Hi John, 

Just a quick note to clarify Washington State election filing statute requirements. RCW 29a.24.050 provides that declarations of candidacy for (1) Offices that are scheduled to be voted upon for full terms or both full terms and short terms at, or in conjunction with, a state general election… shall be filed during regular business hours with the filing officer (Whatcom County Auditor for local County Council seats)  beginning the Monday two weeks before Memorial Day and ending the following Friday in the year in which the office is scheduled to be voted upon.  

Filing week is not a run-off election. The Auditor does not choose our elected officials for us, based on who files first. Every potential candidate has five business days to file to run for a open political office during the official filing week.  Once filing week officially closes. Voters are allowed to choose their elected officials. 

In other words - in the state of Washington, we have a one week window in which candidates must file their official intention to run for a particular office. If a candidate who indicates that they want to run for an office doesn’t file during the official filing week (per statute) they are not officially a candidate and their name will not be placed on the ballot. Doesn’t matter how vocal they were prior to filing week. 

In past years, many candidates from both parties have filed on the last day of filing week.  Some wait until the last day to file, because they want to see who else is going to file before they commit to running for office. Others, because that’s the day they chose to file and there has always been a festive atmosphere in the Auditor’s office on the last afternoon of filing.  There is nothing sneaky or underhanded about filing to run for public office during the official filing week.  As noted above, it is the only legally accepted method for becoming an official candidate for public office. 

That said, I’m not familiar with the “dirty and illegal” tricks that you are accusing Todd Donovan and Rud Browne of. This is the first time that  I’ve heard this allegation.  Please feel free to enlighten me with the facts.

Finally,  I’m confused by your statement that “if elected, Donovan may well switch back to being for it.” (the jail tax). He has two more years in his current term - so, why would winning the second district seat change his current public position on the jail? 

Unseen political operatives? Oh come on, John, name-names! In the Trump era, even political operatives like to see their name in print!

That said, I’m  supporting Todd Donovan  for the second district council position, because I believe that he is the most qualified candidate.  I’ve known Councilmember Donovan for a number of years and have grown to respect his honesty, integrity, professionalism and his commitment to our community. Not only does he listen to his constituents - he works hard to make our community a better place for all of us. 

And, I remain concerned that Amy Glasser and some of her supporters still believe that she is entitled to a position on the council - just because she indicated early on that she wanted to run.

While it is very tempting to think of an elected seat as an entitlement, as something a candidate should receive by being the first individual to unofficially declare her/his intention to run for a seat. It’s not.  Effective elected officials understand that they serve the members of the public in a representative capacity. They embrace and welcome  the opportunity to run competitive campaigns in order to discuss the issues and to interact with the voters.  No one gets elected - just because:  1) they were first to unofficially declare an intention to run for public office; or, 2) was the first candidate to file for a seat during the official filing week in May.  Again, democracy embraces competition. It doesn’t attempt to arrest or thwart it. It doesn’t attempt to drive other candidates out of a race “because I’ve decided that I’m special, I was here first and now it’s my turn.” 

Oh, and I’m supporting Michael Shepard and Barry Wenger for the Port Commissioner positions.  The other seats will sort themselves out, along the political demarcation lines that you have indicated. We are a community and nation that is increasingly polarized. Local elections provide voters with an opportunity to reverse that trend. 

A link has been added to the paragraph about Donovan in the article above.  It links to my article of July 26, 2017 which points out Donovan’s actions. I am told that his false accusations against Amy stopped with the publication of this article.

Here is a link to my article of July 8, 2015 - yes, two years ago - article on the dirty and illegal actions of Rud Browne and Todd Donovan  At the time of writing, I was not sure who besides Rud was in on the illegal manipulating of the council agenda.  I later learned that Donovan was right in there with Browne. They simply violated the law in order to block and dilute the legal results of the Charter Review Commission.  It worked.  

The timeline of who announced first is important because Donovan kept saying Glasser wanted him off the county council - a clear lie since he has two years left in his term. As he announced his intention to run after Amy did - and he had two years left on his current term - she could hardly be guilty of announcing her intention to run as an effort to take Todd off the council. This is so simple it is absurd to have to explain it.  Yet there was Todd repeatedly accusing her of that.  Those are lies about Glasser.  

Finally, here is the real irony.  If we vote for and elect Amy Glasser to the county council, then we get both Amy and Todd on the council for the next two years.  But if Todd wins this election then he has to vacate his present seat and the council selects his replacement.  That new council might be liberal or conservative among the six remaining members.  We have no idea who might be appointed to the next year of the seat that Donovan vacates.  But we the people, we citizens, will not get to select by election that seventh member of our county council.  It should not be hard for every reader to figure out who would be responsible for that situation.

