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| March 22, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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Earlier this week, the Shelton-
Mason County Journal was
informed that Adam Lee
Inman, a level 3 sex offender, is
believed to be hiding somewhere in
Mason County near Shelton. For a
description and picture refer to the
story on page 2.
Sadly this is only one of a few
level 3 sex ofl~nders taking up resi-
dence in Shelton over the last few
weeks, although most others are
doing so legally.
According to information gath-
ered by City-Data from the Wash-
ingten Association of Sheriffs and
Police Chiefs, one in about every
200 people in Shelton is a regis-
tered sex offender. That's compared
to one in 394 in Olympia or one in
1,001 in Lacey. The statewide aver-
age is one in 1,655.
The prison could be a large part
of that, but the Mason County
Sheriffs Department only lists 29 of
Shelton's 77 registered sex offenders
as inmates, so even excluding the
locked up offenders, that's one in
250 or so. Not comforting figures es-
pecially considering that our closest
city, Olympia, while about five times
our size, has less than three times
the sexual assaults and barely twice
as many registered sex offenders.
It's not comfortable living in a
community where high-level sex
offenders have images of them-
selves linked to their crimes in our
doorways and this newspaper on
a weekly basis, but it is something
residents of Mason County have
grown accustomed to.
Still, by remaining registered
with local law enforcement, most of:
fenders have shown they are taking
steps toward rejoining society. The
same cannot be said for Inman.
There is a lot to love about Shel-
ton, our resources, views, neighbors
and community, but somehow over
the years we have become a destina-
tion for sex offenders. It's a problem
that needs to be addressed and al-
though we don't have the solution, we
hope the city and county governments
and area landlords make it a priority.
Water safety on, all our minds
The tragedy of a toddler, and
possibly his father, drowning on
Lake Limerick this weekend should
be a reminder to all of us of the
importance of safety while enjoying
Mason County's great outdoors.
Personal flotation devices, like
seat belts, don't do much good when
not used, particularly for inexperi-
enced swimmers. Take the time to
learn to be safe on the water. The
American Red Cross offers classes
for aquatic safety and the Mason
County Sheriffs Department just
finished a boater safety course.
The sheriffs department is avail-
able at 427-9679 ext. 313.
MC Board
disregards
citizen input
Editor, the Journal
Here we go again. The
Mason County Board of Com-
missioners once again show
us their complete and total
disregard for citizen input and
transparent communication
without games.
At the March 13 BOCC
meeting they approved a to-
ken effort by implementing
the Advisory Committee for
the Belfair Urban Growth
Area. Against every testi-
mony offered that morning,
they chose to "gerrymander"
the makeup of the commit-
tee, thereby strategically
(and I believe) purposefully
eliminating the individuals
and businesses owners from
Belfair that have been most
engaged, worked the hardest,
and yes, been the most critical
of the problems created by the
mismanaged Belfair Sewer
Project. Does this feel retalia-
tory? To those of us who have
attempted to engage with
them and seek solutions over
the past year, absolutely.
It seems that in order to
sidestep the actual problen~
the commission created a com-
mittee that has no teeth just
to satisfy (read shut up) those
of us actually trying to come
up with real solutions. This
seems to be the typical '%O"
for this BOCC as evidenced
by the many commission
meetings where every person
who testified said essentially
the same thing just to have
our representatives ignore
their constituents and vote
the way they had already
decided prior to the meeting.
This sort of"representation"
cannot continue, therefore
come November we need to
effect real change in hopes of
having true, honest dialogue
with elected officials that will
actually listen and respect
democracy.
Robert Drexler
Allyn
Last week with a 3-0 vote
and after mere than two
years of sincere and meaning-
ful public testimony, Mason
County created a token
Belfair Urban Growth Area
(UGA) Advisory Committee
purposely limiting member-
ship only to property own-
ers who live on their UGA
property. They knowingly
eliminated about 90 percent
of the real UGA stakeholders
in Phase One of the Belfair
Sewer project simply because
we question a project nearly
100 percent over budget, be-
hind schedule, deep in debt,
laden with misrepresented
loans and grants, troubled
with obvious property takings,
illegal sewer hookups and
thus destined to imminent
financial failure.
Tim Sheldon and Linda
Ring Erickson have repeat-
edly stated Belfair businesses
should pay for the Belfair
Sewer. These property owners
are the real stakeholders enti-
tled to membership yet denied
a voice in their own destiny.
Denying committee mem-
bership to most property own-
ers, all community associa-
tions, all trade associations, 99
percent of all businesses, all
churches, Belfair Fire District
2, the port district, our school
district and all utility districts
while at the same time limit-
ing committee review to UGA
boundaries and incorporation
purposely ignored the im-
mediate need to examine the
mismanaged Belfair Sewer
project.
