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00lournal of Opinion:
So, was the general election last week a train wreck or just
the citizens' normal positive exercise in transforming their many
forms of government? We can't tell.
For one thing, we can't tell who cares. With most of the
votes counted Friday, 18,365 of Mason County's 30,116
registered voters, or 61 percent, had participated in the
local political scene. Almost 12,000 didn't bother. If you
extrapolate figures from the 2000 census to estimate how
many people are of voting age, you come up with about
38,000. Just in time to honor the nation's veterans for all of
their sacrifices to preserve our democracy, less than half of
the eligible people exercised one of the greatest privileges
of living here.
Chances are many in the 52 percent who didn't vote will be
taking their usual jabs for the next four years about an out-of-
control government doing all the wrong things.
In the City of Shelton, where much of the citizenry thinks
the Tooth Fairy is going to provide the money to fix the
streets, the populace gave incumbent Mayor John Tarrant
and City Commissioner Mike Byrne a slight majority
vote, but hardly a mandate, for the status quo. The two
are committed to trying to solve Shelton's infrastructure
problems and providing basic services in an age when
a taxpayer revolution and inflation continue to squeeze
local government budgets.
But you're not going to get wild changes in priorities, with
slashing of established programs and departments to find
millions of dollars for streets, when you rehire incumbents who
have already been sweating over priorities for years.
We have the feeling Shelton hasn't heard the last from
Byrne's opponent, Chase Gallagher. The young man
pushing 24 years of age nearly unseated Byrne in his first
try at political office, and if he learned anything at home
from his father's "try, try again" attitude he'll be back.
In that railroad family, it's likely Chase was raised on a
heavy dose of The Little Engine That Could.
The city's treet measure wasn't defeated. It was trashed. In a
city where the residents allege that streets are their top priority,
only 39 percent favored increasing their taxes to fix residential
thoroughfares.
The proposal had massive problems. First it was a
property-tax measure. Plus most of the time when a school
levy or civic improvement is proposed a booster group
goes into action, but no such group existed for the street
measure. In the weeks before the vote, it was almost as
if Proposition 1 had more public enemies than friends.
We sensed that many people didn't understand issues
surrounding the measure. Even the city's sampling effort
during the summer - and it was a pretty poor sample -
indicated that the option chosen for the ballot was not
favored by half of the citizens.
With mayoral victory in hand, Tarrant is willing to take the
voters' disapproval of his street proposal in stride and not give up
working withShelton's neighborhoods to determine what kind of
astreetreIi program they'd approve. As long as he goes into it
knowing that people here have no money to spare, he'll be fine.
Only $5 million a month is spent in this county's restaurants and
drinking establishments.
One editorial staple at election time is the contention
that one vote can determine an election. Once again, it's
not just an expression. Nicole Cougher leads Don Robbins
270-269 in a Southside School Board race.
It is the voters' prerogative to smash a wrecking ball through
the boards they believe they have carefully constructed a few
years earlier, the way residents here like tossing out county
commissioners after seeing them in action for a little while. It
happened again last week to a couple of school boards built in 2003.
Voters in the Hood Canal and North Mason districts completely
changed the political makeup of their boards by turning out two
incumbents apiece.
It was like the incumbents and their challengers were
running on tickets. Laura Boad beat Ken VanBuskirk
2,998-1,411, and John Campbell defeated Glenn Landram
2,984-1,401 in North Mason. Bob Sund outpolled Sara
Endicott and Deborah Petersen bested Sheryl Kroneman
by identical 55.44 percent margins on Hood Canal.
The VanBuskirk family, however, batted .500 for the game
when Peggy triumphed over two others in the only contested
race for the Hospital District 2 board as North Mason residents
emphatically established their own district to help fund a new
Belfair medical clinic. Approving that district showed foresight.
Election results are always fascinating, and county
voters' willingness to stick themselves with a higher
sales tax to fund improvements to the 911 system was as
interesting as any outcome. It wasn't even close: 69-31
"yes." So does that mean the city could easily pass a sales-
tax increase to fund repair of commercial streets?
We can't tell. It depends on whether it's another train wreck or
a community-improvement binge.
-CG
iiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiliii
Electoral collage
County ? usPs 492-800
4"
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by Shelton Publishing 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 ShaRon, Washington
Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address,
$45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state
Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Seen Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch,
sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca
Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen
Gay, advertising manager; Dave Pierik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme,
business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination;
Frank Isaac, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager;
William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Nick
Cart, pressman; Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant.
i
Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 15, 2007
:,,;. ' -.
