County ElectionRecommendations

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Barry Bowen over Barbara Brenner -council 3rd District

Harry Skinner for CountyExecutive, over Pete Kremen

Shirley Forslof for Auditor, overJoe Elenbaas

Rodney Vandersypen for PortCommissioner, over Ginny Benton

Clarence Bob for council 2nd District, over Sam Crawford

Dale Brandland for Sheriff, over Ryan Stollwerck

Dan McShane for council 1st District, over Terry Unger

Barry Bowenfor County Council, over Barbara Brenner
County Council, 3rd District:

I've known Barry Bowen for about 6 years. I have known andsupported Barbara for 8 years. At the Herald Forum, I watched the twoof them closely. My mind has been made up for months - I stronglysupport Barry. For reasons listed below.

Barb opened by saying she is running in order to serve thepublic interest. She says that she "does not trust government". Sheis a check and a balance on the council. She strongly defended herattitude. She said people feel comfortable calling her because shenever treats them badly. Well, that is not the experience of thisperson.

I supported her is both elections yet when I did not agree withher on one issue, she lashed into me in a very personal manner. Shequestioned my honesty and whether I had sold out. I kept it to myselffor a while, thinking I had crossed some line. Then I talked to someof her other past supporters and learned that they had also beenreamed by Barbara when they dared to disagree with her. I began tolook for a better candidate for council.

Barry. He is running because he feels we need a moreconstructive council. We need constructive change - not more of thesame. He challenges Brenner on her minority position, saying she ismore disruptive than helpful to the council legislative process.Barry said he will work for safer communities. He charged her withbeing inconsistant.

It is absolutely amazing to me how Barbara has snowed myenvironmental friends. One of the amazing ones is Lisa McShane,head of a local environmental group. Yes, she is Dan's wife. Shesupports Barbara. All sorts of environmental folks support her. Theyare blind and deaf. Barbara is a supporter of Pioneer county, ofproperty rights advocates on the planning commission and has donenada for clean water for 8 years. She is running 1999 on the sameissue she ran on in 1991 - medical waste. It is a red herring - it isnot an issue. It was a problem in the 80s.

Sandy Point. Barbara just plain fudged the truth about hersupport for illegal water systems out there. A typical play by Babs.She supports illegal activity but she talks about how she thinks itis not right. Yet she votes for it. her typical duplicity.

Barbara has good friends on the Property rights issues. Shedefended her support for Bob Wiesen, perhaps with Skip Richards thetwo best known anti-environmentalists in the county. Barbara says Bobis a friend. Says she wants diverse people on county committees andso that is why she supported Bob for the Planning Commission. Shealso voted for Skip Richards for the Planning Commission.

Fear of Govt. Barry says that government is us. Barb hasbeen government. We need to have civil discussion and move on toother issues. Voters want people who can be independent and civil.

At the Herald forum, Barbara did a typical ploy - she spentvaluable time quibling over a very minor issue. The question was howmany of Barry's yard signs were recycled. She got into more and moremeaningless trivia. At one point Barry questioned whether this was acentral issue to the campaign. Barbara said it was. Whew. She spent 5of hr 10 minutes for questions on this topic. A waste of time. Justtrying to make Barry look bad on some trivial thing.

County Budget. Barry asked where Barbara would: Budgetcycles. What 5 budget shifts - 3 shifts that would provide moremoney. She said the County Executive does not need an assistant.County Prosecutor office needs tightening up - read less money. Shewants fewer prosecutors. Barbara said she would eliminate up to 3prosecutors from county staff. Beyond that, she didn't have much.

Medical waste. Barry pointed out that the county committeehas just made some solid recommendations that the council should nowenact. Barbara came back with a mixed message about her initiative.It was impossible for me to make sense of what she wants or isrecommending. She seems to just treat the problem some pet project.

If Barbara runs again in 2003, I guess we will have another wasteinitiative to help her get elected.

Vote for Barry. Give Barb a few years rest. We need goodrepresentation. Our public offices are not paid playboxes for angryand didruptive people.

HarrySkinner for County Executive, over PeteKremen

Issues. Pete has never gone near an issue in an election campaign.Pete talks of specific examples - not issues. Bring up an issue andPete will tell a story related to the issue that shows what he did.Harry feels comfortable with issues and plans and ideas. For example,Lake Whatcom - when Pete does talk about the lake, he speaks of whatpeople have said in the past and what he did when he took office. Hesubmitted a proposal for the county to accept part of theresponsibility for lake pollution in partnership with the city ofBellingham. He convinced the county council to go along with him onthat.

Harry is not afraid to say he supports a temporary moratorium onnew developments and houses on our watershed at Lake Whatcom. Heshows a courage that is usually lacking in Pete's public stands onissues. Indeed, Pete avoids issues. He declined to even comment onthis issue at the Herald forum. Yet, in Pete's defense, he is quickto understand where the majority of county citizens stand on an issueand he then quietly works to implement that opinion.

We usually re-elect a public official who does a decent job - andwe will probably return Pete Kremen as our County Executive. However,if we do elect Harry Skinner, we will be served much better. Harrywon't wait to see which way the wind is blowing. He will take aleadership role. Harry will be more forthcoming than Pete oncontroversial issues.

Pete has done a decent job as our County Executive. Pete showedhis expertise in negotiating a very favorable new contract withSeattle City Light for rental payments for the Skagit Riverelectrical generating dams. But, we need more from our county leader- we have important issues facing us on the environment, developmentand planning - all really different parts of one issue.

