Vote no on CRC amendments | Letter

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 20, 2021

The Charter Review Commission started with a grand vision of what their job could accomplish. They wanted to transform our County and use the Charter to do it. Apparently, a simple review of the Charter was not good enough.

The mistake this CRC made was confusing the Charter with a policy document. It is not. Rather, it is a blueprint for how local government works. It was written by a group of elected Freeholders who’s clearly stated ambition was to bring local government closer to the people and “to assert greater control by the people [over] county government,”

One of the first things this CRC did was to strike these words out of the Charter and insert a divisive and partisan agenda in their place. It was Kevin Ranker’s promise that he could get bold amendments on the ballot that would change the course of history in San Juan County. In contrast, every other group that has worked on this document has been strictly non-partisan. In fact, they have gone to great lengths to get people of all viewpoints to agree on any changes.

At every stage, this Commission’s big plans were scaled back because of legal obstacles. Finally, what resulted is a set of very weak proposals that have little power to change anything. Mr. Ranker promised he could deliver a 5-star gourmet meal and instead we got a “nothing burger.” Vote to REJECT all Charter Proposals!

Gordy Petersen

Friday Harbor