Orcas LWV Election Forum: Candidates Identify Challenges and Solutions to County Government

Candidates All Agree: No More Charter Elections this Year

By Margie Doyle

The newest proposed amendments to the charter governing county government were roundly opposed at the County Council Candidates’ Forum on Orcas Island on March 27. On most other issues the six candidates for the three residency districts that will comprise the “new” council gave lively, collegial and diverse opinions on other issues.

The Forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the San Juan Islands, moderated by Board Member Margie Doyle, and facilitated by Mindy Kayl, timekeeper and Bev Leyman. The candidates introduced themselves and answered questions, island by island at the Orcas Senior Center.

Lopez Island candidates Jamie Stephens, incumbent, and Brian McClerren went first. Stephens spoke of his determination if elected to focus on broadband, budget, the council’s transition to three members, and implementation of the CAO update.
McClerren said that he knew from personal experience how hard it is to make a living in the county, and that he would work to make building and business development opportunities for “a new generation.”

They gave rapid-fire responses to the questions, what do you see as the whole county’s most significant issue? and what do you identify as each individual residency district’s chief issue?
McClerren responded that the whole county needs better communication with the public. Island-by-island, he said that:

• Lopez’ greatest concern was how county funds are being spent;
• Orcas’ concerns were affordable homes, retaining young people, and protecting the environment;
• Shaw’s concerns focused on recycling and roads;
• San Juan chief concerns were property, zoning and development.

Stephens agreed with McClerren that overall communication, along with transition and streamlining systems, were the biggest challenges facing the county. He identified each islands’ main concerns as:

• Orcas – the assessor’s re-evaluation of property;
• San Juan – the solid waste disposal operations;
• Lopez – property assessments and farming.

They were asked their opinions of the benefits and failures of the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) update, which was approved by the County Council in late 2012.

Stephens answered that the greatest benefit was that “It’s done – its’ been a sore and an irritant.” He then acknowledged the law’s “flexibility” and said it will take training of staff and professionals to understand the CAO’s complexity and implement it.
McClerren offered that the benefit of the CAO update was that it greatly increased public involvement in government: “That’s why I’m running.” He cited as failures the late date at which opinions were expressed: “It’s now stuck in the courts and implementation is delayed until 2014.”

Orcas candidates

Rick Hughes, who was elected to the Council as representative of Orcas East last November, said that he currently is working on 13 committees in county government, and want to continue to serve on the Council, so that his young son may be able to make a living on Orcas Island in the future.
Candidate Lisa Byers spoke of her commitment to help the islands maintain their culture aligned with a balanced budget so that the county can continue to be a place “where parents want to raise kids … and where county governance is consistent and predictable.”

In response to a question about job creation, Byers said the county could take a more active role in making services consistent and affordable. She addressed “a robust group of 20-year-olds who could be young entrepreneurs with mentorship.”
Hughes spoke of revitalizing the now-defunct State Board of Tourism, and of building up county agriculture. He said the county government should “get out of the way and make it easier for small businesses… and don’t treat them like criminals if they make mistakes.”

Bringing young people into county government can be achieved, Byers said, by using the communication methods of the internet, including Facebook and online announcements about ad hoc meetings. Hughes and Byers both advocated actively recruiting students on committees, and Hughes said he’d already done so with the Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) .

When asked to address cooperatives to provide island services, Byers indicated that the major role the council could play in such an effort is in convening interested parties (stakeholders). Hughes said that while he supported coops, and saw their feasibility in health care, that one needs to be careful when setting up coops that the challenges of small business are understood.

San Juan Island:
Lovel Pratt spoke of her community service, helping establish the Farmer’s Market, working on the Planning Commission and volunteering as a school and fire department volunteer before her election to the County Council in 2008, where her work included “balancing the budget in difficult time” and bringing a public safety tax and social services levy to the voters.
Incumbent Bob Jarman told the audience he’d earned a living in the San Juan Islands since 1975, working for the phone company with the Sheriff’s office and Fire Department. More recently, he’s worked to combine the San Juan Island and Town of Friday Harbor Fire Departments. He spoke of his determination to “maintain the rural character” of the county, particularly regarding property rights.

When asked about their positions on the Cherry Point Coal Terminal, Jarman said that he opposed oil tankers in the Salish Sea 30 years ago, and that there is “no way to get to the damage [caused by an oil spill] quickly enough.”
Pratt said, “There are no benefits for San Juan County with a coal terminal [at Cherry Point.]” She emphasized that the county must maintain a role in the discussion of the Environmental Impact Statement scoping process in order to make sure “all potential impacts are guaranteed to be mitigated.”

In response to questions about the CAO updates strengths and weaknesses, Pratt said that, ironically, the process provided economic development in that people were motivated to complete project. She also spoke of the updates site-specificity and flexibility as advantages to the update. The process itself was the laws’ chief drawback, she said, citing the time, energy, and “angst” involved.
Jarman said the strength of the CAO update was that it brought out candidates such as himself to rectify its flaws. “The Growth Board and courts need to weigh in,” Jarman said, and he cautioned that the upcoming Shoreline Master Plan is “part of the flawed process” that created the CAO changes.

Simplification of building codes could be accomplished, said Jarman by removing “low-hanging fruit” through a Council-created Building Commission already in force, and by using an appeal process before going to the Growth Management Hearing Board (GMHB), which has significant costs.
Pratt responded that while it is important to identify inconsistencies, “there is not as much flexibility” in revising business codes. She said “peer review is appropriate for narrow areas.”

Current Council member Patty Miller asked how the candidates would advise balancing the budget, considering that 75-80 percent of its cost is related to personnel, and increasing at a rate of three percent per year, while income from property taxes is limited to an increase of only one percent annually

Pratt agreed that “revenue shortfalls need to be addressed,” and said that the reserve funds created in the 2008-12 councils was critical to address long-term sustainability. She spoke of the advisability of continuing the three-year horizon in budgeting and cautioned to set funds aside “diligently.” She reminded the group that the social services levy lid lift that was approved by voters in 2008 expires in 2015 and asked, “What are the community’s priorities?”
Jarman spoke of $800,000 spent in CAO studies, and of unused properties. He cited his vote against approving $140,000 in aerial surveillance technology, because it was an unbudgeted expense.

The “Council Change Again” proposal was answered by all six candidates:

McClerren advised waiting before changing the council structure again, saying it takes time for information about changes such as the waste transfer stations and the council make-up to sink in.
Stephens said he has been as vocal as he can be in discouraging Forlenza and Pederson’s proposal from going forward. “If it was a citizens’ initiative, it would be a different matter.”
Byers reviewed the Charter Review process by which the voters had approved changing from six members voted upon by individual districts to three members selected county-wide. Noting that the proposition had passed by a 10 percent margin, she said, “We should let this settle.”
Hughes said that although he’d been in opposition of the Council changing its numbers to three on last November’s ballot, the new changes are “the wrong place for our Council to be… I don’t plan to vote for it.”
Pratt said she had expressed her support of the proposition changing the council back to three members elected county-wide last November. She spoke of the upheaval of the transition and the need to accept the will of the voters.
Jarman, who joined sitting council members Rich Peterson and Marc Forlenza to bring the proposal before the Council, said “It’s time to move ahead; issues are more complex and we need to get information and opinions; we should stay with three [council members].”

Candidate Forums will be held on San Juan Island on Friday, April 5 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the San Juan Grange (walking distance from the ferry), sponsored by the SanJuanIslander.com news site, and on Orcas on Saturday April 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center, sponsored by the Eagle Forum.