How Bainbridge candidates are spending their last campaign day

The last day on the campaign trail marked a day off, or a regular day at work, for some of the Bainbridge candidates running for public office.

Months of campaigning came to an end on Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5.

Councilwoman Leslie Schneider, the incumbent candidate in the District 4 Central Ward position, said she has plans to join with supporters on Election Night, but only after Tuesday night’s council meeting.

“OfficeXpats is hosting an Election Night watch party, and I will take the opportunity (when I get there after the council meeting ends) to thank supporters, but it will mostly not be about me,” Schneider said.

Schneider is a cofounder of OfficeXpats, which is just a few minutes up Madison Avenue from Bainbridge Island City Hall.

“The invitation is to all members and friends of OfficeXpats, and is certainly not limited to campaign supporters. My partner Jason and I host many such gatherings whenever a community experience might be preferable to sitting at home while absorbing news of public significance,” she added.

Kevin Fetterly, who is running against incumbent Councilman Kol Medina for the North Ward, District 2 position, has a more relaxed plan in place, he said.

“Having ‘door-belled’ 115 houses this weekend, we are taking the day off,” Fetterly said.

“Almost all Islanders had already voted or were deciding during the weekend,” he added.

Medina has a busy day and night lined up, but it’s not about campaigning.

“I’ve been and will be in meetings all day actually doing the job of being our mayor. This is ‘super Tuesday,’ the monthly day that various county boards meet in succession in Bremerton. I serve as our BI representative on these boards,” Medina explained.

“The day started with the Kitsap Transit Board meeting; then the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council Board meeting; then the Kitsap Public Health Board meeting; and now the Emergency Management Council meeting.

“When this is over, I’ll be driving to Bainbridge for our council meeting that starts at 5 p.m. today,” Medina added. “The day will end at home with my wife and a bottle of wine as I await the results.”

Kirsten Hytopoulos, a former Bainbridge councilwoman and mayor who is running for the at-large, Council District 1 position, said her regular job was keeping her busy on Election Day.

“I’ve been running around trying to do law practice work and prepare for tonight‘s election watch party (which I’m hosting at my office) while also dealing with an all day Internet outage,” Hytopoulos said. “Thank you Comcast!”

“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience of running for office, whatever the results are tonight,” she added.

Michael Pollock, who is seeking the South Ward, District 6 position, spent the day at work in Seattle, where he’s a policy analyst for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

He’ll turn his attention back to the race when he gets back to Bainbridge.

“I will share my tears of joy or tears of sorrow, depending on the outcome. And to all you other candidates, thanks for running (mostly) positive campaigns focused on the issues,” Pollock said.

“Best of luck to everyone. May the outcome be that which will serve our community the best,” he added.

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