In the February 18 edition of the Snohomish Tribune, they reported that incumbent Somers’ top three priorities if he wins re-election were 1) Retaining Jobs in the today’s economy, 2) Ensuring that “Transportation Money” comes to Snohomish County from the Federal Stimulus program and 3) Protecting farmland and Agriculture industry.
The part where he says, “If he wins re-election” is important. At the time he shared his priorities, Somers knew he had applied for a different job with the federal government and was hoping to keep it quiet. How do you tell folks in your district you are running for re-election when you are looking for a different job? How do you go to your supporters to raise money for a campaign when you are deceiving them by not disclosing your real plan? If that other thing didn’t pan out, then he would fall back to Snohomish County Council. That says something about Dave.
Then regarding his priorities, I would think that retaining jobs would be a high priority for every elected official. I would think that creating family wage jobs in our county would be very high on the list. I would think that supporting businesses that create those jobs would be a great idea. In Somers’ case, he’s already spent eight years in office and I can’t see how he’s done anything to support business. If you don’t support the business community, how do you expect to retain jobs? Unless you intend to create government jobs, you need profitable businesses to “retain jobs” or to create jobs.
Priority number two is “Ensuring that Transportation Money comes to Snohomish County from Federal Stimulus program”. What kind of priority is that? If there aren’t real priorities for our county he can enumerate, he is in real trouble. Getting in line at the trough is not my idea of good government.
Dave’s third priority was protecting farmland and the Agriculture industry. Protecting them from what? The greatest threat to farm businesses is government regulation. The environmental policies promoted by Somers and his associates are killing farm businesses. The “farm land” will be left, but there won’t be any farmers.
From Dave’s Website http://davesomers.org/index.php?page=display&id=4
“Four years ago, I campaigned to get our fair share of transportation investments, protect local businesses, neighborhoods and farms, and improve public safety.”
On Dave’s campaign website today, his priorities are to secure funding for improvements to state and federal highways (US2, SR9 & SR522). These are state and federal highways and funding for them comes from either the state or feds. He must have some evidence that he worked on this priority somewhere in his past, but I can’t find it; unless you count hand wringing.
From Dave’s Website http://davesomers.org/index.php?page=display&id=4
Our priority for 2009 and beyond should be to assure the stability of our economy by providing a favorable business climate for our existing businesses, and to attract new businesses that will put Snohomish County in a world leadership position for the new economy.
Once again, there is no evidence that Somers supported any significant business initiatives during the past 3½ years. He certainly didn’t initiate any. For the future, his idea of attracting new business for the new economy is generally related to the Green Economy. That would mean that if you are an existing business, you might be at risk.
Dave also suggests ways to support the economy.
From Dave’s website http://davesomers.org/index.php?page=display&id=4
1. Working hard to improve our region’s transportation systems including highways, transit systems, regional connections, and local road system;
2. Maintaining our quality of life including natural environment, business climate, education system, and safe communities;
3. Establishing a four year University in Snohomish County;
4. Continuing to make County government more efficient and responsive.
I would like to hear Dave’s ideas about improving the regional transportation system. I suspect he would be recommending ways to get us out of our cars. A Green Initiative goal is a 20% reduction in vehicle miles traveled by county residents by 2015; based upon 2005 as a base. Imagine how your life would change if you had to reduce the miles you travel because the government decided you drive too much? What alternatives has Dave offered that will make it possible for us to drive less?
Whether you like it or not, that is where Somers is leading us. The best way to get you out of your car is to penalize you through taxes or fees. His leadership will hurt if you live in east Snohomish County and drive your car.
His point number 4 “Continuing to make County government more efficient and responsive.” suggests that he has been working on it already. Other than balancing the budget through employee cuts he hasn’t initiated any efforts to be either more efficient or responsive.
We need to keep the heat on Somers for his failure to accomplish any of these goals after all his years on the job. Aside from his environmental regulations, it would be easier to list Dave’s accomplishments after eight years on the job than his failures. The list of accomplishments would be really short and the failures list would be lengthy.
Where I do believe you can count on Somers to deliver will be in his goals for the Environment.
From Dave’s website http://davesomers.org/index.php?page=display&id=4
1. Continuing to work to restore Puget Sound and our region’s salmon runs;
2. Preventing sprawl, increasing protection of farm lands and forest lands;
3. Creating new opportunities for sustainable economic development.
Now we are talking about the real Dave Somers. This is his agenda. Here is where you will find his contribution to County government. In the context of Goals and Policies, Dave has been very effective in producing an impact. In order to think that Dave offers a balanced approach to environmental policy, a person would have to be an ultra eco-extremist. The ramifications of promoting this little section of Somers’ agenda ripple through every one of his others.
