18 May 2017

Newsletter: Filing week!

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Greeting Conservatives!
 
​This week is filing week! 
It closes Friday 5/19

 

Candidates who have filed listed here. Looks like a couple options for Mayor (Latcher is not running again), SJI School Board Director #1, and Port of F.H. #2. All other offices have either no one or just one. Some major offices have nobody. Offices that have nobody are not listed on the “candidates who have filed” list.

For a list of open Offices click here.

I have appealed to the public to participate in the Guardian here and the journal.

One of my favorite stories is that of Jonah. I don’t know whether it literally happened or whether it is a parable, but in the story of Jonah he is asked by God to go preach to Nineveh. He doesn’t want to. God must all but force him to do it. Jonah just wants to know why somebody else can’t do it.

 I’m not comparing SJC to Ninevah, but I like this story because even if you are an atheist it still illustrates a basic truth: we often assume that someone else is more qualified, somehow more secure, or more able to contribute. There are not nearly as many people willing to lead as you might think, and if you wonder why, just consider all the reasons why you may not want to!

 

BLM:

The Sounder and Islands Weekly published a piece about the national monument issue in San Juan County. As you may know, President Trump signed an executive order requiring a review of National Monument status. This has always been a major issue in this county.

Here is the coverage of the issue by the Sounder (or Islands Weekly). There is also a letter about it.

As I have been announcing for a few weeks, the BLM advisory committee is taking applications. Why not give it a try? It could save us all some aggravation.

Other links

Michelle Loftus wrote a piece about the SJCPHD #1, here. Full disclosure, I work at SJCPHD#1, so I cannot comment one way or another. But those who have comments one way or another are welcome to submit them.

SAFE San Juan is trying to raise money. Journal Reports.

King County Dems are being sued by the state attorney general over late reporting of donations. Makes me glad we have Treasurer Alex Gavora. Seattle Times.

Do you agree with the Seattle Times editorial on WA state’s new gun control laws? Seattle Times.

Interesting reasearch on the relative number of conservatives and liberals in the United States. Gallup poll.

The Sounder published a letter to the editor by a local man who lost a relative and had the police come tell him. It was nice to see praise for those who put their lives on the line for us. Sounder Reports.

In these anti-development times, it was refreshing to see the Journal advocate in favor of tourism. over the last few weeks the “affordable housing crisis” has been in the county news quite a bit. The liberal response to the county affordable housing crisis is to limit access to lodging for tourism rather than improve supply.

11 May 2017

Newsletter: OPALCO results, Candidate filing week, WA State College Republicans and more

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GREETINGS CONSERVATIVES!

OPALCO Election Results
Vince Dauciunas and Mark Madsen retained their seats. This was a non-partisan race and we did not endorse anybody. We wish Vince and Mark all the best going forward! Island Guardian, Sounder and Journal of the San Juans report.

 

Candidate Filing Week May 15-20th
May 15-20th is filing week. You can go to http://www.sanjuanco.com/1221/Elections-Office for more info, here for open positions. It would be good to have conservatives on more of these local councils. Very few people have told me (i.e. no one) that they are filing. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t conservatives who are filing, but it does mean there likely are few.

 

Highlights, per Vice Chair Lynda Gerpheide’s report in the Central Committee meeting last week: Public Hospital Districts 1 (SJI) and 2 (Lopez), School Boards, ports, and the town of Friday Harbor.

 

Also, don’t forget about the BLM advisory board. It really would be fantastic to get a conservative on it.

 

WA State College Republicans
WA State College Republicans are seeking donations to help send people to their national convention. As our party gets older, this becomes more and more important. Some of you may be suprised to hear that they exist at all! They do though, and are quite active.

 

US House of Representatives votes to repeal Obamacare
A number of you sent me links about the house vote to repeal Obamacare. It has not yet passed the Senate, and Speaker Ryan says it may be a couple months. Here’s a List of repealed taxes in the house bill that passed last week dealing with ObamaCare. (Americans for Tax Reform).

 

Here’s what the media is saying about it:

 

Other Links
Each week I collect a number of articles, some I select, others that are sent to me. I do not necesarily like every article, some of them I disagree with in significant ways. I post them so that conservatives are aware, and so that our membership can respond. Posting does NOT mean I endorse the article. Mostly they deal with local or state news since national news is already so well covered elsewhere.

