Countywide elections are not logical. The current method of voting only in your district ensures that all voters are properly represented on the council. This system provides objective and reasonable representation for all citizens. The existing model is similar to U.S. House of Representatives and is the best method for our county.
It has been proposed that three Council members will be better than the present six members. There is no evidence to support this proposal. It is nonsense to have one Council member from Lopez Island, one from Orcas Island and one from San Juan Island when the population of these three islands is not equal. The answer is the best-qualified six people are selected to be Council members. This is the responsibility of the voters of each district.
Council members should not be responsible for daily management of general functions of the county. A professional county manager who is responsible to the Council should supervise these activities. This method provides improved accountability and performance.
Vote No on Proposition One. Vote No on Proposition Two.
Tom Ritter
Orcas Island
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Former County Engineer – Keep Charter Principles – Reject Propositions 1 & 2
From 2004 to 2011, I served as your County Engineer working under both the County Commissioner (BOCC) and the current Charter-based County Council forms of government. Based on this experience, it is my opinion the County Council together with a professional County Administrator following the Charter best serves our needs.
Look at the results. Workplace stability so work can get done without political interference or threats. Several long overdue management plans and road projects were completed: Rosario Master Plan, Deer Harbor Hamlet Plan, Orcas Village Plan, Lopez Village Growth Area Plan, the Fisherman Bay Road project, the Buck Bay Bridge on Orcas, and the Roche Harbor Dock and Float for outer islanders, just to name a few. The part-time County Council accomplished more work than the full-time BOCC could ever get done in the same time frame. Isn’t getting work done what we pay our legislators…
Our current Charter used the Whatcom County charter as a model for our Charter adopted in 2005. One key problem discovered by citizens in Whatcom County was that all of their Council members were elected only by District, were not elected countywide, and did not represent all citizens in the county. In 2008 they voted to amend the Whatcom Charter to correct this flaw. Now their Counci members are still nominated by District but must run countywide to be elected. This change is exactly what is needed now here in San Juan County so that our elected Council members are elected by all voters and represent all citizens in our County. The proposed Amendments to our Charter will do just that! Our Council will then be truly representative and not fragmented as it is today. Vote YES for the citizen recommended Charter Amendments