The last section of Somers’ goals for his campaign he lists Public Safety. Public Safety consumes about two thirds of the county general fund budget. The Sheriff, the jail, the prosecutor’s office, the Clerk and the courts already consume two thirds. Dave would have us believe that he is involved with public safety issues in the district. The Sheriff knew about the increasing gang activity that lead to a homicide in Sultan but Somers must have missed that one.
In addition to existing Criminal Justice offices, Dave wants to dedicate additional funds for “alternative programs and mental health” at the expense of what? Where does Dave plan for these funds to come from? Rather than adding obligations to the county burden, we need to be reducing them.
From Dave’s website http://davesomers.org/index.php?page=display&id=4
• Continuing to work on making our County’s Public Safety system more effective and efficient;
• Support funding for alternative programs such as drug court;
• Reducing public safety costs by treating the root causes of much of our crime – mental health and drug related.
There is no doubt that Dave Somers wants to lead his district, but I know I don’t want to follow where he is taking us and I doubt many others will either when they realize where that is. If you look at Somers’ issues on his website, they are at a minimum listed in reverse order and that is giving him the benefit of the doubt. I seriously doubt whether Transportation or the Economy are high priorities for his next term since they have not been in the past.
Ask Dave Somers to list his accomplishments that can be substantiated with a “yes” vote on an issue. Ask Dave Somers when he had his last Town Hall Meeting with constituents. Ask Dave Somers what his proudest achievements have been in government.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the answers were short; not because he hasn’t been doing anything, but because his achievements do not serve the average citizen in the district. If the average citizen knew how Dave and others in his camp conspiring to change their lives, the people would be alarmed.
As a challenger I can question Somers’ accomplishments or lack of them. As the incumbent he can question my ability to do better. Since I am considerably more experienced in government than he was when he was elected I think I can offer credible answers to his challenges. Voters are entitled to know about incumbents; their voting record and their agenda for the future.
As a candidate for county council, I can offer a solid twenty plus year history of moderate government where I have the same expectations for the development community as I do for the environmental community; solid science to establish fair guidelines for both sides.
No Loss for Words 
What is a Republican? Who is a Republican?
by Steve DanaThere is no doubt that the economy is on the minds of taxpayers in our country these days. Leadership at the highest level is confirming our belief that a turn-around will not come without significant cost. Electing candidates to any office that believe in re-distributing your wealth tend to do that.
The American Dream I grew up believing in is “You work hard, invest your money, be active in your community to make life better for everyone.” Not taking from the rich to give to the poor! Everyone earns their way the best they can.
The American people felt they needed to go in a different direction after eight years of George Bush. The message of “hope” that Obama preached sounded good to needy voters across the country. That coupled with an historic election of the first black president blinded voters to the facts about Obama’s true colors. (no pun intended) Everything we knew about him before the election suggested what kind of president he would be and his actions after the election should surprise no one.
Our party has at least two years of tough sledding ahead of us before the first opportunity to make things right. How we spend that time will have some bearing on our success as Republicans in 2010.
This year, we face a somewhat different challenge. The opposition party has been entrenched in the county executive’s office for 24 years and controlled the county council for a couple years now so they cannot point the finger at Republicans and lay blame for problems of their own making. Our challenge is to make them take ownership of the failures of their policies.
Property tax rates have never been higher even as property values have plunged. When our property values were increasing because of market forces and high developer costs, we seemed pretty happy about our windfall of equity. Now as our taxes are going even higher we are having trouble understanding why when our house is now worth $100,000 less than a year ago. The truth is the euphoria associated with a robust economy dulled our resolve to constrain the growth of government and it seemed that we would expand the economy to cover the long term liability. If it weren’t so painful, it would be comical. I talked about the necessity of adopting more conservative financial management policies long before the crash. When you are celebrating the inflated value of your 401K you tend to ignore warning signs.
My experience in city government taught me about adopting long term financial management policies during hard times so you know what your base line is and guide how you allocate new revenues during prosperous times. It prevents core growth of government and recognizes unpredictable revenue sources for what they are.
Much of the public discussion recently has been about whether Boeing will develop assembly facilities in another state for the Dreamliner. This is an easy issue to address. If you were a member of the management team at Boeing, how would you respond to a workforce that refuses to acknowledge the peril the company suffers as the result of a labor dispute or a government that fails to understand the impact of unreasonable L& I and Employment Security rates? There is no doubt that each of us would look to develop alternatives for the future. The company cannot be held hostage by either of them. If the net result is that the company leaves the state over time, it should not be surprising. If you believe keeping the Boeing Company is a high priority for our county, you need to demonstrate that by supporting Steve Dana.
For Snohomish County, Boeing is a big gorilla, but not the only one. Other businesses suffer from the same issues that might cause them to leave as well. Our responsibility as leaders is to develop a tax structure for all businesses that is competitive with other parts of the country and even the world. Other than agriculture products that grow in our unique climate conditions, manufacturers can locate where market force conditions can be considered. If our leaders fail to develop a strategy to address this issue, our county and state will be reduced to a service sector economy catering to a huge public sector government with no tax base; in an economic death spiral.
