Saturday, June 25 I walked in the Port Orchard Fathoms of Fun Parade. I walked from Bethel across Bay St. collecting signatures to give voters the chance to vote for or against the new gas tax just passed by our legislators in Olympia. We are 5th in our nation for taxing our gas and this new tax will make us number one. We passed an initiative that said we should vote any new tax increase. Therefore, I am willing to work for you to get the chance to vote for or against this tax increase.

On my way to my next duty in the parade I came up the hill to see Derek Kilmer briefing his parade workers. I know Representative Kilmer voted against the new gas tax bill so he should be willing to sign the initiative. WELL! In front of his Democratic workers he lied or was “misinformed.” He told me by law; he couldn’t sign the initiative even though he voted against the bill in Olympia.

This makes me believe that the rumor I heard that the vote was fixed. Kilmer and Lantz were allowed to vote no to the gas bill in Olympia because the people in the 26th district would not re-elect them next election if they came out and voted to raise our taxes. Therefore, some of our liberal Republican legislatures voted for the increase so there were enough votes to allow the Democrats in trouble to vote against the bill when they really wanted the increase.

Representative Kilmer must not know the history and rules of our legislators. Linda Smith while a Rep. started Initiative 601, and Peggy Johnson started Initiative 602 while one of our elected. There are no laws or rules stating that legislators can’t sign initiatives. Maybe the Democrats have special rules the public doesn’t know about or he lies and as a voter I hope the people of the 26th district feel as strongly as I do about a legislator lying on not knowing the legislative rules. We still can vote liars out of office unless they have that fixed too.

Marj Pearsol
Port Orchard

(Editor’s Note: To briefly clarify this: Rep. Kilmer opposed the gas tax proposal on three occasions and sponsored an amendment to direct a half a cent of the increase to lower the tolls on the Narrows Bridge. The State Ethics Act is very clear on what legislators can and can’t do or say in support of, or opposition to, ballot propositions. Kilmer was in the role of legislator at this event. In a personal setting, he could have signed, but NOT in his “official” capacity in that particular situation — a difficult choice, but the ethical and correct legal one for that specific time and place.).