I. The Democratic Caucuses, which begin on Sunday, April 15, 2012 with the Democratic Precinct Caucuses, are the only path to becoming a delegate to the DNC. Although Barack Obama is the overwhelming favorite to be the winner of the caucuses – and the nomination at the DNC – voters at these locally based meetings will meet by precinct to do two things (click here for a table presenting this information):
• Vote to select delegates to represent each candidate for President at the Legislative District Caucuses, to be held on Sunday, April 29, 2012; and
• Introduce resolutions that they want to have submitted to the County Convention on Sunday, April 29, 2012.

II. Delegates (and alternates) selected at the Precinct Caucuses will meet at the joint 10th Legislative District Caucuses/Island County Convention on April 29, to select delegates and alternates to the 2nd Congressional District Caucus to be held on May 20, 2012. Only Delegates selected at the Precinct Caucuses can vote at the 10th L.D. Caucus, but any registered voter can attend the caucus and put his/her name in the hat to be a delegate to the 2nd C.D. Caucus. Beginning at the L.D. Caucus level, there must be an equal number of women and men selected as delegates.

In addition to delegate selection, the L.D./County Convention will be the first opportunity for delegates to vote on the resolutions presented at the Precinct Caucuses. The resolutions approved at the County Convention will become proposed platform planks, and will be forwarded to the state Platform Committee for presentation to the Washington Democratic State Convention in June.

III. The 2nd Congressional District Caucus will be held on May 20, 2012. This caucus will work much like the others, with the selection of 69 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. In addition to the selection of delegates, though, the Caucus will select the electors who will represent Washington in the electoral college after the November 6 election.

IV. The Washington Democratic State Convention will be held Friday June 1 – Sunday, June 3, 2012. The primary purpose of this convention will be to elect the remaining 52 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, and also to vote on the state party platform from the resolutions approved at the County Conventions across the state.

All delegates and alternates to the various caucuses and to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC in September will pay their own expenses to attend the events.

Becoming a delegate to the state or national convention is a very competitive process. Planning and executing an effective campaign requires early planning.  If you are interested in learning more, please email Duane Fulgham at icdchair@gmail.com.

Tom’s goals for his first term in the Washington Legislature are:
•  Washington Jobs
•  A Sustainable Economy
•  A Voice for Working People

Tom is taking the grassroots path of becoming a candidate:  he is working to collect signatures of over 500 Island County voters to submit to the Secretary of State’s office, in lieu of a filing fee.  If you would like to collect 10 signatures for Tom, please click here for a link on Tom’s website to a printable version of his petition.  Make sure only registered voters sign the petition, and when you are finished, please mail it to Tom’s campaign office.

Tom needs a strong showing of support from all parts of Island County, and definitely needs money to run a campaign against the very-well funded Barbara Bailey. Tom will certainly appreciate it if you volunteer to help on his campaign or donate $$$$ to the campaign.

http://www.barackobama.com/jobsrecord/embed

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-adds-243000-jobs-in-january-2012-02-03?siteid=bnbh

This letter is actually two years late. Two years ago Christmas, we had a big snow, the roads were bad, I attempted to drive to Highway 20, but even my four wheel drive truck was challenged in the heavy wet snow. So I chained up, we had many family and friends coming to the house, I figured they could park at Highway 20, and I would shuffle them to our home. As I backed out of the garage, chained up, I heard the sound of a large truck, I looked and there was our great Island County Road Department plowing the road. Family all arrived and we had a great family Christmas, thanks to Island County.

Once again this year, my road is clear, the Island Counties Road crew is hard at it keeping arterials clear during this winter storm.

I have spent a career working on holidays as a Professional Firefighter; I know what these men and women sacrifice, they did not see their children smile and laugh Christmas Morning!