As much as we would like to blame someone else for our predicament, we have passed the point for blame. We all know how we got here.
This election is not about the past, it’s about the future and where we want to lead our county tomorrow. The choice you make in this county council election can either turn the ship of state back to safe harbor and the American way or further out into the storm of Socialism.
For Steve Dana, the core issues of the campaign are;
1. Jobs: Private Sector Job creation through supporting Economic Development initiatives. Nearly all of government’s funding comes from the private sector. Businesses create jobs that create the economy. Working to remove regulatory obstacles to private sector investment for business is one of my highest priorities. Historically, prosperity for America only comes when government has cleared the way for private businesses to be innovative and responsive to the needs of our country.
2. Restraining the Growth of Government: County Government has doubled in size in the past 20 years. Taxes and fees have exploded, county employment has skyrocketed and in spite of technology investments, productivity gains have not. Getting more done with less resources is what we do in the private sector. President Ronald Reagan was on the right track when he said “Government can’t solve the problem! Government is the problem!”
3. Land Use Policy and Property Rights: Traffic congestion from development inside and outside of urban growth areas has significantly impacted quality of life for all of us. “Concurrence” is the term that describes having adequate roads in place before development arrives rather than after. As the urbanized parts of the county annex into cities, development in rural districts will create conflict between interest groups that will need even handed reconciliation.
4. Financial Management: Funding necessary government functions will become critical as the tax base shrinks from annexations and other changes to the economy. Adopting conservative fiscal policies during these difficult times will prevent us from getting back on the spending band wagon as the economy improves.
5. Balanced Environmental Policy: Green Initiatives to address Global Warming/Climate Change will cost taxpayers a fortune without measurable benefits. Snohomish County Critical Areas regulations don’t give enough consideration to property owners and their rights. People and property owners should be protected from unreasonable government regulation. One of the founding principles of our country has been that we be free from unreasonable government interference in our lives.
From a political perspective, county elections are about picking a governing philosophy rather than a political party. If you want a bigger government that is more controlling, takes your property rights and your tax dollars while changing your behavior to make you comply; vote for the Democrat. If you want a smaller government that is less intrusive in your life that focuses on essential services and gives us fair value for our taxes paid vote for Steve Dana, the Republican.
My fellow Republican candidate from Arlington, the honorable John Koster indicated in a campaign outreach letter that he is the lone conservative on the county council and as such cannot solve the problems there single-handedly. I couldn’t concur more. John has been fighting the good fight, but victory is not possible without help. I am the candidate that can assist John Koster in his ongoing struggle. I have the tools, the knowledge and the integrity to stand with conservatives for today and on into the future.
In that regard, there have been questions raised within the Republican Party about whether I am as Republican as the next person. I guess that will be up to each of you to decide. My support of business, property rights, smaller government, lower taxes, and fair application of environmental regulations certainly compares favorably with any Republican in recent memory and sets me apart from any Democrat I know of. As Councilmember Koster said in his letter, “… we vote for a person – not a party. Character is still paramount.” I agree with Mr. Koster and offer my history in my community as a business owner, elected official and community service advocate as a testament to my character. My record as an elected official attests to my leadership and ability to work collaboratively with elected officials from all political persuasions across the whole county.
I face a struggle greater than John Koster in this election since I am a challenger rather than an incumbent. The entrenched opposition has the advantage of being elected twice already, but he also has been beaten once. He has the environmental community and the labor unions supporting him because they know he supports their causes. If those are your issues, Dave is your guy. If you think the rest of us need a voice in government, then you need to take action now to support Steve Dana with your dollars and any other way you can. Campaigning is really expensive.
I do not come to this election with either an ax to grind or at the bidding of any special interest group. My record and reputation was built upon respect for others with different viewpoints and fair consideration of the facts. I am the candidate John Koster was referring to when he quoted Edmund Burke “The only way I know for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Then he followed with “Are there enough good men left? If there are, will they do something… and soon?” As a Republican, I am stepping forward to serve my community, my party and everyone that holds our shared values in high regard.
“Leadership” is taking the tools you are given coupled with courage of conviction to step out in front of the issues to offer ideas and solutions to problems without regard for personal safety. Our country, state, county and cities have suffered greatly because of elected officials who fail to lead for fear of losing the next election. I got into this campaign because people asked “where are our leaders when we need them?”
I am the man stepping forward with the skills, the experience, the integrity and the character to do my part. The question is whether you will do your part by helping me get elected to help John Koster. The choice is yours! Please help me wage this battle so I can fight alongside John Koster to protect your interests. I would appreciate your support!
Posted in Partisan Politics, Snohomish County Council, Snohomish County Political Commentary, Steve Dana Issues | 4 Comments »