Dreon, Fournier leading in early results for Thurston County Commissioner races
Early results showed Rachel Dreon and Wayne Fournier leading in two competitive races for seats on the Thurston County Board of Commissioners Tuesday night.
Rachel Dreon, a Democrat, was leading JW Foster, an independent, by more than 6,700 votes in the race for the District 2 seat, according to the first tallies released Tuesday by the county Auditor. Whoever wins this race will replace Gary Edwards, an independent, who is retiring .
In the District 4 race, current Commissioner Fournier, a Democrat, is leading Rob Laymon, who stated no party preference.
The winners will join Commissioners Tye Menser, Carolina Mejia and Emily Clouse, all Democrats, on the board. Mejia was also up for re-election this year, but she ran unopposed. The five-member commission serves over 300,000 residents and will manage an operating budget of about $474.2 million in 2025.
The county Auditor's Office indicated they had counted about 97,000 votes on Tuesday, which represents 47% of the 207,296 registered voters. However, there were still many votes left to be counted. Ballots only need to be dropped off or postmarked by Nov. 5, and crowds of people lined up at county voting centers throughout the day Tuesday to vote or register and vote.
Auditor Mary Hall told The Olympian the election was going well and there were still long lines at the county's voting centers 8 p.m. Tuesday.
"It's been a terrific day," Hall said. "It's been a busy day. We did three trips to our ballot boxes and they were heavy every time we went out there. Turnout at the voting centers was fantastic."
There were still about 35,000 ballots left to count and more coming in, Hall said. She said she hopes turnout will eventually reach about 80%.
In 2020, the last presidential election year, about 83.8% of the county's then 201,865 registered voters participated, according to final certified results. In the August primary, turnout was at about 43.9% of 200,449 registered voters.
Thurston County will post any changes in vote tallies and outcome as additional ballots are counted until the county certifies the results on Nov. 26. The Washington Secretary of State will then certify the results by Dec. 5.
District 2
In the District 2 race, Dreon led with 47,686 votes (53.5%) as of Tuesday night. Foster had 40,929 votes (46%).
Dreon learned of the results at Octapas Cafe in Olympia where she spent the evening with other Democratic candidates. She said she felt "incredibly grateful for the trust and support" of Thurston County voters.
"The results are still not all the way decided, but it feels like a victory," Dreon said. "And it really reflects the hard work and dedication of my team and the thousands of conversations that we've had."
Dreon thanked those who knocked on doors and shared her message. She added she's ready to "roll up her sleeves" and get to work for the people of Thurston County.
"We set out to bring real solutions and build a Thurston County that works for everyone," Dreon said. "I think that tonight's results affirm that vision."
When reached for comment, Foster congratulated Dreon on the early results and said the vote difference appeared too large to overcome.
"She did a really good job in her campaign and clearly the voting populace would prefer the Democrat to the independent in this race," Foster said. "I wish her well and look forward to returning to my retirement."
Dreon describes herself as a progressive Democrat and proud 2004 graduate of Thurston County Drug Court. She has a professional background in behavioral health.
She previously worked as a budget chief for the Washington State Department of Health and Human Services and as a Business Operations Administrator for the DSHS Office of Forensic Mental Health.
She currently works for the King County Department of Community and Human Services as a Behavioral Health Workforce Investments Manager.
Dreon also serves on the Thurston County Treatment Sales Tax Advisory Committee , a group of nine volunteers who make non-binding recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners about how to spend Treatment Sales Tax dollars. The volunteers are appointed to the board.
If elected, Dreon has promised to support more affordable housing and protect the environment and use her budgetary experience to further mental health services, homelessness initiatives and address the opioid epidemic, according to her voter guide statement.
Foster, an independent, became interim mayor of Yelm in 2016 and then won a four-year term in the 2017 election. Prior to that, he served on the Yelm City Council from 2011 to 2016. Notably, he also served as a firefighter and paramedic from 1979 to 2013.
He has said his experience and connections in the South Sound region should help him hit the ground running to serve the public.
Foster, a Marine Corps veteran, previously told The Olympian he chose to run as an independent because he believes he has supported people and issues on both sides of the political divide and he feels the commission should be non-partisan.
He has also promised to use his bipartisan support to get results for the community as well as recruit, hire, train and retain the best employees for the county, according to his voter guide statement.
District 2 covers eastern Thurston County from the Nisqually Reach to Alder Lake and includes the City of Yelm and parts of Lacey.
District 4
The election tally for Thurston County Commissioner District 4 showed Fournier with 55,127 votes (62.6%) as of Tuesday night. Laymon had 32,369 votes (36.8%).
Fournier reacted positively to the early results and said it marked a career high for him.
"I'm pretty happy," Fournier said. "I was feeling good coming into it and I'm over the moon. Those are the best results of any of the elections I've ever run in... Thank you for all the support. I'm looking forward to continuing to work to make Thurston County a better place for us all to live in."
Fournier has only served a one-year term as county commissioner. He previously served as Mayor of Tenino from 2015 to 2023 and as a City Council member from 2012 to 2015, according to his official county biography .
Fournier campaigned on his record as a county commissioner. If re-elected, Fournier has promised to foster "sustainable growth" that preserves the "county's natural beauty" and bring people together to collaboratively address shared challenges, according to his voter guide statement.
Laymon did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday night nor multiple previous requests this election cycle.
If elected, Laymon has promised to change "excessive" property taxes, regulations and permitting fees. He also intends to give people experiencing homelessness and mental illness a "hand-up, not a hand-out," according to his voter guide statement.
Whoever wins this race will serve a full four-year term on the board. Fournier's shortened term was a product of a staggered election schedule for the District 4 and 5 seats, both of which were created in 2022 after the county population surpassed 300,000.
Commissioner Clouse, who holds the District 5 seat, is set to serve a three-year term, meaning she will be up for re-election in 2026.
District 4 covers southwest Thurston County including south Tumwater and the cities of Tenino, Bucoda and Rainier.
Fire Protection District 8 Levy
Voters appeared to be leaning in favor of approving a levy lid lift with 3,259 votes (60.4%) for yes.
If approved, Thurston County Fire Protection District 8 (South Bay) will be authorized to levy a maintenance and operations excess levy of $1.9 million in 2024, $2 million in 2025, $2.1 million in 2026 and $2.2 million in 2027, according to the voter guide.
The District estimates the total estimated 2024 tax levy with the excess levy is about $2.01 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The Board of Fire Commissioners for District 8 sent this proposition to the voters because current assessed values in the district are insufficient for maintaining needed service levels, according to their explanatory statement.