I00eaders" r]ournal:
Teacher in best sense of
Editor, The Journal:
It was with great sadness that I
heard of the death of my first-grade
teacher, Betty Wolf, longtime edu-
cator, valued community member
and an inspiration to hundreds, if
not thousands of students over the
years.
I will never forget my first day
of school at Southside in 1961. I
looked up at her twinkling eyes,
scared to death in this new envi-
ronment, and immediately felt
welcomed into her classroom. I
didn't know that a wonderful year
of learning and fun was ahead of
me.
Mrs. Wolf was a teacher in
the very best sense of the word:
enthusiastic, focused, kind, dis-
ciplined, dedicated to her stu-
dents, and fun! She made learn-
ing a pleasure, not a burden or
task. I believe it was her goal to
set children on the path of want-
ing to learn and for that
to become a lifetime
stopping once the student
school environment.
Her own love and zeal forl
ing never stopped and
her love for the children
through her classroom.
is truly an example of a
lived, and the world is
having lost her.
Susan Rains
Some good news and some
Editor, The Journal:
There is still good news. Local
vets are honored in recent ceremo-
nies. Some who left school to serve
their country have been awarded
their graduation diplomas (about
time). Allyn has a new veterans
memorial. Unlike the presidential
administration, there is not a draft
dodger in the bunch.
Hawkins Middle School at North
Mason has had a fantastic football
season. They did their best.
Bad news is protesters blocking
the right-of-way on public streets
and sidewalks. They are attempt-
ing to force their will on the rest
of us, not with guns but creating
hardship for us. If there was still
a military draft, they would be in
Canada or some other country. Or
they could be given shotguns to go
hunting with Dick Cheney, possi-
bly in Iraq.
Other bad news is that the
people who did not vote in this
last election have no right to com-
plain.
Pedophiles still in the news.
They should not be allowed to make
an Alford plea, where they do not
admit guilt but concede that the
evidence against them would prob-
ably lead to a conviction. If they
are allowed to live, they should be
completely neutered. Thoe who
are now loose and required t
ister an address and fail to
should face castration.
The death penalty is
evaded by criminals with
lawyers. The lethal
called cruel and unusual.
that it is unusual as it
felon to sleep without the
think most of us would like
away in our sleep. The
and chamber should be
as usual penalties in this
Or another alternative
to execute them in the
killed their victims.
Take 'liberal' as com
Editor, The Journal."
I appreciated the thoughtful let-
ter to The Journal written by Jes-
se Thompson (November 8, "Tell
us about their religion"). Jesse is
"right on" that freedom to believe
in any religious view is vastly dif-
ferent from trying to impose one's
religious views on others through
the government. Separation of
state and religion is absolutely
necessary to maintain the values
of this great country in which we
live.
I also applaud Judge Victoria
Meadows for taking the Mason
County commissioners to task
(November 8 letter, "Probation
system threatened"). There is
considerable data that shows the
value of the probation programs
as an effective way to reduce re-
peat offenders. The deletion of this
money from the Mason County
budget is a gross mistake by the
commissioners in my opinion. My
suggestion is spend a little less on
road maintenance and fund the
probation program.
Regarding the commentary by
Bill Hrbacek (November 8 letter,
"Talk radio is market product"),
I agree that talk-radio shows re-
spond to their listeners essentially
in a supply-and-demand fashion.
However, I find the assertion that
Bill seems to make that there are
political talk shows in radio land
that provide "verifiable sources
and fcts" to be absurd. I don't lis-
ten often to talk radio, but when I
do I find a total lack of objectivity
and facts and an ample supply of
slander to anyone opposed to the
views of the talk-show host.
Most of these shows repre-
sent the conservative-right view
and have a similarity to e-mails
I receive from my conservative
friends, who in most cases par-
rot what they have heard from
the conservative media,
a talk show or some
servative source. I
these friends if they have
ten how to think for
They seem almost
in their blind adherence to
sources.
By now I'm sure most
will have deduced that I a
those "hated
liberal and proud of the fact
can think for
ing to
From The American
tionary in my home, a
fined as "having,
lowing views or policies
the freedom of individuals to
express themselves in a
their own choosing." You
me a liberal anytime, and I
cept it as a compliment.
