No primary election for Coulee Dam, but three on ballot

There will be no primary election for the town of Coulee Dam’s town council race, even though three candidates filed their intention to run, according to Mila Jury, elections officer for the Okanogan County Auditor’s Office.

That’s because those finally filing did not do so until an extra filing period was declared because no one had filed earlier.

Jury said three names will appear on the November ballot and the county auditor’s office will certify one as the winner.

That’s true even though one of the three declared last week that he was withdrawing.

Timothy Brooks told The Star that for health reasons he had been advised last week not to run. He said he was withdrawing from the election.

However, it’s too late to take his name off the ballot, Jury said, so voters in Coulee Dam will see three names by Council Dam Town Council Position 3 on their ballots: Brooks, Marcia Warnecke and Bruce Bartoo.

She said if Brooks happened to win, he would be the certified winner of the election and that it would be up to the town council of Coulee Dam to determine his replacement.

“It’s one of those weird, odd things,” Jury said of the election rules.