Janet St. Clair Won't Seek Re-election; Grant Shaw Files for District 3

Janet St. Clair told the Island County Board of Commissioners she will not seek re-election to the District 3 seat she has held since being first elected in 2018, a post whose term runs January 2019 to December 2026 on the county roster. St. Clair made the announcement at a recent Board of Commissioners meeting and, as she told the News-Times, “doesn’t plan on running for any other elected position, though she hopes to continue to be involved in community service and advocacy.”

On Feb. 20, Camano Island resident Grant Shaw filed paperwork with the state Public Disclosure Commission as a Democratic candidate for Island County Commissioner District 3, according to the filing record and local reporting. Shaw, who serves on the board of directors for the Freedom Park Association, is known locally for playing Santa Claus - nicknamed “Granta Claus” - on Camano during the holidays; his PDC filing on Feb. 20 establishes him as an early entrant in the District 3 race.

District 3 covers much of North Whidbey and all of Camano Island, according to Island County records, and the county website lists St. Clair’s Whidbey office at 1 NE 7th Street, Coupeville, WA 98239 and the Camano office at 121 N East Camano Drive, Camano Island, WA 98282. County contact details include Executive Assistant Layla Tromble, phone 360-679-7353, and the county main line, 360-678-5111, for constituents seeking meetings or materials tied to the commission office.

Political context in Island County is shifting. Ballotpedia records show the last primary for Commissioner District 3 took place Aug. 2, 2022, with candidates Janet St. Clair, Rick Hannold and Timothy S. Hazelo listed and Ballotpedia describing that contest as a “Nonpartisan primary.” State-level race history cited by the Washington State Standard on Nov. 6, 2024 noted St. Clair led incumbent Republican state Sen. Ron Muzzall by 199 votes in the 10th Legislative District contest and that St. Clair “garnered 56% of votes cast in Island and Skagit counties.”

Local election officials and reporters have emphasized timing: “This year is a consequential election year for Island County government,” the News-Times wrote, noting one commission seat and most other county elected positions will appear on the November ballot. The state’s official candidate filing week is listed as May 4-8, and Shaw’s Feb. 20 PDC filing puts him on the record well before that window.

Other county filings already public include Ron Costeck, who filed as a candidate for Island County District Court Judge after being appointed to the position in 2024 following Judge Bill Hawkins’ retirement, and Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks, who announced in a press release that he is running for reelection for his eighth term. With St. Clair stepping aside and Shaw’s PDC filing formalized, the District 3 contest has an early challenger and will likely draw additional filings before the May 4-8 candidate filing week and the November ballot.