Merlyn
He won't pay for any
Editor, The Journak
November 11, 11 a.m., Armi-
stice Day, Veterans' Day. Remem-
ber, Remember, REMEMBER! All
through this last fall we have been
revisited by memories of those who
"gave," those who "laid down their
lives" so that we could, uh, what?
Well, for one thing, so that one
extremely wealthy American fam-
ily could bring forth an eldest
spoiled son who to this day has nev-
er paid one cent for any of his suc-
cesses or any of his failures. When
his time came for him to "give" or
possibly "lay down his life" he was
able to stay out of harm's way and
be placed at the head of a long line
of applicants gaining a spot in the
Texas Air National Guard. He had
better things to do than "give."
After becoming an officer in the
Texas Air National Guard, he still
had better things to do and, ap-
parently, went AWOL. The family
father was able to persuade the
then-lieutenant governor of Texas
to make all this possible. This "frat
boy," who aged but never grew up,
didn't need this to come to light af-
ter 35 years, because he was aspir-
ing to be President of the USA. It
did, though, and when Bush was
questioned about it by a reporter,
he smiled and said, "That's old
politics."
This man was put in the Oval
Office twice by us ("Fool me once,
shame on you," etc.). I think like
Pogo, "We have met the enemy
and he is us." This wannabe Com-
mander in Chief, War "Hero" Pres-
ident, Decider, as he
puppeteer "Buck Shot"
("Buck Shot" had better
do during Vietnam also)
has become possibly the
most dangerous man. By
the aforementioned "us"
include me. I did not vote
either time.
George W.
for any of his failures
tions to come will.
term he will leave office
He plans to retire and
on the lecture circuit
of his coffers with
Hey, to ql
didn't make this up.
yourself."
Charles L. I
00lournal of Opinion:
So, was the general election last week a train wreck or just
the citizens' normal positive exercise in transforming their many
forms of government? We can't tell.
For one thing, we can't tell who cares. With most of the
votes counted Friday, 18,365 of Mason County's 30,116
registered voters, or 61 percent, had participated in the
local political scene. Almost 12,000 didn't bother. If you
extrapolate figures from the 2000 census to estimate how
many people are of voting age, you come up with about
38,000. Just in time to honor the nation's veterans for all of
their sacrifices to preserve our democracy, less than half of
the eligible people exercised one of the greatest privileges
of living here.
Chances are many in the 52 percent who didn't vote will be
taking their usual jabs for the next four years about an out-of-
control government doing all the wrong things.
In the City of Shelton, where much of the citizenry thinks
the Tooth Fairy is going to provide the money to fix the
streets, the populace gave incumbent Mayor John Tarrant
and City Commissioner Mike Byrne a slight majority
vote, but hardly a mandate, for the status quo. The two
are committed to trying to solve Shelton's infrastructure
problems and providing basic services in an age when
a taxpayer revolution and inflation continue to squeeze
local government budgets.
But you're not going to get wild changes in priorities, with
slashing of established programs and departments to find
millions of dollars for streets, when you rehire incumbents who
have already been sweating over priorities for years.
We have the feeling Shelton hasn't heard the last from
Byrne's opponent, Chase Gallagher. The young man
pushing 24 years of age nearly unseated Byrne in his first
try at political office, and if he learned anything at home
from his father's "try, try again" attitude he'll be back.
In that railroad family, it's likely Chase was raised on a
heavy dose of The Little Engine That Could.
The city's treet measure wasn't defeated. It was trashed. In a
city where the residents allege that streets are their top priority,
only 39 percent favored increasing their taxes to fix residential
thoroughfares.
The proposal had massive problems. First it was a
property-tax measure. Plus most of the time when a school
levy or civic improvement is proposed a booster group
goes into action, but no such group existed for the street
measure. In the weeks before the vote, it was almost as
if Proposition 1 had more public enemies than friends.
We sensed that many people didn't understand issues
surrounding the measure. Even the city's sampling effort
during the summer - and it was a pretty poor sample -
indicated that the option chosen for the ballot was not
favored by half of the citizens.
With mayoral victory in hand, Tarrant is willing to take the
voters' disapproval of his street proposal in stride and not give up
working withShelton's neighborhoods to determine what kind of
astreetreIi program they'd approve. As long as he goes into it
knowing that people here have no money to spare, he'll be fine.
