The race for Island County auditor is historic.

It’s not a high-profile competition. It lacks any big issues and many people don’t even know what a county auditor does. The campaign has largely been a battle of bios.

But the race marks the first time in the county’s history that two candidates from the same party are running for the same office in the general election. In this unique case, they are both Republicans from Oak Harbor.

And how that came to be is a story in itself.

Island County Auditor Sheilah Crider, who was appointed to the position early in the year, was running unopposed. But just a week before the primary election, Oak Harbor City Councilman Jim Palmer started getting calls from people encouraging him to run as a write-in candidate.

“People wanted to have a choice instead of an appointed auditor,” he said. “Some were anti-Crider and concerned about errors in the auditor’s office, but most were not.”

After his phone started “ringing off the hook,” Palmer decided to file as a write-in candidate on the day before the primary. He ended up with 455 votes, or 2.7 percent. He only needed 1 percent of the vote to appear in the general election.

Crider’s advantage in the race is that she’s had more than nine months of experience in the position. She doesn’t have to learn “on the job.” The former Oak Harbor councilwoman speaks with enthusiasm and knowledge about the office, which handles a hodgepodge of services. There’s six divisions that are largely unrelated: licensing, recording, elections, records, payroll and accounting.

Since being appointed, Crider said she’s maximized the use of manpower by starting a cross-training program.

“I run a tight ship, but I won’t cut services,” she said.

Palmer said his professional experience has given him the perfect training to take over the auditor’s office. He is a certified business appraiser, providing analysis of company’s finances and writing detailed reports. He formerly owned successful Radio Shack businesses in Oak Harbor and Freeland.

“The auditor is not a really high-profile scenario. I’m a kind of introverted accountant in the first place,” he said. “I would be very comfortable with the position.”

Both candidates have kept their campaigns very positive, but they have faced criticisms from audience members at forums.

Crider has taken some blame for a series of errors in the office before the primary. A candidate’s statement was cut short in a voter’s pamphlet for the military. Then another candidate’s name was misspelled on the ballots and regular voter’s pamphlets, forcing the printers to reprint 40,000 of each.

Crider estimated the cost of the errors at $18,000.

Though he doesn’t bring it up, Palmer admits he was concerned that the problems occurred — but even more by Crider’s response.

“When first asked about this, she got very defensive,” he said. “I don’t think that’s appropriate for a management decision. You need to solve the problem and go on.”

Crider said she instituted two new policies to ensure mistakes don’t occur in the future. Before the ballots or pamphlets go to the printers, they will be proofread by six different people.

At one candidates’ forum, former Oak Harbor Councilman Paul Brewer asked Palmer why he would abandon the city council in the midst of an economic crisis. Palmer is known for being the “numbers guy” on the council.

Palmer explained that he considered asking to be appointed as auditor after former Auditor Suzanne Sinclair left, but he decided it was too soon after winning the city council election.

He explained he was convinced to run by the groundswell of support right before the primary. Prior to signing up, he spoke to the mayor, the city administrator and fellow members of the city council to gauge their reactions.

“I think they were a little disappointed,” he said, “but they were very supportive.”

Both Oak Harbor Mayor Jim Slowik and former Mayor Patty Cohen have contributed to Palmer’s campaign. He’s also endorsed by former auditors Duane Kemp and Harry Ferrier.

Crider is largely funding her own campaign, according to the Public Disclosure Commission records online.

Whoever wins, Crider said, has challenges ahead with the implementation of a countywide accounting system.

“It’s an exciting department,” she said. “One thing I would like to say is that we do not assess your property.”