 

“Public Hospital District to collaborate on Planned Parenthood draft contract, district bylaws” (Journal) Deals with PHD #1, not the newly created PHD #2 on Lopez.

 

“Comprehensive plan confronts climate change” (Journal). Discusses the upcoming revision to the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan.

 

“Traffic-light crusader fined for doing Math” (Seattle TImes). This kind of thing always bugs me.

 

Someone sent me this article from 2010 which may shed light on the Trump era. “America’s ruling class and the perils of revolution” (Spectator) Do you agree with the article?

 

“Trump Names 10 Conservatives to Federal Courts” (USA Today) Federal Court justices do in fact matter arguably more than the supreme court.

 

“Democrats once blamed Coney now they are defending him” (Seattle Times) You likely heard that the FBI director was fired by the Trump administration.

 

Somone brought this up at our Central Committee meeting last week:
“Tucker Carlson interviews Richard Dreyfus” about civics in schools. (Fox Youtube video) As Tucker remarked afterwords, “Typically I interrupt our guests, and I expected to debate you… I agree with every single word of that, and I want to say thank you…” Dreyfuss has started a national campaign for civics in the United States, which can be found here.

 

Congressman Rick Larsen says he wants to know what matters to you. There’s always a chance he’d listen to conservatives. Vote on his website here. Note the warning at the bottom, that it may sign you up for his emails. I personally get them, but you may not wish to. You know what they say about keeping your enemies close… (though he isn’t an enemy per say, he is an opponent)

 

 Selected County Calendar: (more info here, PHD #1 here)

Citizens Stormwater Advisory Committee Meeting 
May 11, 2017, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM @ Council Hearing Room

 

Public Hospital District #1: Special Meeting of Board of Commissioners (work session with no public comment period)
May 12, 2017, 2:00 p.m. at Frank Wilson Memorial EMS Building.
 

Board of Health Meeting
May 17, 2017, 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM @ Council Hearing Room

 

Public Hospital District #1: Special Meeting of Board of Commissioners (work session with no public comment period)
May 17, 2017, 2:00 p.m. at Frank Wilson Memorial EMS Building.

 

Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District Meeting
May 18, 2017, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ Lopez Island Fire District 4

 

Land Bank Commission Meeting
May 19, 2017, 8:30 AM @ To Be Determined

 

Agricultural Resources Committee Meeting
May 23, 2017, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ Meeting available via videoconference at WSU San Juan Island campus and Lopez and Orcas public libraries

 

—
Nathan Butler
Chair, San Juan County Republican Party
Cell: (360) 298-4489
 
“No matter how conservative your views may be, unless you do something about it you really aren’t that conservative.”
3 May 2017

Newsletter: Spotlight on the 45th Legislative District

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Greetings Conservatives!

This week we wish to focus on the special election in the 45th Legislative District. As a county political party we cannot make a donation to a candidate outside of our own legislative district. However, individual Republicans can. We have appointed Mike Galligher to chair a committee to help us put together information about this issue for circulation. If you have questions you may contact Mr. Gallagher at mgallagher018@gmail.com, or you may email me at sjcrpchair@gmail.com.

Ms. Englund has already raised over $225,000, and we have had many in our county donate as well — one person donated $1,000! It is impossible to overstate how important this issue is to our state, and for this reason our entire newsletter this week will focus on this issue.

You can check out her website here.

Mr Gallagher’s report follows:

Fellow Republicans your support is urgently needed!

Jinyoung Englund is the GOP candidate for State Senate in the 45th Legislative District special election.  A Woodinville resident, Jinyoung is a graduate of the University of Washington, a tech entrepreneur, and the daughter of Korean immigrants.  Her husband is an active duty U.S. Marine officer with 17 years of service.

This seat was held by Andy Hill who tragically died last year of cancer.  Dino Rossi was appointed to serve during the current legislative session. Now a Republican victory is essential to keep our 25-24 Republican majority in the State Senate. Otherwise, Jay Inslee and his Democrats will get the INCOME TAX they want!