Only $5 million a month is spent in this county's restaurants and
drinking establishments.
One editorial staple at election time is the contention
that one vote can determine an election. Once again, it's
not just an expression. Nicole Cougher leads Don Robbins
270-269 in a Southside School Board race.
It is the voters' prerogative to smash a wrecking ball through
the boards they believe they have carefully constructed a few
years earlier, the way residents here like tossing out county
commissioners after seeing them in action for a little while. It
happened again last week to a couple of school boards built in 2003.
Voters in the Hood Canal and North Mason districts completely
changed the political makeup of their boards by turning out two
incumbents apiece.
It was like the incumbents and their challengers were
running on tickets. Laura Boad beat Ken VanBuskirk
2,998-1,411, and John Campbell defeated Glenn Landram
2,984-1,401 in North Mason. Bob Sund outpolled Sara
Endicott and Deborah Petersen bested Sheryl Kroneman
by identical 55.44 percent margins on Hood Canal.
The VanBuskirk family, however, batted .500 for the game
when Peggy triumphed over two others in the only contested
race for the Hospital District 2 board as North Mason residents
emphatically established their own district to help fund a new
Belfair medical clinic. Approving that district showed foresight.
Election results are always fascinating, and county
voters' willingness to stick themselves with a higher
sales tax to fund improvements to the 911 system was as
interesting as any outcome. It wasn't even close: 69-31
"yes." So does that mean the city could easily pass a sales-
tax increase to fund repair of commercial streets?
We can't tell. It depends on whether it's another train wreck or
a community-improvement binge.
-CG
iiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiliii
Electoral collage
County ? usPs 492-800
4"
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Shelton-Mason
County Journal, P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
Published weekly by Shelton Publishing 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 ShaRon, Washington
Member of Washington Newspaper Publishers' Association
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $31.00 per year in-county address,
$45.00 per year in state of Washington $55.00 per year out of state
Charles Gay, editor and publisher. Newsroom: Seen Hanlon, managing editor; Steve Patch,
sports editor; Jeff Green, general assignment, city government, schools, Port of Shelton; Rebecca
Wells, society editor, county government; Mary Duncan, police, courts. Advertising: Stephen
Gay, advertising manager; Dave Pierik and Harvey Morris, ad sales. Front office: Julie Orme,
business manager; Kathy Lester, circulation; Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper; Cricket Carter, mailroom
supervisor. Composing room: Diane Riordan, supervisor; Margot Brand, Jan Kallinen, pagination;
Frank Isaac, pagination, photo technician; Koleen Wood, typesetter, computer system manager;
William Adams, ad builder, computer system manager; Clinton Kendall, proofreader. Pressroom: Nick
Cart, pressman; Jon Hughes, pressman's assistant.
i
Page 4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, November 15, 2007
:,,;. ' -.
I00eaders" r]ournal:
Teacher in best sense of
Editor, The Journal:
It was with great sadness that I
heard of the death of my first-grade
teacher, Betty Wolf, longtime edu-
cator, valued community member
and an inspiration to hundreds, if
not thousands of students over the
years.
I will never forget my first day
of school at Southside in 1961. I
looked up at her twinkling eyes,
scared to death in this new envi-
ronment, and immediately felt
welcomed into her classroom. I
didn't know that a wonderful year
of learning and fun was ahead of
me.
Mrs. Wolf was a teacher in
the very best sense of the word:
enthusiastic, focused, kind, dis-
ciplined, dedicated to her stu-
dents, and fun! She made learn-
ing a pleasure, not a burden or
task. I believe it was her goal to
set children on the path of want-
ing to learn and for that
to become a lifetime
stopping once the student
school environment.
Her own love and zeal forl
ing never stopped and
her love for the children
through her classroom.
is truly an example of a
lived, and the world is
having lost her.
Susan Rains
Some good news and some
Editor, The Journal:
There is still good news. Local
vets are honored in recent ceremo-
nies. Some who left school to serve
their country have been awarded
their graduation diplomas (about
time). Allyn has a new veterans
memorial. Unlike the presidential
administration, there is not a draft
dodger in the bunch.
Hawkins Middle School at North
Mason has had a fantastic football
season. They did their best.
Bad news is protesters blocking
the right-of-way on public streets
and sidewalks. They are attempt-
ing to force their will on the rest
of us, not with guns but creating
hardship for us. If there was still
a military draft, they would be in
Canada or some other country. Or
they could be given shotguns to go
hunting with Dick Cheney, possi-
bly in Iraq.
