Off to the Auditor for inclusion in upcoming election
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
Today, the San Juan County Council voted to forward the four proposed Charter Review Commission (CRC) ballot measures to the Auditor for placement on the November ballot.
Council had earlier proceeded on its understanding of what the charter required based on the advice of the Prosecuting Attorney (FOUND HERE).
San Juan County is respectful of a system that allows for adjudication of questions about how the Charter should be interpreted. The Court has resolved those questions and the County is glad that the proposed charter measures will now be decided by the voters.
About San Juan County’s Council:
San Juan County’s Council is composed of three members – one from each voting district. Members serve four-year, staggered terms. The council chambers are located at 55 Second Street N, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County Council, visit www.sanjuanco.com/341/County-Council.
Amen.
Sharon Abreu, Maureen See: ¡¡¡ A VERY BIG CONGRATULATIONS !!!
This is good news! But I want to point out that the County Council had no business voting on these Amendments at all, including now.
It is good to hear that Council has decided to follow the rule of law. It’s unfortunate that it took a Judge to get them there.
It’s interesting that Council throws the Prosecuting Attorneys office under the bus on this and attaches the legal opinion that they did. The opinion is dated all the way back to May of 2021.
Since that date, the CRC submitted its first batch of items, indicated it’s intention of sending a second batch and properly notified the Council that it was continuing work. And yet, with this opinion in hand, Council was silent as to their intentions. Even after receiving the second batch of items, Council sat on them for 9 months and only acted AFTER the deadline. Council NEVER discussed the items, or their concerns with the procedural question… Not once. They simply let them sit until it was too late. To this date, they still have not publicly discussed the measures, their reasoning or their thought process.
Council’s statement that, “San Juan County is respectful of a system that allows for adjudication of questions about how the Charter should be interpreted” is disingenuous at best. Council intentionally and purposefully attempted to subvert the Charter. They only respected the adjudication because they were forced to.
Thank you again to Maureen and Sharon for helping them along in their process.
Sharon Abreu and Maureen See;
Thanks so much for standing up for voters’ rights to learn about and vote on these 4 amendments in November.. If it weren’t for the two of you and the judge, Council would have effectively thwarted our right to have voice in our government. I’m sorry it had to come to your sticking your necks out for us, but it goes to show that in order to have voice or take back citizens’ voice in government, citizens need to be vigilant – and vocal.
I read the May 28th memo and advice from the PA’s office. Where does it say in the memo that Council gets to vote to withhold the amendments back from the Auditor/ Elections Office, and not tell the CRC?
The judge was right to overturn a decision Council never had the authority to make.