No Loss for Words

It is not often that I can point to King County when I am talking about something good.  We just don’t seem to agree on too much.  There is now something positive to report.  Preliminary vote results on the amendments to the King County Charter are encouraging.  I think most of them will be good changes.  A couple of the amendments leave something to be desired.

 

On one measure they wanted to give the county council the authority to upgrade the qualifications requirement for candidates for office.  I didn’t care too much for that one, but could live with it. 

 

On another measure, they wanted to increase the number of signatures required for a citizen initiative to amend the county charter.  The current language in the King County Charter is fairly consistent with other charter counties so doubling the requirement smacks of a pre-emptive move on “Tim Eyeman types” even though no one has expressed an interest in messing with the charter so far. 

 

Citizens need to know they can directly participate in the government process if need be.  Doubling the number of signatures needed to qualify a proposal freezes out 99% of possible proponents.  There has not been an abuse of the existing regulation in the past.  Why the change now?

 

What I was most impressed about in the charter amendments was the switch to Non-partisan elections for county officials.  King County is one of the most liberal and highest populated counties in the country and they are supporting this change.  That was a big one for me. 

 

If you typically identify with a political party, how does the ‘party platform’ apply to county government services? What function of county government is better served by a political party?

 

I remember a number of years ago when both parties tested candidates on their stand regarding the issue of “Pro-Choice” verses “Pro-Life” regardless of the office they sought. 

 

If you are a Catholic, you are pretty much “Pro-Life”.  Wouldn’t that make you a Republican?  If you make your living at Boeing making airplanes in the union, aren’t you likely to be a Democrat?

 

But if you are a Catholic that works as a union airplane builder don’t you have to struggle with which party represents your views?

 

I tend to have more liberal social views and conservative fiscal views.  I am just the opposite of that “pro-Life” union worker.  I am a “pro-Choice” business person.

 

I am a strong advocate for a person’s right to make personal decisions for themselves without government interfering.  Does that make me a Democrat?

 

I am a business owner that struggles every day to meet the demands of an ever increasing regulatory and tax burden.  I want government to have less impact on my life.  Does that make me a Republican?

 

In county government, the personal preferences of the elected officials with regard to “a woman’s right to choose” don’t concern me.  It is not an issue county government ever deals with.

 

City and County governments provide services to citizens.  They are the worker bee government entities that work with citizens to solve problems at the basic levels.  Political parties don’t spend too much time working on the nuts and bolts of delivering police services or potable water.

 

These days, the environment has become the “battlefield” issue more than anything else.  I tend to want scientific analysis to guide me through the process of regulating human activity in the environment.  Some environmental extremists would rather scare us with unsubstantiated claims so we err on the side of caution.  I want to see the science to make a balanced decision.  Does one political party represent the fair application of science?

 

Here is the real dilemma, if a person is a Democrat or Republican are they “for or against” the environment?  Farmers tend to be Republicans, are they for the environment or against it?  Commercial fishermen tend to be Republicans, are they for the environment or against it?  Rural residents tend to be Republicans, are they for or against the environment?

 

These are difficult enough non-partisan issues.  I don’t think we need political parties mucking up the process.  If we rely on the science, we can defend our decisions.  If we stay with partisanship, it often comes down to muddying the waters to keep us confused about the real agenda.

 

Choosing county elected officials on a non-partisan basis really appeals to me.  We are more likely to get down to the real ideas and solutions if there is not a partisan label attached to it from the onset.

 

I think that if I decide to seek elective office again, I will be “non-partisan”.  It worked for me in Snohomish.  I am comfortable with (NP).  It suits me just fine.

Posted on November 5, 2008 at 10:42 am in Political commentary, Snohomish County Council, Snohomish County Political Commentary   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL