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JOURNALEDITORIAL
KOMENCOMMENT
Men from Wash.
were once top
choices for VP
Two men from Washington state once
were within reach of being only a
'11 heartbeat from the presidency of
the United States. Each was figured to be
a top choice for vice president, but in each
case crucial decisions set them aside.
We were reminded of this part of Wash-
ington history by Robert A. Caro's master-
ful work "The Passage of Power," his fourth
volume of"The Years of Lyndon Johnson."
Henry M. Jackson and William O.
Douglas were the Washingtonians whose
close personal and political proximity to
presidents John F. Kennedy and Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt nearly had them in the
White House. Both men were no stranger
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
By JOHN
KOMEN
to the Olympic Pen-
insula, Jackson as
senator and Douglas a
fervent hiker.
Both Sen. Scoop
Jackson and Justice
Douglas were on the
"short lists" when JFK
and FDR were selecting
vice presidents, Ken-
nedy in 1960 and Roos-
evelt in 1944. Instead
of Jackson, Kennedy
selected Texas Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson as
his vice presidential running mate, and
President Roosevelt chose Missouri Sen.
Harry S. Truman.
We all know what happened. Both vice
presidents assumed the presidency, Tru-
man when FDR died at Warm Springs,
Georgia, in 1945 and Johnson when JFK
was killed in Dallas in 1963.
The "heartbeat" is a chillingly tragic
factor to be considered in the American
presidency, but it has happened eight
times. John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, Ches-
ter Arthur, Millard Fillmore, Theodore
Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Harry Truman
and Lyndon Johnson all succeeded to the
presidency by the in-office deaths of the
presidents they served as vice president.
And had Justice Douglas and Scoop
Jackson been chosen as vice presidents,
each of them would have been president
upon the deaths of FDR and JFK.
Regarding Scoop Jackson, author
Caro says "the candidates most often
mentioned for the (Kennedy) ticket's vice
presidential slot were Stuart Symington,
Governor Orville L. Freeman of Minneso-
ta and Senator Henry M (Scoop) Jackson
of Washington."
Caro doesn't mention that Jackson and •
Kennedy were close friends when they served
together in the U.S. Congress. There's a fa-
mous photograph of Jackson and Kennedy
playing softball on a Washington, D.C. field,
a photo often used when their friendship is
talked about. Also not mentioned by Caro
is that Kennedy, as president-elect, asked
Jackson to become chairman of the National
Democratic Party. It was said to be a consola-
lion prize for not being tabbed by Kennedy to
be his vice presidential running mate.
Like the good soldier he was, Jackson
assumed the party chairmanship and
never, so far as we know, ever uttered a
word of disappointment about his friend's
choice of a running mate.
Kennedy's choice, of course, was Lyn-
don B. Johnson. And Caro relates in fas-
cinating almost minute-by-minute detail
how John Kennedy made his decision. It
is well accepted that Johnson was chosen
because Kennedy needed Texas' electoral
votes to delbat Richard M. Nixon and win
the White House. Presumably, Kennedy
made the explanation to his friend Scoop.
As for William O. Douglas, the man
from Goose Prairie, Washington, who
grew up in Yakima, he was among the top
three discussed by FDR to join him on the
ticket in 1944. A self-made man whose
left-liberal credentials were impeccable,
Douglas became a FDR New Deal confi-
dant almost from the start in 1932.
Even though FDR had named Douglas
to the Supreme Court in 1939, his name
was prominently mentioned to rid the
• 1944 ticket of controversial Vice President
Henry Wallace.
In a surprise move, FDR quietly gave the
nod to the man from Missouri. The Roos-
evelt-Truman ticket won, and months later,
FDR was dead and Truman was president.
GUESTCOLUMN
• 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.
hospital wing great start We also want the lowest pos-
New a sible cost. The new renovations
cost $33 million, but funding
comes entirely by hospital oper-
Mason County Hospital & board members and local third was added in 1992. ating revenues. It didn't require
Family of Clinics' new surgery residents were all on hand last When it comes to our health, a taxpayer bond -- a rarity in
wing is a place most residents Wednesday for an open house we want the best available construction projects of this
hope they'll never have to see. and ribbon cutting for the new care. Technology and surgical magnitude.
But now that officials have addition. The new wing officially techniques have changed dras- With Phase I in the books,
cut the ribbon for Phase I of opens to the public on Aug. 15. tically'since the 1960s, as has we're looking forward to Phase
the hospital's Campus Renewal The construction project the demand for such services. II. The second part of the renova-
and Construction Project, marks the first remodel the Now, Mason County residents lion project will included a re-
which includes three new state hospital building has had in 25 can come to Mason General for model of the hospital's emergen-
of the art surgery suites and years. The current facility was services that may not have been cy department and an addition of
20,000 square feet of additional built in 1968, which was when available in the past, saving the dining and meeting rooms.
space, we're glad it's here. two of the three original sur- them a trip to Olympia or even It could be completed by next
Elected officials, hospital gery rooms were constructed. A Seattle. summer.