If you are a Democrat or liberal, you should know that seventh countcil seat could go to a conservative and Donovan will have engineered a conservative takeover of the council.  If you are a conservative, then if a majority of the remaining six are liberal then they will be able to solidify their control. We the people lose.

If we elect Amy then we get both Amy Glasser and Todd Donovan on the council. 

Interestingly,  I was checking in delegates at the Dem Whatcom County  convention,  and both Amy and Todd were Bernie delegates.   The difference is -   Amy showed up,  and Todd no-showed.      Not sure what to make of it.

I’m confused. Councilmember Donovan didn’t join the County Council until 2016. So, I don’t understand how he could have been one of the liberal county council members you were writing about back in July of 2015.  You mention political operative Lisa McShane and former Bellingham Mayor Tim Douglas, but Todd Donovan’s name isn’t included in the article.  In the response posted above, you state that you have since received information that leads you to believe he was involved. But you don’t tell us who you received the information from. So, readers like myself are powerless to make our own decisions about your assertions - when we don’t have access to the information that you are using to support your argument. 

So, if you oppose a five member council - did you prefer the three member council proposal? Or, are you advocating that we should have kept the old seven member council structure? 

That said, I agree with Council member Donovan’s statement in the Weekly that some of the existing Council members will not be viable candidates in future elections. And, despite your assertions to the contrary, I believe, after working closely with elected officials from the 42nd Legisative District, that Council member Donovan is one of the candidates that is not  viable in a future at large election. Which would be appropriate grounds for him filing to run in District two, where he has lived for years.

So, let’s see if I can sumarize the information you have provided me.  First, would it be correct for me to state that you believe Councilmember Donovan can win a bid for an at large position in Whatcom County? If so, would you mind sharing the reasons why you believe he can win an election against Satpal Sidhu?  Or, why he would even want to run against Council member Sidhu? If you don’t believe that he can win an at large seat,  I will conclude that you want him off the council and completely out of local politics once he has completed his current term. Second, Is it really true that it will it be Council member Donovan’s fault if Whatcom County voters decide to elect conservative candidates in the new Council districts?  That’s a lot of responsiblity to pin on one elected official who is attempting to win a seat in the District he lives in.  Please know that I agree that Professor Donovan is brilliant - but I’m not sure that even Todd has that kind of influence at the ballot box. But it’s nice to hear that you think he does!

By the way, I’ve filed public records requests to gain access to lists of students at WWU. So have some of our peers. WWU sends them promptly. So, I’m not sure it’s fair to state that Professor Donovan misused his position to gain access to student lists in order to figure out if the person posting  accusations of inappropriate behavior about him  on his Facebook page was inappropriate. It’s public information. Even someone like me can  get it. 

Has this campaign been ugly? Yes it has. But the ugliness and negative campaigning isn’t restricted to just Donovan’s campaign, as you assert above.  I’ve read the Facebook posts from both Todd and Amy’s supporters.  Some of the posts are polite, some are opinionated, a few ask questions and others are downright offensive. But that’s how negative campaigns are run.

Elisabeth,

My source was off the record.  I asked them today if they could either allow their remarks to go on the record so I could inform you and readers how I know what I posted, or if they would privately inform you so you would know.  They refused both.  So, there is no more I can do to assure you that my source was highly reliable and the facts are correct.  Sorry you do not trust me.  

Point of clarification.  I did not write that Donovan was on the council in 2015, as you suggest.  That does not eliminate him from being part of the process.  Also, I make a distinction between good ethical process and the results I want.  I may want 5 districts or 7 or 9, but that does not mean I support illegal processes to change from 3 to another number.  I’m advocating for legal processes, regardless of my personal desires of outcomes.

Donovan has every right to run for office even in mid-term of his current term. But the campaign should be honest and forthright.  When a candidate is not honest, or is unduly nasty, then it is journalists who are entitled to point out the behavior.  That is all.  Nothing against Todd running.  Much against what he is saying as it is lying and smearing his opponent, who is conducting an honorable campaign.

You prefer Todd Donovan and I prefer Amy Glasser.  We all make our individual choice and vote for the candidate we each think best.  During the campaign we get to size up the personal attributes of candidates.  This is the process we are in now.

Hi John,

Not sure how our conversation got twisted into something about me not trusting you. That said, I don’t trust anyone who  tosses out shadowy allegations - then hides behind a request to remain anonymous.  That tells me they have an axe to grind. Or, they lack the proof they need to support their allegation(s) in the public arena. 

It’s hardly a secret that I’m a strong proponent of open government and transparent processes.  And, in my world, those values also apply to campaign politics.