Other bad news is that the
people who did not vote in this
last election have no right to com-
plain.
Pedophiles still in the news.
They should not be allowed to make
an Alford plea, where they do not
admit guilt but concede that the
evidence against them would prob-
ably lead to a conviction. If they
are allowed to live, they should be
completely neutered. Thoe who
are now loose and required t
ister an address and fail to
should face castration.
The death penalty is
evaded by criminals with
lawyers. The lethal
called cruel and unusual.
that it is unusual as it
felon to sleep without the
think most of us would like
away in our sleep. The
and chamber should be
as usual penalties in this
Or another alternative
to execute them in the
killed their victims.
Take 'liberal' as com
Editor, The Journal."
I appreciated the thoughtful let-
ter to The Journal written by Jes-
se Thompson (November 8, "Tell
us about their religion"). Jesse is
"right on" that freedom to believe
in any religious view is vastly dif-
ferent from trying to impose one's
religious views on others through
the government. Separation of
state and religion is absolutely
necessary to maintain the values
of this great country in which we
live.
I also applaud Judge Victoria
Meadows for taking the Mason
County commissioners to task
(November 8 letter, "Probation
system threatened"). There is
considerable data that shows the
value of the probation programs
as an effective way to reduce re-
peat offenders. The deletion of this
money from the Mason County
budget is a gross mistake by the
commissioners in my opinion. My
suggestion is spend a little less on
road maintenance and fund the
probation program.
Regarding the commentary by
Bill Hrbacek (November 8 letter,
"Talk radio is market product"),
I agree that talk-radio shows re-
spond to their listeners essentially
in a supply-and-demand fashion.
However, I find the assertion that
Bill seems to make that there are
political talk shows in radio land
that provide "verifiable sources
and fcts" to be absurd. I don't lis-
ten often to talk radio, but when I
do I find a total lack of objectivity
and facts and an ample supply of
slander to anyone opposed to the
views of the talk-show host.
Most of these shows repre-
sent the conservative-right view
and have a similarity to e-mails
I receive from my conservative
friends, who in most cases par-
rot what they have heard from
the conservative media,
a talk show or some
servative source. I
these friends if they have
ten how to think for
They seem almost
in their blind adherence to
sources.
By now I'm sure most
will have deduced that I a
those "hated
liberal and proud of the fact
can think for
ing to
From The American
tionary in my home, a
fined as "having,
lowing views or policies
the freedom of individuals to
express themselves in a
their own choosing." You
me a liberal anytime, and I
cept it as a compliment.
Merlyn
He won't pay for any
Editor, The Journak
November 11, 11 a.m., Armi-
stice Day, Veterans' Day. Remem-
ber, Remember, REMEMBER! All
through this last fall we have been
revisited by memories of those who
"gave," those who "laid down their
lives" so that we could, uh, what?
Well, for one thing, so that one
extremely wealthy American fam-
ily could bring forth an eldest
spoiled son who to this day has nev-
er paid one cent for any of his suc-
cesses or any of his failures. When
his time came for him to "give" or
possibly "lay down his life" he was
able to stay out of harm's way and
be placed at the head of a long line
of applicants gaining a spot in the
Texas Air National Guard. He had
better things to do than "give."
After becoming an officer in the
Texas Air National Guard, he still
had better things to do and, ap-
parently, went AWOL. The family
father was able to persuade the
then-lieutenant governor of Texas
to make all this possible. This "frat
boy," who aged but never grew up,
didn't need this to come to light af-
ter 35 years, because he was aspir-
ing to be President of the USA. It
did, though, and when Bush was
questioned about it by a reporter,
he smiled and said, "That's old
politics."
This man was put in the Oval
Office twice by us ("Fool me once,
shame on you," etc.). I think like
Pogo, "We have met the enemy
and he is us." This wannabe Com-
mander in Chief, War "Hero" Pres-
ident, Decider, as he
puppeteer "Buck Shot"
("Buck Shot" had better
do during Vietnam also)
has become possibly the
most dangerous man. By
the aforementioned "us"
include me. I did not vote
either time.
George W.
for any of his failures
tions to come will.
term he will leave office
He plans to retire and
on the lecture circuit
of his coffers with
Hey, to ql
didn't make this up.
yourself."
Charles L. I