Angel

In what has brought a number of brewing, behind closed doors disagreements out into the open, Democratic Commissioners Chris Endresen and Tim Botkin have ganged up on lone Republican Jan Angel to deny her the chairmanship of the commission. They say she doesn’t have enough experience. The chairman’s duties consist mainly of running the weekly meetings and representing the board publicly.

Commissioner Chris Endresen nominated Botkin for the chair and she and Botkin elected him instead.

South Kitsap engineer Norm Olson was so angry he stormed out of the commissioners meeting in disgust after the vote, slamming the door as he left.

Many people in Angel’s district — including many Democrats — view the move as pure political arrogance and an insult to the district.

The chairmanship has been rotated among the commissioner districts ever since 1969, with 2002 being the South Kitsap commissioner’s turn in the annual rotation. Both Botkin and Endresen assumed the chair when their turns arrived — with no more commissioner experience than Angel.

Obviously expecting trouble, Endresen produced a sheet showing Win Granlund of South Kitsap had been chairman three years running from 1993 to 95. Billie Eder and John Horsley each served two years in a row right before that.

In what she views as an insult, not only to herself but to the voters in District 2, Angel was very angry and said she objected strongly to being passed over. “I have run lots of past boards — state and national. Believe me that was not the issue,” she said. “There’s a definite agenda here.”

Both Endresen and Botkin denied there was any political agenda tied to the move, although every single person interviewed for this story scoffed at that notion.

“They made it very obvious they want Tim there to push his own agenda,” said Olson. “They don’t want Jan in a position where she has freedom to talk to the people. It’s unfair to the people in District 2. It’s an abuse of their two-to-one majority. They obviously don’t care about the people of South Kitsap.”

Endresen said, “I feel very bad people are making this into a personal thing. It’s not personal at all. The Chair is elected by a majority of the board and nowhere is it written that the chair rotate or serve a determined length of time. This has nothing to do with the district represented. I voted for the person I thought would be the best chair for the county.”

Endresen stated that in a Dec. 10 administrative meeting, the chairmanship was discussed and Angel said she was relieved that she was going to be passed over — something Angel hotly denies.

Endresen added. “On Dec. 12 she (Angel) asked where the rotation of the chair was documented, she was told it is not, that the board decides. Jan sent us an e-mail and voice mail on Saturday, Dec. 15 asking that we reconsider. Given that the 17th was the last meeting of the year, there really wasn’t much time and it was the first time she expressed the fact that she thought she should be chair.”

Angel vehemently denies saying she was glad to be passed over. She claims she inquired about the process and was never given an answer. She also noted that it appears the result was predetermined between Botkin and Endresen due to the fact that when the commissioners were setting board assignments for themselves for 2002, Botkin passed on almost every one — including Kitsap Transit — which he has supported heavily in the past.

Botkin however, backs up Endresen’s version of events. “In work study, Chris brought up the issue of Chair and said she recommended me. Jan then asked me if I was OK with it, then when I said fine, she said, ‘That’s a relief, I don’t think I’m ready.’ I was actually a bit surprised by her candor, though I agreed with it. She still commonly refers to herself as ‘the new Commissioner’.”

Botkin added that he thought that was the end of it. “I did not work on my e-mail Saturday or Sunday. Clearly she spoke to somebody about this and was encouraged to change her mind.”

Angel also says the matter got somewhat personal between her and Endresen after the commissioners meeting while they were still in the meeting room. Referring to that incident, Botkin commented, “I am not at all pleased that she chose to make a public display about this, and that conduct was very unlikely to make me feel that she should be Chair after all. I am more concerned that she has denied the way things happened.”

A random sampling of over a dozen District 2 business people as well as a smattering of people from outside the district found heavy support for Angel. Several people wondered how such an obviously pre-scripted, overt political move could take place without Endresen and Botkin planning it in advance — in violation of the state’s open meetings act. Others cited it as a prime reason to vote for the Charter come Feb. 5.

“I’ve haven’t had so many phone calls and e-mails since I’ve been in office,” Angel said. “I’m hearing from as many Democrats that think this stinks as I am Republicans. It’s very gratifying.”

“It’s a real slap in the face to Jan and South Kitsap people.” said Bill Mahan, a Democrat who served as the commissioner from District 2 for 20 years. Mahan is now president of Paratransit Services.

“I think this is a payback to Jan because she has continually questioned them on the governmental center, land use issues, 4(d), salmon issues and a number of other things. It was a set up and in my view it just stinks,” he said.

Mahan added that it is exactly this type of situation the Charter is designed to prevent and he hoped that the voters understand that on Feb. 5.

“Here’s an example where two people collaborated and shut out the third commissioner. It isn’t fair and it isn’t right. It’s why we need to pass the Charter.”

“She is the hardest working commissioner we’ve ever had,” said real estate broker Dick Brown, a regular at commission meetings and critic of both Endresen and Botkin.

“Jan is an intelligent workaholic, concerned about the citizens, not just about her own agenda. She just doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk,” said Brown “Everybody knows this is agenda driven. Tim and Chris have control of the agenda, which is to make sure the courthouse gets moved to Bremerton, that our property rights get taken away by the 4(d) rule and that Mr. Botkin can move his Smart Growth initiative forward so the poor and middle income people are driven into the cities. They’re making sure none of us have anything to say about it.”

Port Orchard stockbroker Ron Rada commented, “It’s typical politics and what makes the current form of government so bad. We shouldn’t have to be putting up with that kind of stuff. Personally, I think Jan is very qualified to be chair of the county commission and it was unfair to pass her over.”

Insurance broker Wayne Tripp was more direct. “Jan has probably got more experience then either of them doing anything real — besides government,” he said. “I would say that areas Jan Angel has experience in — banking and money management, real estate and like, have more bearing on county business than anything either Endresen or Botkin have ever done. It’s pure politics.”

Meanwhile, experience seemed to be no barrier to Angel being elected by other county officials to serve as secretary-treasurer for the Western District of the Washington State Association of Counties. As a district officer, she will sit on the organization’s statewide board of directors.

“I really feel honored and believe this post will give me the opportunity to bring Kitsap County’s issues and positions to a statewide platform,” she said. “I’m also hearing first hand about innovations and ideas other counties use to address their concerns and hope to bring the best ideas back here.”

The WSAC organization is a resource for counties to draw information and support. WSAC pools resources for state and federal lobby efforts and shares ideas for solving local government problems.

As for her thoughts after being passed over, Angel just sighed and said, “You know, I believe everyone is where they’re supposed to be. Maybe the reason I’m in this position right now is so the voters can see firsthand just how much we really need to pass the Charter.”.