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Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012 Week 45 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- Published for Mason County and Jay Benjamin of Grapeview -- $1
@
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
On Tuesday night, Republican Drew MacEwen celebrates his impending election to the state
House of Representatives at the new restaurant he co-owns in downtown Shelton, Smokin' Mo's
Kitchen.
Neatherlin, Jeffreys join Sheldon on
Mason County Board of Commissioners
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie(~nmsoncounty.com
cent of the vote.
Sheldon said he was pleased to be
elected for a third term, and to be able
to help educate new commissioners on .
Voters of Mason County casted their the commission's history.
vote Tuesday for all three districts rep- "It's difficult to serve three terms and
resented in the Mason County Board of I'm really happy I've been reelected," he
Commissioners, electing two new com- said. "I think we're
missioners, and. reelecting an incum- MORE RESULTS going to need some
bent. iNSIDE- historical perspec-
In commissioner district 1, Randy tive ... It's difficult
Neatherlin, (I) defeated Denny Hamil- 6th Congressional District for a new commisi- o
ton (D), with 52.6 percent of the vote. son to sweep up the
Neatherlin did not respond to a re- Mason CounlV PUD No. 1, debris from the last *
quest for comment by press time. District 3 commission."
v
Hamilton reacted to the loss Wednes- Sheldon, a con-
day morning. Mason C0un~/PUD No. 3, servative Demo-
"We ran an honorable, honest cam-DislTict3 crat, said the elec-
paign and sometimes that doesn't make tion showed that
a difference," he said. "We felt we did Mason C0un~/Superior Court voters were dissat-
as good a campaign as we could do and isfied with the old
we of course didn't get the outcome we C0u~ of Appenls Division 2 guard of the Demo-
would have liked." cratic Party in Ma-~'
Hamilton said he hopes the new corn- PLUS son County. ~:
mission works to support at-risk groups "I think it was
in Mason County, such as the homeless, Conlwell, Baumg0rtner visit a huge loss last .
youth and veterans. M0sonC0un~/ night for the Ma-
"I believe that there are some sig- son County Demo-
nificant challenges ahead for the new- crats," he said. "For them to lose in such
ly elected board of commissioners," he a Democratic tide shows the people
said. "I stand by ready to help them in are just fed up with the Mason County
their efforts for the community."Democrats."
Hamilton plans to continue his work Reed did not respond to a request for
with the Allyn Community Association, comment by press time.
Faith In Action South Sound and the In commissioner district 3, Terri Jef-
Mason County Re-Entry Coalition. freys (I) defeated Ross Gallagher (D) o
In commissioner district 2, Tim Shel- a former county commissioner, with
don (D), the only incumbent in the race,
beat Roslynne Reed (D) with 53.36 per- See Commissioners on page A-7
MacEwen
defeats Ring
Erickson in
35th District
Haigh leads Griffey
By GORDON WEEKS
gordun(?~nasoru:ounty.com
Mason County voters
helped select a rookie Repub-
lican to represent them in the
state House of Representa-
tives, while the other legisla-
tive race remained too close
to call yesterday.
Democratic Rep. Kathy
Haigh led challenger Dan
Griffey by 1,370 votes in her
efforts to retain her seat in the
35th District, position 1. In the
contest for the 35th District
position 2, Republican Drew
MacEwen - owner of the
Union-based investment firm
Falcon Financial - garnered
52.3 percent of the vote to beat
Democrat and Mason County
Commissioner Lynda Ring
Erickson in the race to replace
state Rep. Fred Finn (D).
In Mason County alone,
Haigh received 50.8 per-
cent, while Griffey re-
ceived 48.2 percent
See Legislative on page A-7
din 1the
Deadline to purchase
PUD building passes
for senior center
Center officials look at other options
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoneounty.com
The Mason County Senior Activities Center's dream
of moving to two vacant Mason County PUD 3 build-
ings in downtown Shelton has not become a reality,
but efforts to find a new location are not over, Execu-
tive Director Terri Shaw said.
On Oct. 31, the deadline on the senior center's op-
tion to purchase the two buildings from the public util-
ity district came and went.
"We had to make sure our dream didn't turn into a
nightmare," she said.
PUD 3 Manager Wyla Wood said she could not com-
ment on the senior center's decision.
In late 2011, as the PUD was preparing for its move
to a new operations center on Johns Prairie Road, the
senior center signed an option to buy two of the util-
ity's downtown buildings by April 2012.
When that deadline loomed, the PUD extended it,
to July then again to the end of October.
Both extensions, Shaw said, were to allow the se-
nior center the time needed to apply for, and hopeful-
ly win, an $825,000 Community Development Block
Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Ur-
ban Development (HUD).
The center learned early this summer that it did
not get the grant, and in June, Shaw and supporters
of the senior center asked the PUD to consider a lease
to own agreement.
The senior center raised about $190,000 toward the
project. That money will remain in a separate account
to be used in a future effort to move to a new location.
Although early discussions seemed promising, the
See PUD on page A-7
)ournal photo by Natalie Johnson
The Mason County Senior Activities
Center's deadline on its option to purchase
the Mason County PUD 3 buildings on Cota
Street in Shelton came and went on Oct.
31. The center is still pursuing moving to a
new location.
County extends moratorium on collective marijuana gardens
By NATALIE JOHNSON set to expire today. The new for Mason County, said the
natalie@~as°nc°unty'c°rn moratorium will expire on planning department has
May8,2013. struggled to create ade-
The county first enactedquate zoning regulations to
The Mason County board the moratorium on July 19, comply with the relatively
of Commissioners voted 2011, after the state Legis- new law.
unanimously Tuesday to lature approved House Bill "Putting zoning regula-
extend a moratorium on col- 5073, now RCW 69.51A.085, tions together has been a
lective medical marijuana which allows clualifying pa- bit challenging to say the
gardens for an additional tients to essentially pool least," she said. "Hopefully
six months, their resources by establish- this will be the end of the
The current moratorium, ing collective gardens "for extensions."
enacted six months ago, was the purpose of producing, Commissioner Steve
processing, transporting Bloomfield echoed Adkins'
and delivering cannabis for statement.
][ll!lJ !]!lJ[llJ!l!l!!lllI] medical use." "We've kicked it down the
Barbara Adkins, director road a long ways. I hope we
of planning and community
8 2 and economic development See Gardens on page A-7
ii!/
The Mason County
Board of
Commissioners, from
left, Steve Bloomfield
and Lynda Ring
Erickson, along with
Tim Sheldon (not
shown), voted
unanimously Tuesday
to extend a
moratorium on
collective medical
marijuana gardens,
until May 8.
Journal photos by Natalie Johnson