√ Angie Homola, D, incumbent Angie is
one of the hardest workers I have ever met. I don’t think she sleeps. She is
thorough and detail oriented, with a rare understanding of the budget and how
the pieces fit (or don’t fit) together. She has donated back more than 10% of her salary to help
balance the budget. She’s had a focus on improving conditions for veterans, who
she believes have been treated shabbily. Angie believes that public safety is
important, but that an ounce of prevention in the form of health care, public open
space, and support for children and seniors is worth pounds of policing cure
offered by the sheriff. She believes that the way we protect both the quality
of life and the economic vitality of the county is by protecting the
environment in which we all live and work. Tourists don’t come here to visit
Walmart. Angie has been the favorite target of fellow commissioner Tea Party
Kelly Emerson, who enjoys interrupting, shouting down, and insulting her during
hearings. Angie proposed and helped create the Clean Water Utility.
Watching a commissioner staff session is very instructive.
Kelly Emerson is paying no attention, reading email on her private iPad. Helen
knows what’s going on and speaks in general terms. Angie is the one who has
read whatever it is, has notes in the margins on every page and is ready to
discuss every detail. She’s the one who wants to know how this fits into the
existing budget, how necessary it is, and what will happen if they don’t adopt
it. Maybe that’s what has Lauderdale and his tea party buddies so upset.
Jill Johnson, R, executive, Oak Harbor Chamber of
Commerce. This summer she changed the route of the July 4 parade without
informing the business owners on Pioneer Way who were preparing for crowds that
did not appear. As Chamber executive she promotes shopping local - then does
her Christmas shopping on the mainland and farms out printing of her campaign
signs to businesses across the country.
She has not attended county commissioner meetings and does
not appear to understand county issues. She was born and raised in Oak Harbor
and does not seem to have learned much about the rest of the county. Her focus
is on economic growth, without considering the environmental basis for that
growth. Her website does not provide any information on county issues.
While accusing current commissioners of being
confrontational and accusatory, and claiming that she will bring trust and
collaboration, she has had some major high-decibel confrontations with her
opponents and with downtown business owners. Evidently this is her style at
work as well. Her failure to inform Pioneer Way businesses about the changed
parade route does not argue well for trust and collaboration. She has said that she would get rid of
the Conservation Futures fund. You know, the one that bought us Double Bluff,
Greenbank Farm, Ala Spit, Davis Slough, and conservation easements on many of
the prairie farms.
In relation to the budget she has said “we can have it all.”
Really? I would sure like to hear her expand on that statement. I have watched
commissioners Angie and Helen sweat blood over the budget, dickering, arguing,
listening to impassioned pleas from people to whom one particular item is
desperately important and then having to tell them, sorry, there is just no way
we can do that.
Jill now sits on the Oak Harbor Planning Commission. The
minutes of those meetings give the impression that she is not well informed on
the issues. One has the impression she does not do her homework. Will she
continue in that role if elected? How many hats does she expect to wear?
Her pop-up ads on the Whidbey News Times on-line were truly
annoying.
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