Please donate to her campaign please go directly to her donation website – https://causes.anedot.com/jinyoungenglund

Thank you for your support,
San Juan County Republican Party
Picture: Jinyoung Englund

 From Englund’s website: “I’m the daughter of immigrants, a second generation military spouse, and entrepreneur. We are both proud alumni of the University of Washington who believe in paying forward the opportunities we have been afforded as Americans.

Growing up, Geoff and I were taught to work hard, think twice before complaining, and to make the most of what we have. As a result, we learned to be resilient, scrappy, and work collaboratively. If you’re a parent, student, or a professional, these skills may be familiar to you as well.

The power of local government is the ability to solve real problems that directly affect our community. As your state senator, I am committed to listening, focusing on issues that matter, and reaching across the aisle to design innovative solutions that directly impact our lives.

It’s up to us to ensure Washington continues to be the best state to live, work, learn, and raise our families. I hope you’ll join our efforts to shape the future of our great state. #NXTGENWA”

—-end Mr. Gallagher’s report—-

Nathan Butler

Chair, San Juan County Republican Party
Cell: (360) 298-4489
 
“No matter how conservative your views may be, unless you do something about it you really aren’t that conservative.”
28 Apr 2017

Newsletter: BLM Advisory committee, SAFE San Juan event, OPALCO, etc.

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Greetings all!
 
Central Committee Meeting
Tomorrow, April 29th
11:45 am
Heritage Bank in Friday Harbor
535 Market Street — Next to Marketplace
 
All conservatives are welcome!
We can offer rides from the ferry — let me know if you need one
 

If you haven’t mailed your OPALCO vote yet, you need to (probably no later than Monday!). You must be a member of the coop to get a ballot. They must receive ballots by the 4th. We did a blurb on OPALCO a couple weeks ago here.

 

The Lopez Hospital District measure passed. I regard this as neither a win nor a loss, but we did our part to make sure that voters had options. Thanks to all who participated.

 

National Monument Advisory Committee

Earlier this week I stated that the last day to file to be a part of the National Monument Advisory Committee was this week. Believe it or not, I occasionally make mistakes, and I am happy to report that this was one of them. We have an entire month! The last day is May 27, 2017. It would be nice if the entire committee wasn’t stacked with anti-development liberals. The Islands Weekly reports, and we have also posted a considerable amount of information here.

 

There are four positions available. It is not a job, just an advisory committee. It would be better to get conservatives on the board now than to have to fight a set of liberal recommendations down the road. If you want someone to nominate you (or if you have ideas for someone), let me know.

 

In a daily briefing on 4/27 the Seattle Times addressed this issue (includes multiple links): “The San Juan Islands National Monument may escape scrutiny, but the Hanford Reach is likely to get wrapped up in President Trump’s executive order yesterday aiming to shrink or eliminate some national monuments. In this state, people who fought for such lands protection are mobilizing to fight all over again.” This last link deals almost exclusively witih Lopez. (Note: I don’t agree with every article that I post, I post it because it’s important to be aware of so that we can speak out)

 

SAFE San Juan Event on 4/29 
“SAFE San Juans, formerly Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (DVSAS), is a non-profit agency serving the residents and visitors of San Juan County… Our mission is the prevention and elimination of domestic violence and sexual assault” (from their website here)


They are holding a fundraiser tomorrow evening, a “twilight fun run [that] will feature glow sticks, glow paint, a post-race party with music, food, raffle lottery tickets, family-friendly activities, and much more!” See this page for more info.

 

A lot of the time these groups are run by Democrats, but many of us know people who have faced domestic violence and/or sexual assault. It’s a serious issue, and worthy of attention. When a woman is battered she often has no place to go, and these institutions do provide important services.

Other Links:
An interesting article sent to me by a health care expert, it describes how science can go far astray and it can take decades to correct. Long form journalism on The Guardian, “The Sugar Conspiracy”
Do you agree with The Seattle Time’s assessment of state constitutional crisis left in the wake of the McCleary decision. “Class: Let’s Define Ample Funding“

Ferry Updates, Sounder reports.

 

No county calendar this week, since I mailed it out earlier this week. You can find it online here.

 

Hope to see you at the Central Committee meeting!

25 Apr 2017

Newsletter: Hirst Decision, calendar

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Greetings all!