But this is a bigger story, this is a lesson in Civics, this is Government at its BEST. The County (Island County does it better than most) keeping the arterials clear, the State keeping the State Highway open, and the Cities doing their best to keep the roads open. This keeps business operating, Fed-Ex, Island Transit, UPS as well as the Post Office delivered. Semis delivered product to Ace, Safeway, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, NAPA Auto parts and others. Dare I mention the paper got delivered, the 5th estate, keeping us all honest! I was able to take my neighbor to the hospital; she needed stitches, (retired firefighters get called). This is why I pay my taxes, this is Government working at its best, and as I said, Island County does it best.

My County Commissioner Kelly Emerson would like to do away with all Government services, farm them out. She ignores the law of the land, and tries to sue us. If she had prevailed in her suit against the County, who would have paid? We would have.

In this great County, I am always amazed at the quality of our roads; they are maintained at a high level. If they were privatized would they be as good?  A private company might see a pothole and let it get bigger so they could charge more to maintain the road; OUR great County employees see the pothole and fix it so it does not get bigger, saving work and expense to the County and preventing damage to our vehicles.

So this is a BIG Thanks to all the County Employees.  I am sorry this is two years late. I am also thankful to Commissioners Helen Price Johnson and Angie Homola, as well as previous Commissioners of both parties for all their hard work trying to keep services operating in this County in these hard times.

As to Commissioner Emerson, sorry, NO THANKS, your lawsuit may have caused the layoff of more employees if you had prevailed (or had a legal leg to stand on) the Fire Department, the Sheriffs Department, and basic services would have been stranded in this snow.

I am a very independent person, I get by without help from others, but guess what, I ended up helping others that could not help themselves, and this was possible because the County Government was operating, working at its best keeping the roads clear, men and women made it to work, made it to the Navy Base, keeping it operating, protecting us, this is Civics working at its best!

Thank you Island County!

Jay Brand
Whidbey Island

Island County is different from many Western Washington counties in that the Island County Commission is a combination legislative/executive board.   That means the three Commissioners not only set the county policies and priorities, they also make regulations, enforce them, hire and fire employees - as well as conduct the general business of running the county.

A County Commission with two Tea Party members will set policies and priorities in accordance with the Tea Party manifesto:  no regulations governing land use or the environment, no social safety net for those most in need, no support for clean water, and no funding for conservation futures.

The Island County Commission has a 2-1 majority over the Tea Party right now, but that is in danger of falling:

• Position 1 is currently held by Democrat Helen Price Johnson, who is up for re-election in 2012.  This district extends from the south tip of Whidbey up to just north of Penn Cove.
• Position 2 is currently held by Democrat Angie Homola who is also up for election in 2012.  This district extends from north of Penn Cove to around the Naval Air Station Whidbey.
• Position 3 is currently held by Tea Party Republican Kelly Emerson who is up for re-election in 2014.  This district includes the north end of Whidbey and all of Camano Island.

A Commissioner who is up for re-election must first stand for election in his/her own district in the primary election in August.  Only voters living within that commissioner’s district can vote in the primary.  Then, the top two finishers from that primary will be on the ballot for the general election in November.   All Island County voters can vote in the general election.

For example, in 2012, only voters living in the Oak Harbor area can vote in the primary for Angie Homola or her Republican/Tea Party opponent.   But in November 2012, all Island County voters can vote for Angie or her opponent  in the general election.

This means that District 3 voters (Camano and North Whidbey) will not vote at all for Commissioner in the August 2012 primaries.   Only voters around Oak Harbor will be voting for Angie Homola’s Position 2 in the primary.  And only Coupeville and South Whidbey voters will be voting for Helen Price-Johnson’s position 1 in the primary.

So, help us avoid a Tea Party takeover of Island County.  Support both of our candidates by contributing money and volunteer time to both campaigns — even if you don’t live in their district.  The loss of either position will have grave consequences for these islands we all call home.

BAYVIEW — Same-sex marriage will not become law in Washington without voter approval, an influential state senator told a raucous Saturday town meeting on Whidbey Island packed with gay rights supporters.  “I will tell you they will not have the votes in the state Senate without a vote of the people,” said state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano, a 20-year veteran of the Legislature’s upper chamber.

