Island Issues

GROWTH MANAGEMENT

The state's Growth Management Act, while enacted to control urban sprawl, is a compromise between people who profit from growth and people who don't.

The Act is not intended to limit growth. It is intended to apply controls to growth through adherence to its thirteen basic goals. County government must listen to all sides and seek acceptable compromises that are good for the long term without urban gridlock. Above all, county government must follow state law after agreeing on how it will be applied, then enforce ordinances consistently.

The Growth Management Act need not divide us. I am committed to continue providing the leadership necessary to bring people together to dialog and find mutually-acceptable solutions. I am committed to listening and developing a fair process.


EMERGENCY SERVICES

Experiences in the Gulf Coast have shown that the weak link in disaster preparation lies in citizen complacency and the belief that governments can meet all emergency needs. Island County, fire districts, and the Red Cross must renew efforts to organize island neighborhoods into independent self-sufficient units. While budget reductions have crippled our efforts throughout Island County, Camano now has a regional emergency services planner with Stanwood.

WATER

Our islands have a sole source of drinking water. There are multiple aquifers under us. Island County and water purveyors are well on their way to evaluating and coordinating those resources. But, as wells continue to be drilled and seawater intrusion continues to threaten homes, questions remain: Could growth outstrip our readiness to manage it?  How long do we wait before planning a coordinated, island-wide water system? Should a desalinization plant be in our future? We must promote public awareness and a culture of conservation. Island County needs to restore a hydrogeologist to its health department staff. The challenges of water supply have already hit the north end of Camano where I am working to facilitate the coordination of multiple water associations and private wells.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, JOBS

Island County's economic engines are driven by armed forces, construction, finance, insurance, real estate, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, retail trades, services, cottage industries, and tourism. We must continue to facilitate equal opportunities and selectively promote new business. We need to continue pushing for high speed Internet countywide and maintain new Island County Economic Development Council staffing on Camano Island. I worked for the first two years of my term with the Workforce Development to assure a steady trained workforce for the marine industry, as well as with the Island County Economic Development Council to provide, for the first time, an economic development specialist on Camano Island, while a new Waste Management call center was successfully recruited to Oak Harbor, providing 120 new jobs.

ENVIRONMENT

The islands are jewels of nature, slowly chipped and gnawed by sometimes-excessive human needs. Each "chip" should be considered carefully. It's not about "environmentalists" and "developers." It's about all of us nesting on a rock with limited resources. It's about the islands' "carrying capacities."

OPEN SPACE, PARKS & RECREATION

I look into the future with residents and envision communities for our grandchildren's children. We must save a significant portion of island forests, pastoral settings, wildlife, saltwater beaches, Puget Sound waterways, and mountain views for those who follow after us. During my first term, the county was fortunate enough to be able to buy what may well be one of the last shoreline properties for public park access. Current financial challenges will likely forestall additional acquisitions, but I support the continued expansion, upgrading and maintenance of our county parks, with an eye far into the future when island communities will need ballparks and neighborhood parks. Our new "Adopt-a-Park" program will help us get through these difficult times, and we need to continue addressing the challenges of non-resident use of county facilities and parking issues that plague neighbors of county boat ramps.

BUDGET

Demand for public services, coupled with the loss of sales tax revenue, real estate excise tax income, and investment earnings outpaced county government budgets, cutting staff and dismantling local government as we once knew it. Difficult decisions regarding public services have been made, and we all hope for an end to the 2008-2009 recession. In the meantime, Island County and its citizens, who have the lowest tax rate in the State of Washington, voted in the 2010 primary election not to fund basic services, forcing the dismantling of local government, impacting not just services deemed by some as non-essential. The next round of cuts will reach into what all of us agree are essential services, including law enforcement and public safety. No one can make any tougher choices without closing government altogether. I vow to help us get through this and help hold our communities together.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

In some ways, we are a county-wide "corporation" in which property owners are "stockholders" with rights to highest-possible profits. In other ways, we are a community of citizens with competing needs, where compromise and quality of life are high priorities, too. Where I draw the line is where these rights intrude in an adverse way on others. Yet, I believe that when government takes land on behalf of all of us, then government, and we taxpayers, must pay for it.

TRANSPORTATION

It's getting harder and harder to drive on and off the islands. Unfortunately, planning for growth typically means larger intersections and roads that move more traffic, faster. I support other forms of transportation, better bus service, more bike and walking paths for commuting, and encourage working at home. Let's focus on walking/biking-friendly centers, including safe intersections that encourage pedestrians. Let's focus on moving people, not cars.

SOCIAL SERVICES

We must provide adequate services for the mentally ill, disabled, low income, and aging populations. Where there are lapses in funding, we need to facilitate new community volunteer networks, if that is the only option. Island County took huge strides with the adoption of a one-tenth-of-one percent mental health sales tax. This is now funding very important programs such as school counselors, drug counseling, and mental health counseling for people who would otherwise be left to the whims of their minds, ending up in many cases in our jails.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Burglars and thieves operate on our islands, and people continue to drive drunk. I share Sheriff Mark Brown's dream of returning our sheriff's department to full staffing so that detectives can work burglary and car prowl cases and DUI emphasis/accident investigation units can go back on island roads at night. The global recession has once again taken us two steps away from that dream, but I support the sheriff's struggle to assure no patrol deputies are laid off even during economic hard times and look forward to the day when financial crisis doesn't pit public safety with public education. However, the recent failure of funding county basic services means even law enforcement must now be reduced.

UNFUNDED MANDATES

Federal and state governments create laws for counties to enforce, but send little or no money to cover costs of implementing those laws, passing responsibility onto local governments and taxpayers. The Washington State Legislature, recognizing the financial crisis counties are in, must now give us more flexibility to maintain and fund essential public services.