Cherry Point. Pete supports industrial development out there.Harry is more cautious and fears we may get a serious polluter outthere. There are many questions about Cherry Point and Pete seems tonot want to tell us all he knows. For instance, Pete does not talkabout the proposed cross county Railroad - the one that will keepLynden awake nights with mile long coal trains rumbling past thetown.

I support Harry Skinner for County Executive. We need a moreopen and energetic leader. Pete just plays it too close to hischest for us.

RodneyVanderspyden for Port Commissioner, overGinny Benton

Ginny sounds like an old fashioned politician now. Whenfirst elected four years ago, she was less polished and more in touchwith the issues. Now she touts the accomplishments of the Port as ifthey were her own - which they are only in part.

Rodney wants the Port to create more living wage jobs in thecounty, cleanup Bellingham Bay by removing the toxic pollutants fromthe Bay, and help the public become more involved in Port decisions.

Ginny will probably win. Too bad. Rodney has no organized campaignthat I could see. Too bad. She has moved into phase with the old timePort backroom crowd. She actually was a good commissioner for acouple years. Now she is in lock step with the others.

Rodney actually has a good grasp of the issues. I waspleasantly surprised to hear his answers and thoughts on issues. Readon.

Rodney suggests more public involvement - something that appealsto me. ;) He wants to scale back some Port operations. He isconcerned with how the Port is spending our tax dollars. The Portis creating large debt with ill concieved projects. The Port hasissued $27 million in bonds the last couple years for new projects.Rodney was critical. He is right - this is excessive debt. Perhapsthe Port is again building a house of financial cards just as it didin the late up to 1992 when it retreated back and became more modest.

Bellingham Bay cleanup. Ginny is for moving the toxic spoils acouple hundred yards to the beach at Boulevard Park. Insane.Rodney wants the toxic sediments removed from the Bay. Rodneycame back to this issue time and again. Makes sense.

In answer to questions:

The railroad from Cherry Point to Sumas. Ginny confirmed it isbeing discussed. As an industrial area, Cherry Point needs a railconnection to Sumas. She said it depends on what pier is built atCherry Point. Ginny tried to minimize this issue. She said the COG,Council of Governments, is the lead agency managing this issue forall county governments.

Taxes. Ginny says it might be 10 years before the Port nolonger needs our tax dollars to operate. Folks, this is never. Rodneysuggested he would work to bring this to zero more quickly.

Increasing moorage rates for pleasure boats. Ginny saysthis was done before she became a commissioner. But she says theMarina is not a profit center, but now pays for itself. She defendsthe 100% increase in rates. Well, Ginny, the pleasure boat mooragehas for over 20 years been the only part of the Port that has paidits own way. Ginny buys the big lie on this issue. This issmoke and mirrors bookeeping by the Port.

Port tenants. Ginny admitted the Port needs to improve it'srelationship with its own tenants. Yet she then defends the Port bysaying the Port staff has worked hard to do its best. This has been aproblem for decades. Tenants are treated poorly and there is nochance of it improving with the present Commissioners in office. Theyknow the tenants have no choice and no power.

Ginny admitted that the Chery Point dock could serve as our onecargo dock and that a rebuilt dock on Whatcom Waterway may not beneeded. Folks - taxpayers hear me. Ginny and the Port plan to spendtens of millions of our local tax dollars building a new dock that wedo not need down on Whatcom Waterway.

Rodney feels he would do better on the Commission. He would domore to help the public be involved. He wants the Bay cleaned up. Hewants to stop the Port competing with private business.

Rodney has my vote. Give him yours. Even if he loses, the Portneeds to know we are not all asleep.

ShirleyForslof for County Auditor, over JoeElenbaas

Shirley has done a great job and should be returned tooffice. She is fair to all who come to her - just what we want inan Auditor. She has been involved in the office for many years. Shehas a great staff and they do good work.

Joe is not by temperment qualified to serve as Auditor. I've knownJoe for over 20 years. He would be bored after a year in office. Heis into making things happen - not the steady administration of apublic office. Joe for council? Sure. But not for Auditor.

I listened hard to learn what Joe felt was wrong with the presentAuditor. Joe never had a serious accusation. All were trivial.Mistakes that were corrected. Minor things. Joe had nothing ofsubstance against Shirley.

Joe asks embarrassing questions, like the identity of some personwho was convicted of fraud. Shirley properly refused to discuss it ata political forum. Joe should never have brought it up.

Joe carefully quizzed Shirley on filing dates of audits and othertrivia. Joe looks for minor missed dates. Lets take an example - theindependent contractors audit. He noted missed signatures on somedocuments by some council members or the excutive. He did not noteany screwups with the audit.

Joe just comes up way short. A typical method of his is to insiston a "yes or no answer" to a complex question. And he would interruptwithin 10 seconds of Shirley's attempt to answer. He even answeredone question himself just to make sure the audience got the answer hewanted.

When it came time for Joe to answer questions from Shirley, hestarted off by telling stories not related to the question. Thequestion from Shirley was: Of the 60 departments, which 10 would heaudit first, since Joe says all 60 should be audited every year. Joedidn't know his departments and had no list. He wanted to useShirley's notes to help answer the question. She refuses. It wasfunny to watch. Slowly Joe struggled through a recitation ofdifferent departments - the Sheriff's was number 6 by my count.

The issues involved in this race are pretty trivial. It isentertaining to watch the two of them. Shirley doesn't back down fromJoe. When Shirley interrupted anothe war story to urge Joe to answerthe question, Joe took exception. Joe couldn't take being interruptedeven though he had interrupted Shirley continuously when she wasanswering his questions.