Haugen represents a Republican-leaning Island and Skagit County district that includes liberal pockets, notably South Whidbey, as well as very conservative Oak Harbor. She is usually its only Democratic legislator.  She was confronted Saturday with intense emotion from the liberal end of her constituency. At times, the town hall seemed like a Tea Party confrontation in reverse.

“I must represent the entire 10th District and we have a lot of evangelicals . . .,” Haugen began.

“Don’t even go on,” shouted Laura Taylor, a Clinton resident.

Marriage equality “is going to happen” either this year or in the near future, argued a woman named Chris Berman, standing on a bench in the back. Inevitable or not, “Morally supporting us is very important,” Berman added.

“We are your people,” said Eileen Jackson of Langley.

Haugen kept her cool, confessing — as Gov. Chris Gregoire did last week — that “for me personally this is a tough issue, one of the toughest.” The senator was born on Camano Island and is a lifelong resident of the district she represents.   “I have come a long way,” said Haugen, who has supported the state’s current “everything but marriage” domestic partnership laws. Still, supporting marriage equality would be “a huge step for me.”

She is also an influential lady, a moderate Democrat who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. During her years in Olympia, Haugen has been targeted for defeat by the Building Industry Association of Washington as well as excoriated by Washington Conservation Voters.

One of the nation’s best-known gay rights activists, retired Lt. Col. Grethe Cammermeyer (“Serving in Silence”) stood, silent and tall and regal, against a wall in the back. Cammermeyer is a former Island County Democratic chair. Others carried the argument.

“I can tell you are listening to everyone, but this is an unjust law: This is about an equal rights law. We need you to vote yes,” said Nikki Coyote of Langley.

But it may be a step too far for the Legislature’s upper chamber, where Democrats have a 27-22 majority but with at least two social conservatives in the caucus.

“There will be no bill in the state Senate if it does not go to the people,” said Haugen.

One constituent likened denial of marriage rights to gays and lesbians to racial apartheid in South Africa. “I saw apartheid, I was in South Africa and I can tell you this is different,” Haugen shot back. She recalled the “necklacing” practice in which victims were stuffed in a tire which was then set afire.

Ending her meeting, Haugen suggested that the crowd get in touch with her two conservative 10th District Republican seatmates, state Reps. Barbara Bailey and Norma Smith, and make their feelings known.

The Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board yesterday rejected the City of Oak Harbor’s challenge to Island County’s refusal to enlarge the City’s Urban Growth Area (UGA) for low density residential development.  In a 43 page decision, the Growth Management Hearings Board rejected all of the 16 separate legal issues raised by the City.

Beginning in 2005, the City had sought to enlarge the size of its UGA to be sufficient to accommodate 126% of its projected population in 2025.  The City argued that the County must defer to its choice of this “market factor,” but the state appeals board upheld longstanding precedent that the Growth Management Act vests responsibility for determining UGA boundaries with counties, not cities.

Whidbey Environmental Action Network had intervened in support of the County.  WEAN objected to the expansion because it would eliminate farmland, degrade significant wetlands, block north-south wildlife movement on the island, and result in urban sprawl.

Oak Harbor had sought to expand its UGA onto an operating commercial farm west of the City (the Fakkema farm).  The farmland is adjacent to and drains into Swan Lake, a nationally significant wetland complex where nearly 1/6 of all bird species ever reported from North America have been observed.  A WEAN Board member analyzed the Land Capacity Analysis (LCA) the City produced to justify expanding its UGA.  She found that the City had made numerous errors in its analysis and that it drastically underestimated the available capacity in the City without enlarging the UGA.

The City now has until Jan. 2 to appeal the Hearings Board’s decision to Superior Court.  Unless appealed, the Hearings Board’s decision lays to rest this 7-year long attempt by Oak Harbor to sprawl out onto surrounding farmland.  WEAN will continue to work with Island County to enforce land use and environmental laws that prevent the wholesale sprawl and environmental degradation which expansion of Oak Harbor’s UGA would cause.