Central Committee Meeting

this Saturday 

4/29/2017

 11:45 am

Heritage Bank in Friday Harbor

All conservatives are welcome!

 

Since we are meeting this week, and there are a number of important deadlines early in the week, it is one of the rare weeks where I will email more than once. I will send out another reminder about our central committee meeting at the end of the week.

Note: OPALCO ballots must arrive by May 4th. Lopez special election ends today — the 25th. See last week’s email for more details. Sound Publishing has published a Q&A this week about OPALCO, found in the Islands Weekly and the Sounder.

Public Hospital District #1 is meeting tomorrow, 4/26, at the Legislative Hearing Room located at 55 Second Street. Michelle Loftus has sent us an update which can be read here. As she reports, there is a bit of a split, with several commissioners wanting to give the $50,000 in question to hospice and the paramedical program. See http://www.sjcphd.org/ for more details about the meeting. Agenda can be found here.

Today is the last day to nominate someone (or yourself) for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (Islander reports here). We have previously circulated this issue, but by way of update, I emailed the contact, Marcia deChadenedes (SJI Nat’l Mon. Manager, Spokane district), and posted her reply on the website. It has the documents you need to apply and some explanatory information.

The Hirst Decision:

Are you are familiar with the Hirst decision? It is the court case in WA State that made it so that if you want to drill a well, you cannot do so if it might feasibly impact a river or stream. This is a major issue for property owners across the state, and a perfect example of how much local and state matters impact our daily life. It also gives the government tremendous control over whether you can build or not. State Representative John Koster (Arlington) has been doing excellent work to ameliorate the impact of this decision:

John Koster’s update here (posted on our website)
WA State Dept of Ecology has a concise overview here.
Seatle Times, March 1st: “State Senate passes bill to address ‘Hirst’ water-rights decision” (the house has not yet passed a similar measure)
To see the House bill on the table click here.
Seattle Times, April 13th: “Fix court decision: Property without water is worthless”
The Washington Policy Center has an excellent article on the Hirst decision as well, and another on water issues generally.
If you want to do something about this, you could email the members of the Committee for Agriculture and Natural Resources, but you must do it soon.
The WA Legislature also has a website that direct you to the right place to comment on a bill.

Really, this is about much more than water rights. It prevents rural development of all kinds.

Also, does this change your mind about how important the 45th Legislative district special election is? It will determine which party controls the state legislature. (click here for our past coverage of this issue). It will be on the primary ballot in August.

The legislative term ended on the 23rd of April, they are currently holding a special session (Island Guardian Reports). This is the 7th special session in 8 years and is primarily to resolve budget issues resulting from the McCleary decision (where the state supreme court held that the state was not spending enough on education).

Other Links:

San Juan Island Real Estate update. This is of interest to property owners and would-be property owners alike. Island Guardian reports.

Seattle is considering an income tax. Seriously. Seattle Times reports.

Homelessness is a difficult problem to solve and has been in the news a lot lately. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a man sleeping outside in Friday Harbor at about midnight. The Seattle area is attempting an integrated solution. Seattle Times reports.

The county council has altered the plastic bag ordance. The Journal reports.

County Calendar: (details here)

Public Hospital District #1 Meeting

April 26, 2017, 5:00 PM @ Legislative Hearing Room

Building Advisory Council Meeting
April 27, 2017, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM @ Orcas Ferry Landing Building

Veterans Advisory Board Meeting
April 28, 2017, 11:45 AM - 1:45 PM @ Large Legislative Conference Room

SJC Council Monday Meeting
May 1, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM @ Council Hearing Room

SJC Council Tuesday Meeting
May 2, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM @ Council Hearing Room

Eastsound Plan Review Committee Meeting
May 4, 2017, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ Eastsound Station 21

Noxious Weed Control Board Meeting
May 5, 2017, 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM @ WSU – Skagit Campus

Human Services Advisory Board
May 8, 2017, 11:45 AM - 1:15 PM @ Large Legislative Conference Room

SJC Council Monday Meeting
May 8, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM @ Council Hearing Room

SJC Council Tuesday Meeting
May 9, 2017, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM @ Council Hearing Room

Please consider picking a meeting and attending it. If you attend any of these meetings, please pass along what you learn to me atsjcrpchair@gmail.com