Who to vote for in the Mason County Commissioner race?
CITIZENS' CONCERNS NEED TO BE ADDRESSED
Submitted to Shelton Blog by Katherine Price Mason County Progressive
I don't know who to vote for YET, but I do know which candidates do not mention citizens; do not mention citizen health; do not discuss our compromised environment or the protection of our environment; who do not discuss the future of Mason County in any context other than it's potential for business, industry and profits; and who fail to include the CITIZENS in their discussions of what they will do for Mason County.
As a result of their exclusion of all things citizen, including working with the citizens to protect and improve our beautiful community, for District 3, I am able to whittle the list down immediately by two.
First, there is Curt Bennett. Curt Bennett is a long-time Sheltonian; his family has been here for 7 or 8 generations. He is a good guy, but if you listen to his interview on MasonWebTV.com, you get the feeling that there are no people living in Mason County. Curt is going to work with the Port, the City, the EDC, the Chamber, and so on and so forth, but nowhere in his interview does he talk about the citizens of Mason County and our interests or needs.
Next, there is Terri Jeffreys. In Terri's letter to Chamber members, soliciting dollars and their support, she also talks about who she will work with when she is a Mason County Commissioner, as follows: "I will work together with the City of Shelton, our ports, community organizations, business organizations, the Chamber and our businesses..." I suppose community organizations might mean the citizens, but I am not counting on it.
Terri goes on to state: "Under my leadership, our planning department will be guided by you [Chamber member] as we work to revise and review our land-use zoning in ways that invite commercial development in areas that make sense from a market perspective." While I am not entirely sure what she means by "make sense from a market perspective," I do understand what she means when she says the planning department will be guided by the members of the Chamber of Commerce.
But if there was any doubt about who Terri Jeffreys will be working for, should she become Commissioner of District 3, this sentence ices the cake: "I will be the Mason County Commissioner that represents the business community and economic strength."
I am all for economic strength, and I love our local businesses and try to support them first, but we citizens, through our property taxes, pay more taxes than the business community, and we are not included in Terri Jeffreys vision for Mason County.
Please do your own research, including checking out every candidates' website and what each one promises. If you have the time, and the stomach, try to watch their interviews on MasonWebTV.com. An informed electorate has a better chance of getting it right.
The primary is just around the corner, and it is critical that we elect NEW Mason County Commissioners whose leadership will include improving Mason County for its citizens, not just its businesses.
More later...
Photo by John Cox
SHELTON BLOG NOTE:
Link to MasonWebTV.com candidate video interviews:
http://masonwebtv.com/archives/5881
Link to KMAS News Voters Guide:
http://masoncountydailynews.com/news/voter-guide-2012
Well done, Katherine. District 3 is a real crapshoot. My gut tells me to go with the candidate that has the biggest heart. Anyone can learn to be a Commissioner, but compassion is one of those things you’re either born with or aquire just before you give up the ghost.
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