The state's election network crashed

Candidates trying to file for November’s General Election hit a major snag on Tuesday morning.

The state Secretary of State’s election website experienced a major outage, possibly due to “utilization spikes.”

Gabrielle Clay with the elections division of the Skagit County Auditors Office said her department couldn’t even access local information on the administrative end.

The problem was resolved early in the afternoon, and candidate filing week resumed.

In La Conner, Mayor Ramon Hayes announced last week that he will seek another term, and he registered as a candidate on Monday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, he had no challengers.

Three Town Council positions will be up for vote in November.

Bill Bruch, an 11-year town resident and a property manager, who often attends Planning Commission and Town Council meetings, also registered on Monday to run for Council Position 5, currently held by Dan O’Donnell. And Channel Cove area resident David Ritchie filed for Position 4, the seat former Planning Commission member MaryLee Chamberlain was appointed to fill last year. Chamberlain was appointed after Troy Allen, who was elected in 2013, left town before he took office. Council member Jacques Brunisholz, who is vacationing in Europe, holds Position 1, which also expires this year. Before he left, he said he would like to stay on but had not filed by Tuesday afternoon.

Hayes, who was first elected in 2007 and took office in 2008, had considered stepping down this year, because he said devoting much of his time to town business takes time away from his family and from his own business, Trumpeter Gallery on S. First Street.

But big issues facing town residents – especially getting hit with higher property taxes after a federal court decision made most of the homes in Shelter Bay exempt from county and state taxes – cinched his decision to try and stay on the job.

When those properties came off the tax rolls this year, the tax burden was shifted to the remaining taxpayers – including every property owner in the town.

Bruch, too, has said he is concerned about the tax issue and is also interested in planning and land use. Ritchie couldn’t be reached on Tuesday afternoon.

Other elections La Conner area voters will help decide include the La Conner School Board, which has three positions expiring this year. By Tuesday afternoon, two incumbents, board President Rick Thompson and veteran board member Janie Beasley had filed for re-election. Incumbent Kate Szurek, who was appointed when member Mike Compton resigned, had not filed by Tuesday.

Fire District 13 has two of its commissioner seats up this year, and both incumbents have filed for re-election. Chuck Hedlund is seeking another six-year term, and Larry Kibbee, who was appointed when commission member Doug Avery resigned, registered to be elected to serve the two years remaining on that term.

Positions are also coming open on the Port of Anacortes, which is on the ballot for Shelter Bay and Swinomish voters. Incumbent commissioner Bob Eberle of the Hope Island area had three challengers by Tuesday afternoon. Competing for his seat are Joe Verdoes of Anacortes, Doug Huttenstine of Bow and Judy L. Berentson of Burlington. Incumbent Pat Mooney of Anacortes also had a challenger, John Pope of Anacortes.

The Port of Skagit has one position expiring, and on Tuesday, only incumbent Bill Shuler had filed.

Cemetery District 1, which runs the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery, had no takers for its two board openings so far on Tuesday. The incumbents are Gail Thulen and Eric Anderson.

Candidates have until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15 to file with the Skagit County Auditor’s Office.