1o kly $26,300. As the property own- gation. Elections are coming up
Act uic ers we felt this offer was low and so please keep in mind that 'deal-
hired an appraiser to review their sion' and %uck' stops at the top.
for San Juans offer and countered at $38,640. In Mason County it is the County
Mason County refused to negoti- Commissioners.
Editor, the Journal ate with us. At the Mason County
We urge our senators, repre- Board of Commissioners meet- Steve and Lenny Johnson
sentatives and President Barack ing on Jan. 5, 2010, the Board of Jack and Kathy Johnson
Obama to act quickly to protect Commissioners signed the orderLes and Betty Krueger
federal lands on the San Juan of condemnation beginning a Clifton Heights LLC
Islands and create the San lawsuit against its own citizens Belfair
Juans National Monument.and taxpayers. At that com-
The small islands and reefs missioners meeting we pleaded
that will be included in this with the commissioners for a
monument are home to birds, settlement to try to avoid litiga-
seals and many other species lion. The order was signed and
of wildlife and plants as well as on Jan. 13, 2010, a lawsuit was Editor, the Journal
providing fishing sites, recre, filed in Mason County Superior Previously Pam Ward raised
ational opportunities and sup- Court, Mason County vs. Clifton questions about the sheriffs
porting the economies of local Heights, LLC & et. all. On March budget. This letter is in response
communities. 10, 2010, we requested a meeting to her comments. Any question
Local communities have been with Mason County in an attempt about the sheriffs budget is al-
working for years to increase pro- to work out the issues and avoid ways related to questions about
tection for these lands. We share litigation. Mason County refused the entire county's budget and
the desire to preserve these lands to meet with us and sent a letter who sets the county budget. The
so families now and in the future from their attorney Dan Lossing Board of County Commissioners
can enjoy hiking, camping, boat- saying '"four email also conveyed is ultimately responsible for ap-
ing and the experience of nature your clients' request for a meet- proving the county budget. It is
so necessary to peace of mind in ing with the County to review the their responsibility to levy taxes,
this busy world, items in the report. Because we appropriate revenues and adopt
do not see the need or benefit for the final budget for the orderly
L.F. and Carole Warneke such a meeting, we respectfully operation of county government.
Allyndecline the invitation." Direct It is also the responsibility of the
Quote. In February 2012 the case Board of County Commioners to
went thlvugh a five-day jury trial establish priorities of the comity
Pnn
rtv in Mason County Superior Court. government based on avail-
-rv r.- ~j In that trial Mason County's ap- ability funding and adopt their
praisal exceeded our original of- budget accordingly.
benefits fer of $38,640. The jury awarded Ms. Ward's statement regard,
Clifton Heights LLC roughly ing the sheriffs budget increas-
public $145,000 plus interest of around ing between 2010 and 2012 is
$25,000. Last week Masoncorrect, however she fails to
County Superior Court aw~ded state why it increased. A closer
Editor, the Journal Clifton Heights LLC roughly review shows the increase is
Belfair is a small community $210,000 in attorney fees. It is due to long overdue salary and
so when we were approached by understood that Mason County benefit increases to the deputies,
Mason County in 2008 to provide paid their attorneys, Insley Best corrections officers and sup-
property for the Belfair Sewer from Bellevue, around $200,000 port staff. Two union contracts,
pump station No: 3 including the for their involvement in this case. negotiated by the county corn-
conveyance system we cooper- Rough totals of this lawsuit cost missioners, were settled during
ated. It was explained that Mason Mason County around $575,000 this time. Furthermore, the
County needed to add a pumpnot to mention all the time and county commissioners added
station at mid-elevation to con- expenses in a lawsuit that does courthouse weapons screening
vey all Phase 1 sewer to the new not get comi~ensated for. All for to the sheriffs already numer-
' plant. During this process Mason only a $12,340 difference in Janu- ous responsibilities. These two
County appraised our property ary 2010, that Mason County items accounted for $159,000
and on Oct. 5, 2009, offered us could have settled but forced liti- more than the budgeted increas-
Claims
untrueTheir l°ss was a part °f a c°unty-
wide staffing reduction to balance
es. Simple math tells me the
sheriffhad to cut his operations
somewhere else to cover this
shortfall.
I have always supported public
safety in Mason County and have
closely followed the economic ira-
pacts to it. In 2008-2009, the sher-
iffs office lost three deputies, three
jail corrections officers, an animal
control officer and an evidence
officer due to layoffs, and one ad-
ditional deputy due to attrition.
the 2009 budget. The details are in
the county commissioners briefing
and meeting minutes from De-
cember 2008 and the first quarter
of 2009, as well as on the sheriffs
website in the Dec. 7, 2008, and
April 4, 2009, press releases.
