by Executive Director Vivian Henderson viviankapo@wavecable.com
I can’t remember when I’ve ever been so anxious for election time to come. I figure it’s my turn to bring a different brand of “change” to government. My dissatisfaction with government has been building up for the last few years but 2009 and (so far) 2010 have topped the charts and I’m ready to do something about it. You may feel the same way.
Now’s your chance. This year you’ll be voting for a U.S. Senator (Patty Murray, Incumbent); Two Congressional Representatives (Jay Inslee and Norm Dicks, Incumbents). State offices up for election are as follows:
23rd Legislative District:
Representative Position 1 (Incumbent Sherry Appleton)
Representative Position 2 (Incumbent Christine Rolfes)
Senator not up for election this year
26th Legislative District:
Senator (Incumbent Derek Kilmer)
Representative, Position 1 (Incumbent Jan Angel)
Representative, Position 2 (Incumbent Larry Seaquist
35th Legislative District
Senator (Incumbent Tim Sheldon)
Representative Position 1 (Incumbent Kathy Haigh)
Representative Position 2 (Incumbent Fred Finn)
County Positions:
Commissioner, District 3 – (Incumbent Josh Brown)
Assessor – (Incumbent Jim Avery); Auditor (Incumbent Walt Washington)
Clerk (Incumbent Dave Peterson); Coroner (Incumbent Greg Sandstrom)
Prosecuting Attorney (Incumbent Russ Hauge); Sheriff (Incumbent Steve Boyer)
Treasurer (Incumbent recently appointed Meredith Green)
Three Washington State Supreme Court Justices ~
(Incumbents ~ James M. Johnson, Barbara Madsen, Richard Sanders)
Four local District Court Judges ~
(Incumbents James Riehl, Jeffery Johns, Marilyn Paja, Stephen Holman)
We don’t know who will be challenging the incumbents for a couple of months yet. Official filing for incumbents and challengers is June 7 – 11. (Filings by mail will be accepted by the Auditor’s office no earlier than May 21st). Serious candidates usually hit the ground running early. Challengers may “announce” their candidacy sooner to the press or have “kick-off” parties, but right now we don’t know who is running for these offices. We don’t even know if the incumbents will run for re-election.
Even though it’s early I’m bringing this to your attention now so you can start getting ready. This is an important election year and there’s plenty you can do. Pay attention to what the incumbents are doing; what they are saying; the votes they are casting; the laws they are making; the money they are spending. Are they listening to you and other constituents? It seems to me they’re not listening and when you write them some of them send you a lengthy form letter that says absolutely nothing. And they’re spending way too much money on the wrong things and raising taxes at the worse possible time.
Your vote is important and you can change things. Maybe you’d like to run for public office. Perhaps you know somebody who would make a good elected official. He/she just needs a little encouragement. Encourage them. Be proactive. Go down to the Auditors Office and pick up a handful of voter registration forms. Encourage people who have a responsible attitude about government to vote. So many good citizens feel like the political establishment (and I mean both parties) have let them down and they have no influence and their vote is useless. Not true! Every vote is important.
Get to know the candidates. Call them – ask them questions. Go to events at which candidates are appearing. When you decide to support a candidate, you need to help them. They need money for their campaigns. Help as much as you can. Tell your friends about the candidates you support and ask for their support too. If you can have a “coffee” or a “meet and greet” for your candidates inviting your friends and neighbors will help your candidate be successful. Campaigning for public office has become a grueling, expensive process. The candidates we support need our help. And the most important thing you can do is VOTE!
Get ready! November is our turn!
Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners 