Clerk
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Timothy W. Fitzgerald (R) | 86,680 | 59.99% |
| Mary Wissink (D) | 57,818 | 40.01% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
This position manages legal filings and case records for the county’s Superior Court. The county has 238,000 case files. The incumbent, Timothy Fitzgerald was appointed to the office by county commissioners earlier this year. His Democratic opponent, Mary Wissink, didn’t file for election by the May deadline and won a spot on the November ballot through a write-in campaign in the primary.
The Candidates
Timothy W. Fitzgerald
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 63
- City:
- Deer Park, WA
- Occupation:
- Spokane County Clerk
Political experience: Appointed Spokane County Clerk in April by the Spokane County Commission after longtime clerk Tom Fallquist retired prior to his term ending. Deer Park Municipal Airport Advisory Board member.
Education: Graduated from Robinson High School in Fairfax, Virginia. Earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the Virginia Military Institute, master’s degree in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Graduated from Naval Flight School and designated a Naval Aviator in 1985.
Political background: Appointed Spokane County Clerk in 2014 and elected to a four year term later that yearin 2015. Republican precinct committee officer. Former co-director of legislation for the Washington State Clerks Association. Vice President of the Washington State Association of County Clerks. Awarded Washington State Clerk of the Year in 2017.
Work experience: Served more than 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, including as a deputy operations officer for the Multi-Nation Force West in Iraq in 2008 and 2009 and chief of staff of the First Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in Afghanistan in 2012 and 2013. Retired from Marines as Colonel. Served as chief of staff for Regional Command in Afghanistan. Member of the Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council. Board member for Spokane Veterans Court, Spokane United Way and associate member of the Spokane County Bar Association.
Family: Single. Has four children.
Mary Wissink
- Party:
- Democrat
- Age:
- 67
- Occupation:
- Paralegal
MARY WISSINK
Education: Earned associate’s degree in 1988 from Albuquerque Career Institute as an advanced paralegal
Work experience: Worked as an assistant in the Spokane County prosecutor’s office and the city of Spokane public defender’s office in the early 1990s. Worked as a paralegal and judicial assistant for retired Superior Court Judge Michael Donohue, from 1992 to 2003. Currently working in a law office with her attorney husband, Tom McGarry.
Complete Coverage
Two write-in candidates make November ballot in Spokane County
Two write-in candidates on the Aug. 5 primary election ballot in Spokane County have qualified to have their names listed on the November ballot. The county’s election canvassing board certified the results on Tuesday.
Democrat begins write-in campaign for Spokane County clerk
A Democrat has announced that she is mounting a write-in campaign for Spokane County clerk after no Democrats filed for the office during the spring filing period. Mary M. Wissink, 57, of Spokane, would need write-in votes on 1 percent of all ballots cast in the Aug. 5 primary election to qualify for the general election ballot. That would be an estimated 900 to 1,100 votes depending on the strength of the turnout.