Hi, folks...
Recommendation #1 VOTE!!!!!
Vote for whomever or whatever you please, but just cast a ballot.
Abstinence Only doesn't work as birth control, and it doesn't work as political control either.
So, vote.
Recommendation #2
Pete Kremen for County Council
Tony Larson pledged to "Get Whatcom Working", and then spent the last ten months not doing anything about it. He is a do nothing County Councilor, and he needs to go do nothing on someone else's time.
I support the Lake Whatcom Forest Preserve and I expect the Council to approach into the SSA Marine Cherry Point facility without a rubber stamp in their hands. Pete Kremen will do both of those things, and Tony Larson won't.
Pete Kremen has established an ability to serve in a non-partisan fashion and make it look far easier than it really is. He will bring this same non-partisan capacity to the County Council.
Recommendation #3
Christina Maginnis for County Council
Sam Crawford has spent something on the order of 12 years on the Council, and he still needs "on the job training" on things like how to run a Council meeting. How do you spend 12 years on the County Council and not know basics like motions to refer to committee and motions to amend? He spent a lot of time learning how his iPhone worked during his tenure as a County Councilor, and apparently, not much else.
Also, he is ethically... how shall I put this...? ...myopic.
Christina Maginnis is my pick for a whole raft of reasons, not the least of which is that she brings a scientific background to the Council. The Council needs someone with scientific training, and Ms Maginnis is the only person running who has scientific bonefides.
She is also a working mom, and that sensibility is one we need more of on the Council.
The fact that she is also more ethical than Mr. Crawford is just gravy.
Recommendation #4
Alan Black for County Council
Every recommendation for Alan Black I have read is preceded by a compliment to the fine representation offered by current County Councilor Barbara Brenner, and this recommendation will be no exception. Ms. Brenner has been a remarkably interactive and responsive and memorable County Councilor during her years of service to Whatcom County.
My primary reason for supporting Alan Black? Unions.
The County Council desperately needs a union perspective on the County Council. Unions are, to put it mildly, underrepresented on the County Council, and the SSA Marine Cherry Point facility as well as the Medic One contract are going to affect unions in the County in a profound way. There is no reason to believe that unions will have strong support from the Executive Branch of County Government, so there must be a strong pro-union voice on the Legislative Branch. All due respect to Ms. Brenner, that voice is not hers.
It's Alan Black's.
Recommendation #5
Jack Louws for County Executive.
Doug Ericksen is a butt face.
Jack Louws is not a butt face.
Vote for Jack Louws, the non-Butt Face candidate, for County Executive.
Recommendation #6
No on the Charter Amendment to form a Salary Commission
This is a rough draft of an amendment, that was cut and pasted directly from the Snohomish County Charter.
It's like taking an oil filter from a Ford and slam dunking it into a Chevy and expecting the engine to run properly.
The concept of a Salary Commission is fine, but this is a vote on the language not the concept, and the language is needlessly flawed.
This language needs to be perfected and customized to fit our unique Home Rule Charter before it is added to the Charter, not after.
Vote NO, and then send this matter to the Charter Review Commission in 2013.
Recommendation #7
No on I-1183
Everyone whom I've seen support this Costco Booze initiative was clearly drunk at the time.
No.
Recommendation #8
No on I-1125
Yeah, I'm voting against this one because I just don't trust Tim Eyman.
In particular, this Eyman effort runs counter to Tim Eyman's own publicly stated philosophy.
If passed, this initiative will concentrate more power into the hands of State Legislators.
This is a 180 degree turn from Tim Eyman's normal sales pitch which is that it is better to not trust the elected officials on the grounds that they think they "know better that the public what is good for the public".
Well, this places decision making authority into those very same Olympian hands, rather than binding those hands from making decisions.
This is an initiative that even Eyman doesn't agree with philosophically.
So... No.
That's all I've got. You are on your own for all the other ballot decisions.
I think you can manage just fine without me.
'Nerd Out.