Finally, there are no facts to
support Ms. Ward's claim the
sheriff "chose not to fill three
vacant positions so that he could
provide his senior staffwith in-
creases in pay." This assertion is
blatantly false as demonstrated
by the fact that no non-union
employee in the sheriffs of-
fice has received any salary
increases for at least six years.
Many commissioner briefings
and meeting minutes, over many
years, show numerous discus-
sions with the county human
resource director, other elected
officials, non-union employees
and the sheriff addressing the
need to properly align salaries
for all non-mlion employees as
a group rather than the current
practice of reviewing them on a
case-by-case basis.
The county needs commis-
sioners that can establish the
priorities of government, strat-
egize, plan and collaborate with
the public and all the elected
officials to develop a working
model of county government
that~benefits all. This is the time
to make that happen
Denny Temple
Shelton
Mason County PUD 1, PUD 3 oppose tinkering
to determine the best way to
manage the electricity that
powers the region. Direc-
Mason County's two sibilities ordered by the fed- homes and businesses. Nearly tives from nearly 3,000 miles
public utility districts, oral government would most 4,500 megawatts of wind away cannot, and should not,
PUD 1 and PUD 3 certainly be felt locally in the energy flows into the BPAreplace this collaborative, re-
proudly serve their customers form of higher rates, system. So much wind energy gionally based process.
with safe, reliable electrical In the PacifiC Northwest has been brought online and The energy secretary
service at the lowest reason- nearly all the goals of the melded into the system that should reconsider his propos-
able cost. Both districts are memo are al-there is more than our region als and listen to the voices of
concerned about a recent By JACK ready being needs, public power customers, the
policy statement from the US JANDA and addressed. In All this begs the question: local PUDs that serve them,
Department of Energy that, if LINDA GOTT fact, many of If the Pacific Northwest is al- and the 166 members of Con-
allowed to proceed, could have the region'sready doing what the energy gress, including members of
drastic impacts on wholesale programs are nationally rec- secretary says he wants all Washington's delegation, who
electricity rates. Further, it ognized for their inn~)vation regions of the country to pur- sent a letter to the secretary
could erode the very basis of and effectiveness. Both Mason sue, what is his underlying expressing their discontent
public power in the Pacific County PUDs and other utili- purpose? with his plans.
Northwest: local control, ties across the region have In addition to cost, we are Together, we ask customers
U.S. Energy Secretary promoted and successfully concerned that the secretary's in both Mason County pub-
Steven Chu recently issued achieved energy efficiency for proposal would shift energy lic utility districts to contact
a memo to the Bonneville years. PUD 1 customers saved decisions from local control to their members of Congress
Power Administration (BPA) 200,529 kilowatt-hours of elec- a federal agency in the other and U.S. Senate to thank
and other similar power agen- tricity in the 2010-2011 bien- Washington. Public utilitythem for supporting us and
cies across the country that nium. PUD 3 customers cut districts were founded on the to encourage them to stay
appears to foreshadow a big their consumption by 13,701 principle that local communi- vigilant in the fight to head off
government takeover of many megawatt-hours of electric- ties are the most appropriate this latest effort to wrest local
regional programs relating to ity per year during that same managers of critical resources, control from the region.
renewable energy, energy ef- period, such as energy. Utilities
ficiency, and new technologies. The region has made great throughout the Pacific North- • Jack Janda is the chair of the
Since nearly all the electric- strides in developing and west work closely with BPAMason CounO' PUD / Board of
Commissioners. Linda Gott is the
chair of the Mason County PUD 3
Board of Comnfissioners,
Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association.
Shelton-Mason County 1~ ity used by Mason County cus- melding new renewable en-
................ ~-- .--_ I1[ tomers is marketed through ergy resources into the mix of
::: i BPA any additional respon- energy that powers customers'
,' Shelton-Mason County Journal is a member of Karl Sleight, publisher
USPS 492-8OO
Advertising:
Dave Pierik, Sr. Acct. Executive
Sharee Miller, ad representative
Maggie Burdick, ad representative Pressroom:
Kell~ Alexander, ad representative Kelly Riordan, production manager
Composing room:
William Adams, graphics
Newsroom:
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Adam Rudnick, editor
$37 per year for Mason County addresses, Natalie Johnson, reporter
$51 per year in state of Washington but outside Emily Hanson, sports reporter
Mason County, $61 per year out of state.
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.masoncounty.com
Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, Washington
Owned and published by
She~ton-Mason County Journal, Inc
Travis Miller, press operator
Front office: Mary Northover, press operator
Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
Margot Brand, circulation
Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor
Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012