The Island County Democrats publish a monthly newsletter, which we are posting here. We believe that the statements made by the leadership of each party is of general public interest.
Message from ICD Chair, Jennifer Haase Morris
I recently read an article written by Michigan’s Secretary of State in which she lists three things we can each do directly to ensure that democracy prevails in 2024. She asserts that this election (primarily at the national level) will define who we are as a country for decades to come. I believe that our ballots right here in Island County will be full of those sorts of important decisions from the federal to the local level.
This will certainly be a defining year for us as a relatively young democracy. Our votes, individually and as a country, will reflect who we are and who we want to be in the years ahead.
My granddaughter turned 18 earlier this month. This will be her first year to vote. We were reviewing all the important votes she will cast this year. Not just the Presidential election. Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and other statewide races. In addition, she will vote for a slate of local elected officials in Tacoma and Pierce County. And yes, before you ask, I’m reasonably certain that she will vote blue up and down the ballot. I’ll do my best to ensure that she is well informed about her candidates when it’s time for her to vote.
In our current climate of disinformation and misinformation, divisive rhetoric, and increasingly complex global issues, I am hearing more people express that they feel let down or betrayed by a political leader or political process. When this happens, it can be easy to fall into the trap of victimhood. And, I would argue, that there are some strategies at play that are hoping for that outcome. Feeling like a victim can keep us stuck in the past and unable to come up with effective solutions. Essentially, we begin to give our power away to the person or people who broke our trust. Or to the elements in our culture who want us to do that.
It seems to me that broken trust is simply part of the human condition. Humans interacting with each other without clear expectations or boundaries. Yet each of us has a choice in how to respond.
We can take responsibility for our feelings and reactions and not assign them to others. We can take initiative in a way that reinforces the power we actually have in our democratic system.
We can vote. (And not voting is still voting. Many key elections in our district are determined by fewer than 200 votes.)
We can write letters to the editor.
We can talk to our neighbors to share information.
We can host small get-togethers and invite candidates to talk with us about important issues.
We can call out disinformation or misinformation when it is shared on social media or printed in the newspaper.
You can share your voice in Island County Democrats and Whidbey Island Democratic Club meetings and events.
What else can you do to rise above the noise and distraction and be a part of our future moving forward?
Upcoming ICD General Meeting
Island County Democrats General Meeting
Saturday, March 9, 2024
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
via Zoom
Agenda, Zoom link, and other meeting details will be sent to all PCO’s and Members. If you would like to attend the meeting, please contact the ICD Chair at icdchair@gmail.com.
Message from Island County Commissioner, Janet St Clair
Often as politicians, we are asked to take a position on specific issues. Once in government, we find the complexity of issues often intertwines and the clarity of a single-issue focus becomes more complicated. Indeed, it is critical as policy makers to not only consider the stated purpose of a policy but to research and examine unintended consequences. As Island County completes our Shoreline Master Plan (SMP) and embarks on our 10-year Comprehensive Planning Process, this has proven to be true. We have taken significant public input on the SMP and through our initial outreach events, are setting up a Comp Plan process designed to outreach early and often with the public.
In most of my policy work, I often work to identify multiple nexus points to identify breadth and public benefit. In the SMP process, there has been much controversy about “hard armoring” and bulkheads or seawalls as a mechanism to protect property. It is a challenging conversation as our property, for many, is their most significant asset. At the same time, as a champion for shoreline restoration and the protection of our salmon and orca, there is a direct impact that has led to the significant decline of salmon stock and the subsequent risk to our other species, notably our Southern Resident Orcas. But the other important issue is that much of the research I have read on storm surge and sea level rise indicates hard armoring can increase risk to property and has significant drawbacks, notably threats to water and septic infrastructure. I read that information into the record in a recent hearing. I remain convinced that the balance of existing policies that allow bulkheads in specific circumstances, paired with the technical assistance on shoreline management offered by Island County and organizations such as FEMA can both protect homes and mitigate risk AND help continue our goals to protect our Puget Sound. It is the right thing to do for future generations of islanders.
These same questions and the balance of mitigating climate change, building sustainable housing and meeting the needs of future generations is going to be a strong focus in our comprehensive plan. For the first time, this plan will consider not only buildable land but the necessary water and septic resources to sustain growth. We must be future-focused in our planning. We invite you to participate and get involved: https://www.islandcounty2045.com/
For those following my campaign for State Senate, this careful approach to public policy will be what I bring to Olympia. I commit to doing the research, following the data, looking at all sides and making sure I reach out and listen to the people I am called to serve. For more information, please check out our website at https://www.janetforsenate.org/ or email me at [Ed. Note: email link omitted.]
