| Did you know that Kitsap has a severe disadvantage when competing to bring new businesses and family wage jobs to the county? When people want to invest big money to create jobs, they want to know that local government will welcome them. They want someone in county leadership to give them assurances. Unfortunately, under the obsolete commissioner form of government that Kitsap now has all the powers of goverment are in the Commissioner's hands. This means that when asked, the commissioner must be careful to be non-committal because if someone appeals the county's land use decision after a commissioner makes a commitment, that Commissioner is obligated to step aside. The Commissioners act as land-use judges and must remain impartial.
If we adopt the Charter, the County Executive can openly extend a welcoming hand without running afoul of judicial standards. There is no finer example of how this benefits a community than Poulsbo where Mayor Mitchusson and now Mayor Bruce have given this city a broad and balanced tax base.
We need more good jobs. We need to vote in the charter in February.
Sincerely,
Dave Henden
Poulsbo, WA. |
