A city of Bothell Aug. 16 primary election for Position 2 is no more as Jennifer Armenta is out of the race against Adam Brauch and Andy Rheaume for the top-two spots for the Nov. 8 general election.
King County Elections official Kim Van Ekstrom said that, according to their records at the June 10 filing deadline, Armenta resided in Snohomish County near Bothell, but “not within the district for the office she was running for,” and therefore wasn’t eligible to run for council.
Armenta has since notified election officials of a new address within the Bothell city limits, Van Ekstrom said after reviewing the situation last week, but that address came to their attention after the June 10 filing deadline passed.
“King County’s decision that I was not qualified to run was based upon clerical error. Corrections to all county records have been made to both counties,” Armenta said in an email to the Reporter Wednesday morning. Van Ekstrom feels they (and her counterparts at Snohomish County Elections) were very thorough in their handling of the situation.
Armenta continued: “I feel at this time, I need to focus on continuing to make a positive contribution to the city of Bothell. I would like to ensure this type of error doesn’t occur again, which is why I’m meeting with county officials to provide feedback on improving the process. I will continue to pursue public service and continue to be available to my neighbors.”
Van Ekstrom noted that records show that Armenta lived within the Bothell city limits from 1998 until recently, and was therefore able to run for city council Position 5 in 2009. Van Ekstrom added that Armenta filed online June 6 and was listed on the King County Elections Web site as a candidate two weeks ago; her name and information has since been removed.
After staffers reviewed her application, they discovered the Snohomish County address “mismatch,” Van Ekstrom said. Armenta received a letter notifying her of the situation and was refunded her filing money. (The fee for candidates is 1 percent of the salary they would receive if elected, Van Ekstrom said, noting that the exact fee was $108.)