Warm regards,
Janet
Message from Island County Commissioner, Melanie Bacon
Hello, Island County Democrats! These are the highlights from my work as your District 1 County Commissioner this month.
- We spent a lot of time on the Shoreline Management Program (SMP) this month. We held a 2-hour public hearing, taking comment from 27 individuals, and then a couple of weeks later we talked about it further at work session. We will have at least one more work session to discuss this before we take action on the SMP later in March.
- I am so grateful to Rep. Paul and Rep. Shavers for their support of the County’s legislative requests. We’re expecting now to receive the funding we requested for the Ituha Stabilization Center, as well as full funding for the water infrastructure study I’ve been advocating for.
- We’ve started our public conversation on updating the jail. This month we established a committee of officials to serve as our Jail Replacement Steering Committee, and we also agreed to initiate a Jail Feasibility Study.
- I have been very vocal over the years about wanting better emergency preparation. This month we finally held a meeting I’ve been asking for since I was elected: a discussion-based exercise on our County’s actions in case of a significant emergency. The scenario was: an earthquake has occurred along the Southern Whidbey Island fault zone. What do County employees—starting with County Commissioners—do when that happens? We spent a lot of time talking about our communications challenges. This is a topic we will return to several times over the coming months.
- We held four public meetings this month on our 2025 Comprehensive Plan update. These were opportunities for members of our Planning, Public Works, Public Health, and Human Services departments to answer community questions about the comp plan elements, and also gave the County a chance to hear from the community about their values and priorities. I encourage everyone to be engaged in this conversation, which you can do easily by signing up at https://www.islandcounty2045.com/.
- Since the Board has now reduced the types of consumer fireworks that can be used in Island County, my colleagues concurred with my request that we reconvene our Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to consider applications for community fireworks displays to celebrate the 4th of July this year.
- A group of citizens asked me to provide information on how issues and concerns progress to actions and codes in Island County. How do issues find their way to an agenda, or to a work plan? How do policies get drafted? How does code get written? How is enforcement done? So I’ve started a new series in my weekly newsletter to explain these things, so that readers are more informed on what the various steps will be if they have an issue they want to see their local government take action on. You can sign up for my County newsletter by emailing me at district1@islandcountywa.gov.
As you know, I am running for reelection. I would be delighted if you would join me at my campaign kickoff, to be held at Freeland Hall, 1515 E Shoreview Drive, on Sunday, March 10, from 3 – 6 pm. You can learn more about my campaign and my accomplishments as your District 1 County Commissioner at my campaign webpage, www.electmelbacon.com.
Thank you for the honor of serving you.
Melanie
Message from State Representative, Dave Paul
We recently passed the deadline for bills to make it out of the House of Origin, meaning House bills needed to pass the House and Senate bills had to get voted out of the Senate.
Bills I introduced that passed the House include:
- Capping the costs of inhalers and epi-pens (House Bill 1979)—Many people rely on inhalers for asthma and epinephrine injectors for deadly allergies. It’s more common than you think, and these two medical devices have become very expensive when the costs to produce them are cheap. To give people a break, my legislation caps the cost of these devices at $35, which matches the cap we placed on insulin last year.
- Portable orders for life-sustaining treatment (House Bill 2166)—People, often with serious health conditions, may decide to limit aggressive care options or elect to not receive CPR. This is a difficult decision made with their doctor, and we should respect that. Right now, it’s hard for those wishes to be known outside of hospitals. This legislation helps paramedics and EMTs recognize medical jewelry linked to these directives and creates a statewide database of people who have them.
- Dual Credit (House Bill 1146)—It’s easier than ever for students to earn college and high-school credit at the same time, but few families know about all their options. This law requires public schools to make students and their families aware of dual enrollment programs.
There’s a small window of time for the House to consider policy bills from the Senate, and for the Senate to pass our bills out of committee and their floor.
Much of the rest of this session revolves around reconciling any changes made to bills sent to the other chamber—and negotiating the operating, construction, and transportation budgets.
As always, it is an honor to serve as your representative, and I encourage you to contact me with your ideas, stories, or comments.
Dave
Email: dave.paul@leg.wa.gov
Message from State Representative, Clyde Shavers
Dear Friends and Family,
With less than 2 weeks left in the legislative session, we’re heading into early morning – late night voting on the House floor. As the 2023 – 2024 biennial / two-year calendar comes to a close, here are some statistics:
A total of 2,013 bills have been introduced by House members. So far, of those bills, 295 bills ended up passing the Senate – in other words, 14.6% of total introduced bills.
Our office introduced a total of 26 bills – 5 bills were signed into law last year; and so far, 3 bills are moving in the Senate this year. That means (hopefully) we will end with 8 bills signed into law – in other words, 30.76% of our total introduced bills.
