumbents LaTrisha Suggs (Position 1), and Kate Dexter (Position 4) also filed to retain their seats and are currently unopposed. Mark Hodgson has filed for Position 3 and is currently unopposed.
In Sequim, Kelly Burger (Position 1, unexpired two-year term) and Rachel Anderson (Position 4) each filed for re-election. No candidates had filed for Positions 3, 5, or 7 as of Monday afternoon.
The Port of Port Angeles has both sitting commissioners seeking new four-year terms: Colleen McAleer (District 1) and Steve Burke (District 2). Neither faces a challenger yet.
A three-way race has emerged for Hospital District 2 Commissioner Position 4, with Tara Coffin, Laurie Force, and Bertha Cooper all in the running for the six-year term. Two other district seats have one filer each: Gerald B. Stephanz Jr. (Position 1) and Corlene Eberle (Position 7, unexpired two-year term).
In the Port Angeles School District, Sarah Methner (Position 1) and Nancy Hamilton (Position 2) have filed for re-election. In Sequim, Maren Halvorsen is seeking to retain her at-large seat, Position 4. Several other school board seats across the county remain without candidates.
Candidate filing continues through Friday, May 9, at 5 p.m. The 2025 primary election is scheduled for August 5.