A retired Navy physician has withdrawn her candidacy for a seat on the board that governs WhidbeyHealth, the island’s public hospital district.

In an email, Oak Harbor resident Dr. Juliann Althoff explained that her name will still appear on the November ballot, but she is no longer seeking election to the seat.

“I have made the difficult decision to terminate my campaign at this time to focus on family following my recent retirement from the Navy,” she wrote. “I wish WhidbeyHealth all the best and look forward to supporting our community in future capacities.”

Althoff is a public health and preventive medicine physician who retired from the Navy in March 2025 after nearly 30 years of service. Her last position was director of Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor.

Her decision leaves Dr. Mark Borden, a Coupeville resident, as the only candidate for Position 6.

It’s an important election for WhidbeyHealth. Three of the five seats on the board will be on the ballot in November, and no elected incumbents are seeking reelection.

The election has been a little confusing so far, with changes in candidacies.

At one point during the candidate filing week, a total of 10 people signed up to run for the three open positions, but two candidates withdrew before the close of the week.

The Position 5 seat on the board became open after Katherine Rose passed away on April 24. The board appointed Clinton resident James Canby to replace her even though he filed to run for Position 3 in the election. He will face Oak Harbor resident Christina LeClaire in November.

Four candidates were originally on the primary ballot for Position 5, but Theodore Smith announced he was dropping out just before the primary election. Dr. Kirk Gasper and Dr. Dennis Rochier made it through the primary while Morgan Cooper was eliminated.