Our office also cosponsored a total of 94 bills – with some still working their way through the Senate. I also introduced a resolution that acknowledged the 82nd anniversary of Executive Order 9066 during the Day of Remembrance.
That’s a lot of numbers – and a lot of work in 165 days!
This year, I’m happy to report that three bills of ours passed the House and are now being voted out of the Senate Committee on Ways & Means (onto the Senate floor, hopefully). Their House vote tallies—overwhelmingly bipartisan—are in parentheses below:
- House Bill 1768 (89-0): Provides a public utilities tax exemption to light and power businesses using green hydrogen (a clean energy source). This will foster private-public partnership and innovation that spurs local economic development, and create less demand for other inefficient energy options.
- House Bill 1924 (95-2): Requires the state to pursue technology like fusion energy so that we can ensure a clean environmental future that creates good-paying jobs, lowers energy bills, and supports a path toward energy independence.
- House Bill 2236 (97-0): Creates a high school health care program to encourage a new generation of young adults serving in critical health care roles. This program will use hands-on learning to provide our students with greater career opportunities that address health care workforce gaps.
Thank you for the opportunity to continue my life-long dedication to public service. As a veteran having attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduated from Naval Nuclear Power School, trained at a naval nuclear reactor plant, and served in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as a public affairs officer, I am honored to serve you here in the Washington State Legislature.
Always at Your Service,
Clyde
Message from US Representative, Rick Larsen
We need to talk about the opioid epidemic in concrete terms, but more importantly, we have to take action.
Last month, I released an opioid report that analyzes the ongoing opioid epidemic in our communities. Here are some topline findings from the report:
- From February 2022 – February 2023, Washington state had the largest percentage increase of drug overdose deaths in the United States.
- In the five counties in our district – Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom – most overdose deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
- In 2022, upwards of 75% of Washington’s total drug overdose deaths were linked to opioids.
- Broadly, the United States saw a 3% decline in overdose deaths overall during this year-long period. But at home in Washington, deaths increased by more than 21%, continuing devastating trends that began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know that these drugs are destroying lives, families, and entire communities. It is time to regain the momentum to combat the opioid epidemic and save precious lives. I know that Congress and the Biden administration can and must do more to coordinate with local governments, Tribal communities, law enforcement, health care providers, and community partners who are on the front lines of the epidemic.
That is why my report also includes actionable federal policy recommendations to address many of the concerns of constituents, local leaders, and organizations on the ground. These are in four primary pillars:
- Preventing individuals from turning to opioids;
- Interdicting the flow of opioids into communities;
- Expanding treatment; and
- Supporting long-term recovery for individuals and building resilience in local communities.
Ending the opioid epidemic begins with understanding the challenges communities are facing and working together to break down barriers to lasting solutions. I know we can achieve this.
Soon, I will have some updates for you on legislation I am introducing aimed at creating a dedicated funding source for multijurisdictional drug task forces and provisions that will help communities that have been hurt economically by the opioid epidemic to recover.
Thank you,
Rick
News from the Washington State Democratic Party
Update from the Washington State Democratic Party:
The Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) met on January 28th in Bellingham, WA. General Meeting Highlights are as follows:
– The 2024 Operating Budget was approved; highlight includes $100,000 dedicated to local party support
– The following Resolutions were passed:
Addressing Workplace Abuse
Supporting Rank Choice Voting
Support Lower Snake River Rail Development
Supporting a Peace Based Economy
Support Community Solar
Support Recycling in WA
Supporting the Mahsa Act
Supporting Ukraine Sovereignty
Supporting a Study of Offshore Wind
Supporting Beaver Ecosystem Management
And an Emergency Resolution: “Support of Continued US Funding of the UN Agency Providing Relief to 1.9 million Palestinians and a Ceasefire in Gaza to Ease Civilian Suffering” was also passed based on need for urgent aid continuation.
– Elections for the Democratic National Committee Representatives from Washington State were held; David McDonald, Sharon Mast, Javier Valdez, and Sophia Danenberg were reelected without challenge.
– Advocacy Bylaws Updated: Legislative priorities will now be available for review and input 14 days prior to the last WSDCC meeting of the year; was previously unspecific. Update also calls for the Advocacy committee to track and report to the WSDCC bills which are filed that are related to those priorities.
– Another Bylaws Update was not passed calling for increased and timely WSDCC Executive Board meeting notes; update would afford increased transparency and responsiveness. The reason for not passing was that there was no consensus on the need to remove a requirement for ‘written” reports. The proposed update will be discussed again in September 2024.
– Albert Ondo, your ICD State Committee Representative
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