Letter to Editor | Clarifying O’Day’s position on key issues

||| FROM CAMPAIGN TEAM FOR STEPHANIE O’DAY |||

We’ve been made aware of some misinformation circulating recently. We would like to take a moment to address the rumors directly and clarify Stephanie O’Day’s positions on a few key issues. We welcome all questions and conversations if anyone would like further clarity on Stephanie’s positions.

1. Land Bank and Affordable Housing Tax
Stephanie supports the Land Bank but believes its mission could be amended for the benefit of our community. She proposes reversing the current tax allocation, so the Land Bank receives 0.5% and affordable housing gets 1%. Right now, when anyone buys a $600,000 home, they pay $9,000 at closing, with $6,000 going to the Land Bank and $3,000 to affordable housing. This can make or break a working family’s ability to purchase a home. Stephanie believes affordable housing should receive more funding because the Land Bank has enough land for its mission. She also supports increasing local farming, like what’s happening on Orcas Island.

2. Kari McVeigh Litigation
There have been false reports that we informed the community of previous legal issues concerning Ms. McVeigh. This issue did not originate from our campaign. As voters it is our responsibility to ask questions and be diligent, we welcome all questions our community may have and trust that anyone running for public office would be equally transparent.

3. Voting Against the Islands?
Stephanie has never suggested, nor would she ever endorse, “voting against the islands.” She is a strong advocate for our environment, which is why she has the support of former Friends of the San Juans Director, Stephanie Buffum. Her pro-environment stance is clear and unwavering. She has represented clients with land use challenges, this of course does not mean she is anti-environment, it means that she believes in the fair and consistent implementation of our codes and the rights of all people to have representation. There is no instance when Stephanie has suggested skipping the permit process, but having several pre-approved house plans on file with the county is one idea she is presenting. The landowner still must go through all of the permitting and land use approvals. Only the plan for the structures would be approved.

4. County Permit Department
Stephanie does not have “an ax to grind” with the county. Like many others in the community, she is aware of issues within the county permit department where conflicting codes make it difficult to get permits approved. There have also been cases where professional reports from experts were not accepted. Stephanie believes in fixing these systemic issues to make the process fairer and more efficient for all taxpayers.

5. Campaign Contributions
There have been many posts and interest about Stephanie’s fundraising, factually she raised more than double that of Ms. McVeigh. To be clear all but $100 of her contributions came from San Juan County property owners who are invested in local politics. Many of these supporters know firsthand how hard she worked during the original County Charter review and appreciate her efforts. She has always represented single-family homeowners—not developers—who want fair and reasonable structures built within our county’s code.

6. Union Endorsements
It’s no surprise that the union hasn’t endorsed Stephanie. Change is often daunting, and many are understandably invested in maintaining the status quo, despite the challenges that is causing for our community members and taxpayers. Stephanie is focused on fixing what’s broken and improving the service for all our community. An example is the impact that the 32-hour work week and county offices being closed on Friday has had on many in our community, Stephanie believes in staggered schedules, so the community has access to much needed services five days a week is important.

We hope this clears up any confusion about the misinformation that is being posted. We welcome any questions and welcome further conversation!

Stephanie’s commitment to our community has been unwavering for 33 years, and we’re confident that her proposals and policies are aimed at making San Juan County an even better place to live, work, and thrive.

Thank you for your support!