Candidate pulls out of three-way Bainbridge city council race

Published 1:30 pm Monday, July 3, 2017

Don’t vote for me, vote for him.

That’s the word from J. Mack Pearl, one of three candidates in the race for a North Ward seat on the Bainbridge Island City Council.

Pearl is one of three names on the 2017 Primary Election ballot for the seat — Kevin Fetterly and Joe Deets are the other candidates — but Pearl said rising time demands at work have forced him to rethink running for office.

Pearl, with the deadline passed for having himself removed from the ballot, is asking voters to ignore his name and put their mark next to Deets instead.

“I have found that I just don’t have the time required to commit to the city council campaign. I work full time keeping my architecture practice going and with a lovely wife Anna, my three kids and even a grandchild on the island, my time is full,” he said.

Pearl is also serving as chairman of the Bainbridge Island Planning Commission, which is still working on the update to the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance.

He noted the commission is expecting the loss of two veterans on the commission in the coming month, leaving him as the longest-serving member as he starts his third term.

Pearl said he may make a bigger impact on Bainbridge by staying put on the planning commission.

“I thought that the city council was the right place for me to continue the work to implement the city’s newly adopted comprehensive plan, but I have come to the conclusion that my volunteer work can be of the most use continuing at my present volunteer position,” he explained. “At the commission we craft the new ordinances that will implement the plan. As a commissioner, I will continue to put all my effort into ensuring that Bainbridge Island continues to be a place that is environmentally sound, sustainable, culturally significant and an affordable place to call home.”

Pearl said Deets, who currently serves on the city’s Ethics Board, is his choice for the District 7 position.

“I believe that Joe Deets adheres my same beliefs, I therefor endorse Joe Deets for city council,” he said.

Voters will still see all three names on the primary ballot, however.

Kitsap County Elections Manager Kyle Joyce said the deadline to withdraw was May 22, and the election statements for all three candidates have already been published in the county voters’ pamphlet.

Ballots for the Aug. 1 Primary Election will be mailed by July 14.

Bainbridge voters will also pick two candidates to advance from the primary in the District 5 race for Bainbridge Island School Board.

Jesse Burns and Christina Wakefield are challenging incumbent School Board Member Sheila Jakubik.