Kitsap County Commissioner Jan Angel, recently elected president of the Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Western District for the 2004-05 term, has announced she will commit the organization to a review of the state Growth Management Act (GMA) during her term in office.

“After 10 years, it’s time to evaluate what is working and what’s not,” said Angel. “Of course, we support managing resources, but the red tape brought about by the State Growth Management Act threatens to bankrupt some of our counties.”

Angel will establish a district-wide panel of experts and officials to evaluate the economic and property rights impacts of the decade-old state GMA legislation.

“We will invite the State and the Governor to work in conjunction with our GMA Commission, but, frankly, our review will continue regardless of state involvement,” explained Angel. “We can’t afford to keep waiting. We have no process available to allow business owners to be responsive to market forces. Many are virtually strangled, unable to expand to offer new jobs in our community because of these fledgling and floundering laws. It’s time to see what needs to be tweaked.”

Angel was elected president of the District at its Nov. 7 meeting at Fort Worden State Park. Dan Titterness, a county commissioner from Jefferson County, will serve as her vice president and Cowlitz County Commissioner J. Bill Lehning will serve as secretary/treasurer.

Angel served from 2001-02 as secretary/treasurer and as vice president in 2002-03. Because of her local efforts in the area of economic development, Angel moderated a district forum on the same subject.
Information on the Washington Association of Counties can be found at www.wacounties.org.