||| FROM DAVID TURNOY, SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS |||
You should be receiving your ballot any day now, and you should have also received the postcard from the County Democrats recommending or endorsing candidates. Unfortunately, there is an error on the postcard.
While you vote for county council candidates in all districts (two this time), we were informed today by the Elections Department that you only vote for Charter Review Candidates in your district. On your ballot you will therefore only see your district’s candidates, and you will choose from that list of candidates.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: There are two candidates on the ballot in District 2 who are no longer running according to the PDC. Tim Blanchard and Margaret ‘Peg’ Manning.]
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David,
Thank you for what you do and your energy being the chair of the SJ Democrats, and, for correcting the error. I have had to explain to many that that they are voting for Charter Review Commission candidates ONLY in their district. I am a candidate for the Charter Review Commission and I am curious about what criteria is used by any political party to endorse a non-partisan race such as the Charter Review Commission. On your site you have this note:
“CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION: is a non-partisan body to review and update the county charter every 10 years. We recommend these candidates without regard to party because we believe they are the best choice”
I don’t recall anyone reaching out to me from any political party group to determine my qualifications to be on the 2020 Charter Review Commission so I am perplexed by how did your leadership group arrive at “the best choice”. Thank you!
Tony,
They didn’t reach out. They simply looked to their donor pool.
It is clear from their endorsement of a candidate that was chased out of public office due to ethical violations, inflicted over a.decade of sexual harassment on his staff and lied about his indiscretions while serving San Juan County that garnering an endorsement has little to do with who is best suited, let alone qualified for the job.
Hopefully San Juan County voters vote for someone who has some integrity instead of putting an ethical nightmare back in public office.
You have my vote.
First, let me say that we don’t have a particular donor pool, so the accusation that this was the criterion is patently false. In fact, we haven’t raised any significant funds in a couple of years.
More importantly, several of our people reached out to leaders on each island seeking information as to who they thought would best move our county forward, and that was how candidates were chosen to support. We did not reach out to any of the candidates.
Finally, one has to ask when is it time to allow someone with the ethical and moral problems of Kevin Ranker to re-enter public life. We feel that Kevin’s work leading the Food Bank effort during the pandemic and his current involvement with being a leading member and supporter of OpportunityPAC, a new organization that is supporting the election of Black females to the legislature, are an effort to redeem himself. Each of you has to make the determination as to when enough time has passed, or if enough time can ever pass. These decisions are never easy, and each of you will have to determine what is right for you.