Recommendation #1 VOTE!!!!!
Vote for whomever or whatever you please, but just cast a ballot.
Abstinence Only doesn't work as birth control, and it doesn't work as political control either.
So, vote.
Recommendation #2
Pete Kremen for County Council
Tony Larson pledged to "Get Whatcom Working", and then spent the last ten months not doing anything about it. He is a do nothing County Councilor, and he needs to go do nothing on someone else's time.
I support the Lake Whatcom Forest Preserve and I expect the Council to approach into the SSA Marine Cherry Point facility without a rubber stamp in their hands. Pete Kremen will do both of those things, and Tony Larson won't.
Pete Kremen has established an ability to serve in a non-partisan fashion and make it look far easier than it really is. He will bring this same non-partisan capacity to the County Council.
Recommendation #3
Christina Maginnis for County Council
Sam Crawford has spent something on the order of 12 years on the Council, and he still needs "on the job training" on things like how to run a Council meeting. How do you spend 12 years on the County Council and not know basics like motions to refer to committee and motions to amend? He spent a lot of time learning how his iPhone worked during his tenure as a County Councilor, and apparently, not much else.
Also, he is ethically... how shall I put this...? ...myopic.
Christina Maginnis is my pick for a whole raft of reasons, not the least of which is that she brings a scientific background to the Council. The Council needs someone with scientific training, and Ms Maginnis is the only person running who has scientific bonefides.
She is also a working mom, and that sensibility is one we need more of on the Council.
The fact that she is also more ethical than Mr. Crawford is just gravy.
Recommendation #4
Alan Black for County Council
Every recommendation for Alan Black I have read is preceded by a compliment to the fine representation offered by current County Councilor Barbara Brenner, and this recommendation will be no exception. Ms. Brenner has been a remarkably interactive and responsive and memorable County Councilor during her years of service to Whatcom County.
My primary reason for supporting Alan Black? Unions.
The County Council desperately needs a union perspective on the County Council. Unions are, to put it mildly, underrepresented on the County Council, and the SSA Marine Cherry Point facility as well as the Medic One contract are going to affect unions in the County in a profound way. There is no reason to believe that unions will have strong support from the Executive Branch of County Government, so there must be a strong pro-union voice on the Legislative Branch. All due respect to Ms. Brenner, that voice is not hers.
It's Alan Black's.
Recommendation #5
Jack Louws for County Executive.
Doug Ericksen is a butt face.
Jack Louws is not a butt face.
Vote for Jack Louws, the non-Butt Face candidate, for County Executive.
Recommendation #6
No on the Charter Amendment to form a Salary Commission
This is a rough draft of an amendment, that was cut and pasted directly from the Snohomish County Charter.
It's like taking an oil filter from a Ford and slam dunking it into a Chevy and expecting the engine to run properly.
The concept of a Salary Commission is fine, but this is a vote on the language not the concept, and the language is needlessly flawed.
This language needs to be perfected and customized to fit our unique Home Rule Charter before it is added to the Charter, not after.
Vote NO, and then send this matter to the Charter Review Commission in 2013.
Recommendation #7
No on I-1183
Everyone whom I've seen support this Costco Booze initiative was clearly drunk at the time.
No.
Recommendation #8
No on I-1125
Yeah, I'm voting against this one because I just don't trust Tim Eyman.
In particular, this Eyman effort runs counter to Tim Eyman's own publicly stated philosophy.
If passed, this initiative will concentrate more power into the hands of State Legislators.
This is a 180 degree turn from Tim Eyman's normal sales pitch which is that it is better to not trust the elected officials on the grounds that they think they "know better that the public what is good for the public".
Well, this places decision making authority into those very same Olympian hands, rather than binding those hands from making decisions.
This is an initiative that even Eyman doesn't agree with philosophically.
So... No.
That's all I've got. You are on your own for all the other ballot decisions.
I think you can manage just fine without me.
'Nerd Out.
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