L to R: Frank Wilson; Newly installed KCAR president Frank Mahaffey; and installing officer, the “Dean of Kitsap Real Estate” Don Pennington

The Kitsap County Association of Realtors (KCAR) installed its 2004 slate of officers on Jan. 23, in a gala bash attended by a Who’s Who of state and local political figures, including Dino Rossi, the Republican candidate for governor. Rossi also delivered the keynote address to an enthusiastic crowd.

Flanking Rossi at the head table were Lt. Governor Brad Owen, Commissioner of Public Lands Doug Sutherland, and State Auditor Brian Sonntag, along with Washington Association of Realtors President Mike Flynn.

The audience included all three Kitsap County Commissioners, Jan Angel, Chris Endresen, and Patty Lent, as well as State Senator Bob Oke (R-Port Orchard), State Representatives Bev Woods (R-Poulsbo) and Lois McMahan (R-Olalla), Sheriff Steve Boyer, Bremerton City Council member Brad Gehring and King County Councilman Rob Mckenna, a candidate for state Attorney General.

The Master of Ceremonies for the event was Ryan Christian and the installing officer for the evening was the man known as the “Dean of Kitsap Real Estate, Don Pennington.

Installed were: President, Frank Mahaffey of the Silverdale office of Windermere Real Estate; President-Elect, Wayne Ellis of the Bremerton office of Reid Real Estate; Secretary, Vicki Hutton of Windermere Real Estate in Port Orchard; and Treasurer, Chris Miller of Deschamps Realty on Bainbridge island.

Installed as members of the board of directors were Thor Holm and Kathleen Sutton.

Recognized for their service to the organization, the community and to the real estate industry, were the following: Citizen of the Year, Rep. Lois McMahan; Affiliate of the Year, Cass Hania; Jenks Beard Community Service Award, Annette Terrill-Nitz; Floyd Luckerath Realtor Spirit Award, Lee Avery.

Recognized with the Realtor Special Achievement Award was KCAR’s Governmental Affairs Director, Mike Eliason.

The Realtor of the Year Award, the most prestigious honor the association bestows, was presented to outgoing president Dave Jones of the Silverdale office of Windermere Real Estate. It was a repeat award for Jones who was so honored last year as well. The group also recognized Jones’ efforts by the creation of a special Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) scholarship that was named in his honor.

Singled out for special recognition by KCAR was Vivian Henderson of the Kitsap Alliance of Property Owners (KAPO). Henderson, who works tirelessly on behalf of private property rights, is a past president, board member and former Governmental Affairs Director of KCAR. She received a passionate standing ovation from the crowd when her name was announced.

Rossi delivered a low key, but effective speech explaining why he decided to run for governor. He detailed his experiences as the acknowledged architect of the current state budget, which he managed to balance with no new taxes after beginning with a $2.6 billion deficit. He also stressed how the state needs strong leadership that is balanced with fiscal as well as social responsibility — a message that obviously resonated well with his audience.