A Tacoma School Board incumbent will leave office at the end of this year, as results from the Aug. 16 primary election were certified Wednesday and no automatic recount was triggered.
Kim Golding, a Tacoma Public Schools board member elected in 2005, trailed Kim Washington by 65 votes as the final count was made official by the Pierce County Auditor’s office.
That means Washington will advance to the Nov. 8 general election against frontrunner Karen Vialle. Golding decided not to pay for her own full or partial recount.
She said she’s “comfortable” with the results but has mixed feelings about the election.
“My work wasn’t done,” she said Wednesday night. “I’m regretting not having the chance to continue. At the same time, I respect the process.”
A county-funded automatic recount would have happened under two conditions: Washington and Golding were separated by fewer than 2,000 votes, and by .5 percent or less of the total ballots cast for the two of them. The first condition was met but the second was not because the candidates were separated by .69 percent of ballots cast for them.
If the two had been separated by 47 votes instead of 65, an automatic recount would have proceeded.
Golding, a respiratory therapist, is in her first term and said Wednesday she will complete it. That means she will remain on the board long enough for two big decisions: a new teacher contract, which went unresolved Wednesday, and the potential hiring of a new superintendent.
Golding notched 19.93 percent of total ballots cast for the school board seat, compared to Washington’s 20.2 percent.
Washington, an administrator at Clover Park Technical College, will advance to face Vialle, a former Tacoma mayor who works as a substitute teacher.
Vialle appears to be in strong position for the general election, having collected 51.61 percent of the primary vote.
Fellow board members described Golding as an advocate for the community who especially worked hard to improve the school climate for students, teachers and visitors.
“She’ll be missed,” said Board President Kurt Miller.
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