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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 19, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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July 19, 2012
 
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JOURNALEDITORIAL KOMENCOMMENT Does anybody care about the primary? fat if they held an election and no e came? That's journalistic hy- rbole, of course, just to get your attention. But as with every exaggeration, that hyperbolic question contains a kernel of truth. Consider the forthcoming primary elec- tion in Mason County. Is anyone paying attention? It would seem the sole indication an election is upon us is the proliferation of campaign signs along Mason County roads. If we detect a degree of citizen disinter- est, let us correct any im- pression this election is not worthy of our atten- i!i i:!:~ ', : tion. This Mason County i!i~il i!iliprimary election wins ii!iiiiiii~i~!~.:~iill our interest ff only for all the just plain interest- ing people stuff packed into that Aug. 7 primary By JOHN ballot. For example, the "Top KOMEN 2" factor. If you were a horse-player you'd be placing an exacta wager -- picking the win- ners of first and second -- in each of the three county commissioner contests. The Top 2 will be on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot. The once-traditional Democrat-vs- Republican contest has long since vanished. The two candidates who come in first and second, regardless of political party or no party at all, will face offin November. Take the five entries in the race for com-" missioner in District 2. How would you place your exacta wager? Certainly half of that exacta would be placed on Tim Shel- don. Incumbency and name familiarity would dictate his entry, most likely as No. 1. But what of the other half of the Dis- trict 2 exacta? Roslynne Reed is a familiar name. She's faced Sheldon before, so the Top 2 could be a repeat, the two Democrats facing each other again. But don't forget the two Republicans-- Randy Churchill (bearer of a very familiar famous name -- think "Winston") and new- comer Mark Core who's making a fierce run at being among the Top 2. And there's Inde- pendent Benavente Francisco in the mix. Another five candidates are vying for the Top 2 in District 3. Here name familiarity resides with Ross Gallagher. The former county commissioner is making a come- back effort after losing a re-election try in the primary two years ago. If Gallagher is successful in his comeback, expect to see his name again in two yea~.rs. This irace is for the unexpired term left by the death of Jerry Lingle. Gallagher is an interesting campaigner. He lost two years ago in the midst of the brouhaha over the Adage incinerator. He had been under heavy pressure by citizen activists to oppose the incinerator, but Gallagher declined, insisting the project should be allowed to run its governmental, environmental and regulatory course. Gal- lagher was right. Adage didn't survive, but neither did Gallagher. So if we concede one of the Top 2 spots to the Democrat veteran Gallagher, who might get the other spot? Declared Demo- crat Brian Avery, Independent Terri Jef- freys and two no-party-preference types, Curtis Bennett and Darrel Andrews, are trying. Take your pick for an exacta ticket. Handicapping the race for District 1 commissioner may be easier because it is shaping up as a traditional partisan race -- Travis Couture as the Republican versus well-financed Democrat Dennis Hamilton. But don't leave out no-party-preference Randy Neatherlin, the frequent candidate from Belfair. His name becomes better known each time he runs. Rounding out the foursome is Independent Douglas E1- lingson. The dean of Mason County elected of- ficials, Bruce Jorgenson, is also on the bal- lot. This skilled veteran campaigner, well known in the community, has had three six-year terms as a board member for Ma- son County Public Utility District 3. He is waltzing into his fourth term because no one was courageous enough to take on the formidable Jorgenson, a sitting PUD 3 com- missioner since 1995. So there's no handicapping Jorgenson's race. He's a winner right at the starting gate. LETTERSTOTHEEDITORTM • John Komen, who lives on Mason Lake, was for 40 years a reporter and edi- tor, TV anchorman, national TV network correspondent, producer, columnist, edito- rial writer and commentator. His column, Komen comment, appears each week in the Shelton-Mason County Journal. Shelton-Mason Count5/ Seafood and summer fun. What could be bet- ter? That's what attendees of' this year's 30thAnnual A1- lyn Days and Second Annual Geoduck Festival can expect. The festivities kick off Fri- day with the first Allyn's Got Talent and continue all day Saturday at Waterfront Park in downtown Allyn. But the fun doesn't stop there. All things geoduck, the delicious and curious bivalve, will be on display Sunday. Visitors can sample from the approximately 500 pounds of the delicacy Tay- lor Shellfish has agreed to provide. If geoduck isn't your thing, grab a Polish dog or hot dog or simply sit back and enjoy the live entertain- ment. Best of all, proceeds from the Allyn Community As- sociation's planned activities directly benefit Mason Coun- ty residents. Funds garnered during the two