By Luisa Loi
La Conner Community News
With the Aug. 4 primary election less than a week away, one candidate in the race for Skagit County auditor has addressed claims about his connection with the Republican Party.
La Conner Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mark Hulst is facing Jeremy Harrison-Smith, the Northwest Washington representative for the governor’s office. Both candidates met with the public at two campaign kick-off events over the past month, sharing a bit about themselves, their priorities and vision, and answering questions.
Hulst is running as an Independent. In the past, he served the Mount Vernon City Council for 12 years, chaired the city’s Public Safety and Finance Committees, sat on the Planning Commission, and represented Mount Vernon on the Skagit Transit Board of Directors. He is also the owner of Skagit Cellars tasting room in downtown La Conner.
During Democrat Harrison-Smith’s event at the La Conner Garden Club earlier this month, one attendee mentioned Hulst’s past ties with the Republican Party, specifically the Skagit County Republican Party, questioning his transparency as this experience was not disclosed on his website and candidate statement.
In an email, Hulst confirmed that he served as the chairman of the Skagit County Republican Party from 1996 to 2004 and later served as the party’s state committeeman for several years.
“Those leadership roles were more than a decade ago, and I chose to focus my campaign materials on the experience most directly relevant to serving as County Auditor,” he explained. “The County Auditor’s Office is an administrative office, not a policymaking position… I believe the office should be administered impartially and without partisan influence.”
Hulst believes his experience as an elected official and business owner has given him the necessary financial and leadership skills required in the role of auditor.
Harrison-Smith also brings leadership and community service experience to the table. He previously served as the executive director of the Scleroderma Foundation Northwest Chapter, managed Alex Ramel’s campaign, and worked as teacher, youth service program coordinator and Spanish language interpreter. He has also volunteered with the Skagit County Democratic Party, where he is currently on the endorsement committee and in his second year as a precinct committee officer, he wrote in an email.
Both candidates shared their plans to visit — if elected — each department within the Auditor’s Office and learn from staff what is working, what isn’t, and what improvements can be made.
Harrison-Smith, who previously expressed his concern over the future of democracy and the elections system, mentioned the Trump Administration’s efforts to restrict mail-in-voting, calling them “concerning.”
“I will work with our state leaders to protect our elections and make sure that our county follows our state election laws and maintains our mail-in-voting system,” he wrote in an email.
While Hulst said Washington has a secure and efficient election system, he also believes there may be opportunities to assess “whether election results can be reported more efficiently without compromising security or accuracy,” he wrote. “Any improvements would need to be based on proven practices and maintain public confidence in the election process.”
Hulst said he believes states should “retain primary responsibility for administering elections, and Washington should be able to conduct elections according to Washington law.”
Both candidates stated their intention to improve customer service in the Auditor’s Office. In particular, Harrison-Smith plans to hire an English- and Spanish-speaking staff member to serve Skagit’s Spanish-speaking community, and to advocate for the continued funding of election materials in Spanish.
While their names will appear on the November ballot regardless of how many votes they get next week, the primaries are an opportunity for campaigns to gain momentum towards the general elections.
To learn more about the candidates and their endorsements, visit HulstForAuditor.com and JeremyHarrisonSmith.com.
La Conner’s ballot drop-off box is at 614 E. Morris St., and the Swinomish Tribe’s drop-off box is in the Social Services Building at 17337 Reservation Road.
Luisa Loi is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
Note: A previous version of this article stated that Mark Hulst ran as an Independent when he ran for Mount Vernon City Council. Hulst had actually stated he served “without a partisan label.” All city and town offices are nonpartisan. We regret the error.