Tim Sheldon states, '"l~e
real stakeholders live there."
In reality, none of our mis-
guided commissioners "live
there" yet we have mistakenly
empowered them to decide
our future.
November will hope-
fully bring three long awaited
changes where democracy no
longer takes a backseat to dic-
tatorship. Let's create ~rans-
parency in Mason County gov-
ernment by ridding ourselves
of censorship and three pomp-
ous monarchs.
Bob Harris
Belfair
Transparent Really?
government Women's
needed civil liberties
Editor, the Journal
In my opinion, Mason
County Commissioner meet-
ings have become mostly "dog
and pony shows." Most deci-
sions are seemingly already
decided upon and they take
public input only because law
requires it. Public participa-
tion is unappreciated and
unwanted. Do they prefer the
'2mock knock" enter office
approach to running Mason
County government?
are at risk?
Editor, the Journal
Regarding Ms. Pavel's let-
ter, which was vitriolic, to say
the least: Women make up
50.2 percent of the Washing-
ton state population.
In Washington state, we
have a second term female
Democrat governor, Christine
Gregoire, who was the state's
Attorney General prior to
holding her current office.
In the U.S. Senate, both
Washington Senators are
female Democrats: Patty Mur-
ray and Maria Cantwell.
In Mason County, all three
county judges are females:
Superior Court Judge Toni
Sheldon, Superior Court
Judge Amber Findlay and
District Court Judge Victoria
Meadows.
In elected positions in
Mason County Democrats
are represented by women:
Treasurer Lisa Frasier, Audi-
tor Karen Herr and Assessor
Melody Peterson.
One of the three current
county commissioners is a
female Democrat, Lynda Ring
Erickson.
Women also hold signifi-
cant management positions in
Mason County, Washington
state, the U.S. Congress and
the Democrat President's
cabinet.
The letter has many com-
plaints about the treatment
of women around the world.
Please go fix those countries
if you can, but don't forget to
pack your burqa, khimar and
niqab, and travel with a male
relative to escort you outside
your home or to drive you to
your appointments. (Fewer
civil liberties than the oppres-
sive USA?)
You dislike the Catholic
Church, which is your right as
an American citizen. The let-
ter also demands free choice
for women in their own repro-
ductive health. I don't see any-
one stopping you from getting
birth control pills, condoms
or an abortion in Washington
state.
Access to family planning
for the uninsured is available
in the US. According to the
Guttmacher Institute www.
gnttmacher.org '[Nationally,
the annual per-client cost for
contraceptive care in 2008
was an estimated $257... In
total, $1.9 billion is estimated
to have been spent on publicly
funded family planning care
in 2008..."
The only civil liberties at
risk in the U.S. are to the free
speech and freedom of religion
of those women and men who
have the courage to publicly
disagree with you.
Mary Jean Hrbacek
Shelton
Marriage is
one of the
basic civil
rights
Editor, the Journal
In her March 15 letter
to the Journal, Marilyn
Gregory incorrectly claimed
that domestic partners had
all the same rights as mar-
ried couples. She knew this
because: "It is easy to look up
on the Internet." Perhaps so,
but she failed to look in the
spousal and survivor benefits
are specifically excluded for
domestic partners.
. Most of the many hun-
dreds of rights that come
automatically with marriage
only accrue to domestic part-
ners with prior formalization.
In most states, for example, a
domestic partner would not be
allowed to a hospital bedside
without ha~ng previously
made their wishes known, in
writing, to the hospital- with
marriage it's automatic. Et
ridiculous cetera.
In actuality, this is all
moot. According to the Su-
preme Court, (Loving vs. Vir-
ginia, 1967) "Marriage is one
of the basic civil rights of man
..." Since "separate but equal"
has been ruled unconstitu-
tional more times than I can
count, gay marriage is already
constitutional.
As proof, think about why
the push is for a constitutional
amendment to outlaw gay
marriage, as opposed to a
Supreme Court challenge. Be-
cause gay marriage would be
ruled a constitutionally guar-
anteed right, no matter what
state law says.
Larry Taylor
What kind of
choices will
there be?
Editor, the Journal
Victoria Pavel observes
(March 15) that women
should be entitled to make
their own lifb choices. Catho-
lics will agree with her, and
want to extend the same
freedom to men as well. Our
capacity to choose is rooted in
the way God made us. Catho-
lics will note that good choices
are virtuous and meritorious.
Bad decisions are sins.
When decisions that in-
fringe on my neighbors' rights,
when they are hurtfifl and
vicious, when they rob a child
of life, then they ceme under
this second category.
May Christ's gentleness
and accepting love be yours
this Easter, Ms. Pavel.
