A mandatory recount in the Kent School District Director District No. 5 primary election earlier in September revealed no changes in the vote total to either candidate, meaning Dale Smith, who has unofficially dropped out of the race, will remain on the second ballot line this fall.
Smith and third-place finisher Dave Watson finished with only 26 votes separating their final tallies, triggering a mandatory machine recount.
Tim Clark, a current Kent City Council member, finished comfortably in first place with more than 50 percent of the vote.
But because Smith is no longer seeking the seat, Clark will run virtually unopposed for the seat being vacated by Sandy Collins, who is retiring after more than 30 years on the board.
Smith, an analyst for Boeing, said this summer that his work situation changed and he would no longer be able to devote to the board the time and energy he felt necessary for the job. However, due to Washington’s election laws, Smith’s decision came too late to pull out of the Aug. 18 primary, which meant that if he finished in the top two, his name would move forward.
Smith has said he will not serve if he wins the general election in November, meaning he would have to resign from the position and the board would appoint a replacement.
Watson said in an email it is a “shame” that voters in the district will not have a “real contest” for the position and thanked all of the voters who supported him.
“I appreciate their support and I hope to continue to be involved in seeking the improvement of the KSD,” he wrote.
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