community events go toward developing a trail system and potential- ly constructing a community center in Allyn. It's also easy to get in and out. Just catch a ride on a Mason County Transit Authority shuttle from one of four parking lots organiz- ers have set up and save the headache of finding a park- ing spot or fighting with the crowd. We have a lot of recre- ational and entertainment options in Mason County during the summer. The beautiful Olympic Mountains beckon us from the north- west. Hood Canal provides boating, fishing and crabbing opportunities. As we approach the dog days, let's continue to sup- port all the great local events and organizations we have. Volunteers put in hours and hours of hard work set- ting up Allyn Days each year. Food vendors, enter- tainment acts and local spon- sorships are what keep them afloat. It seems like the Gee- duck Festival is catching on -- let's continue the success. It's oftentimes the funds raised by these events that fund critical projects and causes throughout the coun- ty. Events that have gone on for 30 years are often the easiest to take for granted. Let's continue to show sup- port for the events that make Mason County unique. All it takes is a couple of hours and a hearty appetite. Even if you don't like gee- duck, try it for a good cause. ,nch the best choice Editor, the Journal Mike Lynch has practiced law for more than 30 years. He has handled hundreds of appellate cases in the Court of Appeals, the Ninth Cir- cuit, the Washington State Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of the United States and has more experience than any other candidate for this seat. He has broad trial experi- ence throughout the state and has taught classes in evidence, ethics, Constitu- tional and Appellate law. His integrity and work ethic are beyond reproach. His commit- ment to a fair and indepen- dent judiciary is fundamental to his view of the legal system and how he participates in it. Mike has two teenage sons and his wife Marlo works in : special eduction and serves on the board of numerous non-profit organizations: Mike has served on the board of • several neighborhood associa- tions and the NOVA School and is 0 social minister in his local church. Mike Lynch is an excep- tional lawyer and person who will make an outstanding judge. We can think of no finer member of the legal pro- fession to serve on the Court of Appeals. Curt and Margie Smitch Olympia Core for District 2 Editor, the Journal I am writing in support of Mark Core for Mason County Commissioner District 2. I have had the pleasure and honor or knowing him for more than 25 years. In my many years of knowing Core, he has always been driven by a strong work ethic and unquenchable desire to excel. He is personable at all levels, direct (yet tactful), intuitive about what needs to be done, professional .in his actions, fair, compassionate, takes personal responsibility for his actions and maybe most im- portantly can still exercise the lost art of using old fashioned common sense. Core is a per- son that always has the cour- age to do the right thing. Core has the relevant expe- rience needed to be successful as our next Mason County Commissioner for District 2. His many. years as a manager of a grocery store and manager of the Mason County Depart- ment of Community Develop- ment have Kiven him the tools needed to succeed. It is rare to find an individual who com- bines the traditional values of hard work with the progres- sive qualities of teambuilding. Mason County needs change in our government and now is the time to make it happen. We no longer need a state senator, we need a county commissioner. Better yet we need someone who not only grew up here, is raising his own kids here and cares about our county, but who is honest and ethical. That someone is Mark Core. Karin Bennett Shelton Jeffreys a candidate Editor, the Journal I am writing in regards to the upcoming ele'ct~on for Mason County Con~l~issioner. As a long-time resident of Mason County, I feel that we're ready to move forward politically and economically if we have responsive and ex- perienced leadership in office. It's important that we have leaders in government that embrace growth and have the foresight to allow our county to prosper. Terri Jeffreys completely understands the needs of Ma- son County. Her broad experi- ence in business and the po- litical arena leave little doubt that she would make an excel- lent county commissioner. As a small business owner, active in civic affairs and a strong supporter of economic growth in our county, there is little doubt Jeffreys will make an excellent commissioner. I have watched Jeffreys meet with all measure of officials in state and local government. She is effective, thorough and fair. She always listens and evaluates every phase of an issue before deter- mining a course of action. I strongly support her bid to be elected to the position of Mason County Commissioner for District 3. Jim Cary Harstine Island Support local candidates Editor, the Journal After being on an inter- view panel, listening to the candidate forums, and hear- ing what the candidates for county commissioner have to say, I'm convinced that the choices are clear. We need to elect Terri Jeffreys for her brilliant mind, policy experi- ence and ability