Letter to Editor | Watson is Sharp, a Quick Study

— from David Dehlendorf —

There are several good reasons to vote for Bill Watson for San Juan County Council. Bill is a software engineer with 36 years experience with a variety of tech companies, including 20 as manager of small development teams and major business units at Microsoft and elsewhere. He understands how to manage within a budget. Bill also started his own consulting business which he continued after he moved to San Juan Island ten years ago. He was also a program coordinator for our county’s Economic Development Council. Bill is a sharp guy and a quick study.

There are also several good reasons NOT to vote for Watson’s opponent, Bob Jarman, including the fact that during his four years in office, Jarman did nothing meaningful to address the most important issue facing our county – the affordable housing crisis.

Recently I listened incredulously to Watson’s opponent at a candidate forum state that he would serve the interests of all islanders. Jarman’s record belies this claim. Instead, over the last few years he participated in the appointment of officers of the extremist Common Sense Alliance (CSA) to the Planning Commission, including at a time when the CSA had a lawsuit pending against the county. Jarman is beholden to property rights extremists.

In 2014, Jarman inappropriately and unethically intervened in a land use dispute in favor of one of his neighbors in Portland Fair Estates on San Juan Island. Instead of informing his neighbor that he must go through normal channels to lodge his complaint, Jarman and the county administrator, also a resident of Portland Fair, ignored due process and overruled a county staff determination. This led to a lawsuit that cost taxpayers more than $50,000 in settlement costs and legal fees.

I urge you to vote for Bill Watson. He will give us open, honest government and will truly serve all county residents, not just his neighbors and property rights extremists.

Full disclosure: In a joint letter, Bill Watson requested endorsement from both the San Juan County Democrats and Republicans. I am chair of the local Democrats. We have endorsed Watson’s candidacy. My understanding is that the Republicans have not acted on his request.