He will run against incumbent Commissioner Charlotte Garrido in the Aug. 7 Democratic primary for the District 2 seat, which represents South Kitsap.

Coppola, 61, was elected mayor of Port Orchard in 2007 and was widely credited with improving the business climate as well as making city government more efficient and customer service oriented. During his four years in office, the city annexed McCormick Woods and the Bethel Corridor area that includes the Fred Meyer store and other significant commercial property that brought considerably more sales tax revenue to Port Orchard.

Coppola’s leadership in managing the city’s budget helped Port Orchard avoid staff and service cuts that many other cities had to make during the recession of the past few years. read more »

A Pierce County state legislator, Rep. Troy Kelley, D-Lakewood, recently announced his candidacy for State Auditor and will be holding community conversations in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Bremerton, Silverdale and Poulsbo on Wednesday, May 16.

Kelley will be discussing his views on the Auditor’s Office and how to hold government accountable to the citizens. He will be at the following locations: read more »

The Washington State Republican Party has announced that conservative columnist Michelle Malkin will be the featured speaker at the state convention’s banquet on May 31 in Tacoma.

Tickets are on sale for the convention banquet through the state Republican Party’s website.

The Republican state convention will run May 30-June 2 at the convention center in Tacoma.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) has named state Rep. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, as recipient of its Guardian of Small Business award for her voting record in support of small businesses in Washington.

According to NFIB/Washington State Director Patrick Connor, Angel has a 100 percent positive score for small businesses. The score is based on 10 votes taken in the state House of Representatives during the 2011-12 legislative sessions.

In a letter to Angel, Connor wrote, “This award is our way of thanking you for the hard work you’ve done on the issues that help preserve and protect free enterprise in our state. NFIB members and I appreciate your steadfast support, voting with small business 100 percent of the time during the 62nd Legislature.” read more »

Candidate filing week marks the unofficial start to the 2012 election season. The Kitsap County Auditor — Election Division will accept filings from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 14-18. Candidates may file in person at the Elections Division office, 619 Division St. in Port Orchard.

Candidates for the following offices must file with the Kitsap County Auditor:

• Legislative District 23 State Senator
• Legislative District 23 Representative, Positions 1 and 2
• Kitsap County Commissioner, Positions 1 and 2
• Superior Court Judge, Courts 1 through 8
• Public Utility District Commissioner District 3

“Running for office is a major undertaking,” says Kitsap County Auditor Walter E. Washington. read more »

Bill Driscoll of Tacoma, a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who has worked in the forest products industry, has announced his candidacy for Congress in Washington’s 6th District.

“Career politicians have had their chance and failed,” Driscoll, a Republican, said in a news release announcing he will seek the 6th District seat opening up with the retirement of longtime Democratic Rep. Norm Dicks. “It’s time for new leaders who’ll rise above partisan bickering and demand results.”

In 2006 Driscoll set aside his business career, volunteered to rejoin the U.S. Marine Corps and served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. read more »

Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer issued a statement April 25 saying he had considered a run for the 6th District seat in Congress, but has decided against it and instead will support state Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor.

U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks recently announced he will not run for re-election in 2012 after representing the 6th District for 36 years.

“Like so many throughout Kitsap County, I was surprised by Congressman Norm Dicks’ announcement that he would not be seeking re-election,” Boyer said in his statement. read more »

Mason County Democratic Central Committee nominated Denny Hamilton for Mason County Commissioner in District No. 1 in April.

“Not only does Denny possess the skills required to bring the various spokes of the Departments in the county together to work cooperatively, but I have observed that Denny has taken this run for commissioner very seriously. He has attended more meetings that seems humanly possible and has pulled up his shirtsleeves and researched the issues we face in the community which would be under his purview as our county commissioner,” said Sheri Staley in her nomination. read more »

A tiny firm in the equally tiny town of Kingston has landed a big job — marshaling the fleet of buses that will move tens of thousands of people to and from events at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.

Event Transportation Associates (ETA) has only six full-time staffers, but its résumé speaks for itself: the Atlanta Olympics, a series of Democratic conventions — New York ‘92, Los Angeles 2000 and Denver ‘08 — as well as NHL and NBA All-Star games and other big sporting events, such as the Daytona 500 and the Super Bowl. ETA also orchestrated transportation for last summer’s Lions Club International Convention in Seattle, with 18,000 attendees in 45 hotels. read more »