to seek solu- tions. Randy Neatherlin for his leadership experience, heart for public service and ability to think outside of the box and re-elect Tim Shel- don for his knowledge, board continuity and zero learning curve. I would also like to urge voters to support Drew MacE- wen and Dan Griffey for the 35th Legislative District positions -- they are both ex- tremely smart and energetic men who will serve our dis- trict well, and help to get our state back on the right track. Kristy Buck Shelton Take back control Editor, the Journal It is time that we, the vot- ers, take back the control of our Mason County govern- ment. Responsibility, integrity, honesty, common sense and full time working county com- missioners that truly repre- sent the citizens is what we need to vote for. We have had eight years of dishonest or no answers to many questions, reckless spending of our tax dollars and very little leadership by two commissioners that spend much of the working day away from their office. They have turned their du- ties over to others and not bothered to answer all phone calls or letters. It appears that they think they are bet- ter than others and above the law when they choose not to attend a required meet- ing on age discrimination, not calling for bids, choosing not to listen to the taxpay- ers' concerns, spending more money then the county has budgeted in revenues some years and other un- desirable representation. It seems that they spend much of their time feathering their own nest. The fights that have gone on between Commissioner Tim Sheldon and Commis- sioner Lynda Ring Erickson, instead of working for the residents of Mason County, have been almost comical, ex- cept it is sad, because it hurts the county as a whole. We have heard too many times, "He said, she said or she said, he said," it sounds like Kin- dergarteners tattling on each other. Speaking of age discrimina- tion, the above two commis- sioners were caught in an age discrimination lawsuit that was settled in favor of a long- time employee that they fired. Consequently, this cost the taxpayers many dollars, due to stupidity on their part. These same two commis- sioners seem to find a way to increase their own salaries every year, eve/a though they have caused over 60 employ- ees to be laid off and have not allocated enough money to the sheriffs budget for public safety, criminal investigations and patrol. They will tell you that they have increased the sheriffs operations, but ask them the truth. These same two commis- sioners blame staff, other elected officials or the econo- my for the problems that they have created. Another item of interest is that it is a known fact that there have been more law- suits filed against the county during their tenure in office then in past terms, due to their actions. Some have been settled and some are pending. The most recent one is in re- gard to bid laws. They are also the reason that we are in jeopardy of losing our county fair be- cause they canceled the fair- ground's contract four years early and have done nothing to work toward another loca- tion, in spite of the law that says county commissioners are responsible to hold coun- ty fairs. Mason County has had a fair for more than 100 years. Do we want this kind of representation representing us? Please consider your op- tions when voting this year. Let us vote for someone with common sense and who is honest. We need commission- ers that will work for the citi- zens and will serve full time. It is too bad that we will not see Commissioner Steve Bloomfield's name on the bal- lot. He is a responsible hard worker who tries to listen to the citizens before making decisions. Annette McGee Shelton Vote Andrews Editor, the Journal A person running for public office needs to have certain characteristics and abilities in order to be successful in that attempt. Said person should possess a firm knowledge of the area he/she serves. That. person should be a listener, be open to hearing what his/ her constituents have to say, to really care about what the public wants and needs. Hon- esty, integrity, stamina, a love See Letters on page A-5 USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. at 227 West Cota Street, Shelton, Washington Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone (360) 426-4412 • www:masonc0unty.com Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington Shelton-Mason County Journal is a member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $37 per year for Mason County addresses, $51 per year in state of Washington but outside Mason County, $61 per year out of state. Owned and published by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc Kari Sleight, publisher Newsroom: Adam Rudnick, editor Natalie Johnson, reporter Emily Hanson, sports reporter Advertising: Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive Sharee Miller, ad representative Maggie Burdick, ad representative Kelli Alexander, ad representative Front office: Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper Margot Brand, circulation Cricket Carter, mailroom supervisor Composing room: William Adams, graphics Pressroom: Kelly Riordan, production manager Travis Miller, press operator Mary Northover, press operator Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July ! 9, 2012