(Rev.) Ronald H. Belisle
Shelton
What are 99
days worth
to you?
Editor, the Journal
For most of us, 99 days
represents seven paychecks
or three mortgage payments.
To a high school student, 99
school days represents over
half of a school year. For the
Navy Junior ROTC program,
99 unproductive days could
metal disestablishment.
In November the Shelton
School District was put on
Navy would disestablish their
program and pull the source
of this federal funding from
this district. In November, the
NJROTC Booster Club (not
the Shelton School District)
held a community meeting to
gather ideas for ways to save
the NJROTC program and
this funding.
Since that date support for
this program has grown. It
has come from parents, stu-
dents, community members
and the three veteran's groups
representing thousands of
veterans in our community.
Two parents have led the
march to save this program
and have spent hundreds of
hours gathering support and
pursuing suggestions made by
supporters.
One suggestion was given
top priority. It was to get
graduation credits for this
program. Over the 35 years
that this program has been
in Shelton, various credits
were assigned to match the
curriculum being taught.
Over time, and for unknown
reasons, these credits were
removed and the students
were required to use electives
to stay in.NJROTC for the full
four years. Program support-
ers requested that the school
district review the curriculum
to determine if credits could
be assigned to meet gradua-
tion requirements and allow
students to use their electives
to satisfy college admission
requirements or to explore
other interests while in high
school. Supporters believe
that by recognizing the value
of the curriculum and by help-
ing students to stay in the
program, enrollment numbers
would increase.
Ai~r 99 days of waiting
and contimlally being told by
the superintendent that this
was being worked on, a meet-
ing was finally held by school
district administrators and
teachers to discuss the cur-
riculum and whether credits
could be assigned. This meet-
ing was held two days before
the scheduled registration
night for incoming freshmen.
Shelton School District, why
has it taken 99 days to start
this process and what have
you been doing while you
let this federal hmding flow
through your fingers?
The Shelton School Board
supports this program and
also asked for this review.
District administrators have
told them that this review
will be done by the end of this
school year. We will raise
the question, why don't the
administrator (the former
administrator) and the cur-
riculum director know what
the curriculum covers and
why weren't the proper credits
already assigned? Isn't this
an expectation of their job?
Why do we feel that once
again, parents are not being
listened to? We have had our
requests ignored, and we have
been treated like children.
We believe that this is a stall-
ing tactic by Shelton School
program and funding ~11 be
lost and then they won't need
to do anything. Why is that?
Some supporters believe that
there are school district em-
ployees that don't want a pro-
gram in their school that has
military connections. Others
believe that we have admin-
istraters that have forgotten
who they work for. It's time
for a refresher course in how
this works.
This leadership program
comes with only one budget-
ary requirement. The school
district picks up half of the
salary of the two instruc-
tors. All other funding comes
through the Navy with the
requirement that you enroll
a mira'mum of 100 students.
You can't get more cost effec-
tive than that. This program
is growing leaders; something
we can certainly use more of.
As citizens, we create our
schools. Through taxation
and involvement we support
them. As citizens we elect
school board representatives
and give them authority to
represent us.
The school board retains
final authority within the
district. The board delegates
executive responsibility to the
superintendent to manage the
district.
It's time for parents and
community members to take:
responsibility for their schools,
Let your school board repre-
sentatives know what is im-
portant to you for education in
your community.
Expect paid employees
that are in positions of author-
ity to do their jobs or call for
their replacement when they
fail. Don't allow parents to be
treated as inferior.
Recognize the importance
of cross crediting high school
courses to allow students the
option to pursue graduation
requirements in courses that
interest them.
Some discretionary author-
ity regarding course content
and credits assigned is given
to the local school districts to
use and Shelton needs to start
using it.
What Shelton School Dis-
trict needs is leadership and
yet we are driving out one of
the best leadership programs
offered to high school students.
We call on the Shelton
School Board to take the au-
thority and responsibility that
we have given each of you,
chart the course this ship will
take and demand excellence
from your district leadership.
So, what about the next 99
days? Will the NJROTC pro-
gram reach their enrollment
minimum? Will the school
district address our request
with positive results? This is
all unknown.
The only thing that is
certain is that these two
parents are not giving up.
We will continue to fight for
our students and the future
of the Navy Junior ROTC in
Shelton. We welcome your
support, njrotcboosterclub@
gmail.com
Shelton-Mason County I ~, aypropn~ate place:It took me notice that they needed to District staff. If they wait
|~ ~ 1~ m~l~~ ~. i1~~ aoou~useconusmverLrymy increase eurollment in their long enough, either we will go
~:~ ':~ :: recollection the Social Security NJROTC program orthe away out of frustration or the
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Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, March 22, 2012