A Camano Island man has thrown his hat into the ring for Island County commissioner after Janet St. Clair announced she isn’t seeking reelection.

Grant Shaw filed on the state Public Disclose Commission website on Wednesday as a Democratic candidate for District 3, which covers much of North Whidbey and all of Camano Island. He is on the board of directors for the Freedom Park Association and is known for playing Santa Claus — or “Granta Claus” — on Camano during the holidays.

St. Clair, who was first elected to serve in 2018, announced during a recent Board of Commissioners meeting that she isn’t seeking reelection. She previously ran for state senator but told the News-Times that she doesn’t plan on running for any other elected position, though she hopes to continue to be involved in community service and advocacy.

This year is a consequential election year for Island County government, with one county commissioner and most of the other county elected positions appearing on the ballot in November.

Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks announced in a press release last Saturday that he is running for reelection for his eighth term.

“We live in troubling and unprecedented times,” Banks wrote. “The foundations of our society are being weakened by anti-democratic forces. A local prosecutor must do his or her job without fear or favor, guided always by the pursuit of justice. Local prosecutors, by acting competently and with integrity, are a bulwark against corruption and the erosion of democratic norms taking place in other arenas. I stand ready, willing and able to protect the interest of all county residents to live in a place governed by the rule of law.”

Banks originally ran as a Democrat but has been an independent candidate for years, as he said he believes political partisanship has no place in the prosecutor’s office.

Other candidates have made the same decision this year. Sheriff Rick Felici and Treasurer Tony Lam are running for reelection as independent candidates. Assessor Kelly Mauck said he is running for reelection but hasn’t decided if he will run as a Republican candidate again this year.

“This role isn’t about politics — it’s about fairness, accuracy and serving people well,” Mauck said.

“Over the past term,” he added, “we’ve made significant progress. We’ve strengthened valuation accuracy, improved internal systems, increased transparency and worked hard to ensure property owners are treated consistently and respectfully. I’m proud of how far our office has come and the professionalism our team brings to this work every day.”

Langley Police Chief Tavier Wasser is running for sheriff as a Democrat. Andrea Downs, a member of the South Whidbey School Board, is running for county auditor as a Democrat.

Sheilah Crider, the current county auditor and a Republican, didn’t respond earlier this year to an inquiry about her plans for possible reelection.

In legislative races, the two representatives for District 10 — Rep. Dave Paul and Rep. Clyde Shavers — filed with the Public Disclosure Commission for reelection this year. Both men are Democrats.

In addition, Stanwood resident Robert “Chili” Hicks filed as a Republican candidate to run against Shavers. Coupeville resident Gary Wray, a Republican, also filed as a Republican state representative candidate but his filing doesn’t indicate which position he is seeking.

Ron Costeck filed as a candidate for Island County District Court Judge. The county commissioners appointed him to the position in 2024 after Judge Bill Hawkins retired.

The official candidate filing week in the state is May 4-8.