Goldmark leads in land commissioner race

Democrat Peter Goldmark increased his narrow lead today over incumbent Doug Sutherland in the contest for public-lands commissioner, as ballot counting from Tuesday's election continued.

But with crucial Pierce and King county votes likely to go uncounted for days, it appeared possible no clear winner would emerge until later this week.

As of 3 p.m. today, Goldmark was leading Sutherland 51 percent to 49 percent.

Sutherland was ahead in Pierce County while Goldmark, an Okanogan County rancher, had an overwhelming lead in King County. The race was one of the most hard-fought for a state office this year. The candidates and a political committee raised a total of $2.2 million.

The race was partly a contest between environmentalists and timber companies over the future of 5 million acres of state-owned forests, tidelands and farmland, as well as regulation of logging on private land.

The commissioner heads the state Department of Natural Resources, which manages the land primarily to pay for public-school construction.

Environmentalists have chafed under Sutherland's tenure, accusing him of being too cozy with the timber industry and too willing to boost logging on state lands. They were important financial backers of the campaign by Goldmark.

Forest-product companies pumped nearly $600,000 into an independent campaign committee that mailed pamphlets statewide in support of Sutherland.

Sutherland, formerly Pierce County executive, ran as a moderate with years of managerial experience. He argued he struck a balance between the environment and the need for logging and raising money for schools, and he criticized Goldmark as inexperienced.

Goldmark ran the more aggressive campaign, with attack ads.

He accused Sutherland of responsibility for landslides on logged land in Southwest Washington. And he highlighted a 2005 incident when Sutherland was found to have violated the department's harassment policy by touching and making remarks to a young female employee. Sutherland apologized to her but has said it was simply an attempt to be friendly.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com