Port Orchard Independent, January 03, 2014 by Sound Publishing

A4 A4 A5 A6 A7 A7 A8

BUSINESS Thai Charlie’s brings ethnic cuisine to town A8

SPORTS Sumner’s post presence too much for South Kitsap girls A28

Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business.

Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting

▼

By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN

Staff Writer

Independent

Tensions between two Port Orchard neighbors that erupted after one attempted to open a home business last year led both women to head down to the Kitsap County Courthouse Monday and file restraining orders against each other. Shelia Cronan, 49, said she filed a restraining order against Amber Keehn after returning home from a camping trip Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been

Port Orchard

FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 N VOL. 122, NO. 51 N WWW.PORTORCHARDINDEPENDENT.COM N 50¢

6QTFUT UIF PSEFS PG UIF EBZ EVSJOH QSJNBSZ FMFDUJPO

▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.

By CHARLIE BERMANT

1. Jan Angel wins Senate seat In the most expensive state Senate race in state history, 26th District State Rep. Jan Angel (R-Port Orchard) defeated Democratic Senator Nathan Schlicher, of Gig Harbor, in the Nov. 5 general election. Angel collected 52 percent of the votes. Schlicher, an emergency room doctor from Gig Harbor, was appointed to the Senate earlier this year. He replaced Derek Kilmer, who was elected to Congress in 2012. Angel became the first Republican woman senator from the 26th Legislative District. Including direct campaign spending and what political action committees (PACs) spent, the price for the election was about $3 million in a district with more than 43,000 people. Nearly $2 million was spent by PACs alone.

South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890

In all, pro-Schlicher PACs spent $67,636, while anti-Angel PACs spent a whopping $805,048. On the other side, pro-Angel PACs spent $274,658 while anti-Schlicher PACs spent $656,579. Angel California billionaire Tom Steyer pumped an estimated $455,000 into anti-Angel PACs, including the “She’s Changed” organization. Steyer also funneled money into the Washington Conservation Voters PAC, which ran negative ads directed at Angel. On Oct. 24, Angel called for the state Attorney General and Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) to seek an immediate injunction against the NextGen Climate Action committee and to prosecute Steyer to the fullest extent of the law because of money used for anti-Angel political ads. She called upon She Changed PAC to return $455,000 that it received from Steyer. Angel also called upon Comcast to follow through with a cease-and-desist letter sent Oct. 18. The Seattle Times published a story Oct. 23 about anti-Angel ads and found them misleading. Angel has served in the state House since 2008.

%&$*4*0/

SEE PARK, A7

Staff Writer

OLALLA — A group of South Kitsap residents are using social media and the Internet to lobby for the reopening of a county park closed three years ago. They have scheduled a meeting at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 3, at the Olalla Community Club, 12970 Olalla Valley Road, to generate interest, share information and encourage involvement in getting the park reopened. “This will be our first meeting that we

here were plenty of highs and lows in South Kitsap during 2013. South Kitsap got a new skate park, the first-ever king served over the Fathoms’ royal court and the first Republican woman state senator was elected. In the city, a longtime councilwoman retired after 26 years of service, while another resigned because he was moving outside the city limits. City voters said no to changing the city’s status and form of government. The school district, which hired a new superintendent, faced tough budget decisions with cutting staff and avoided a teachers’ strike a few days before the start of school. A legendary high school baseball coach died and two teen girls were killed before the Christmas holidays. There was a change in the city’s “top cop” and a Manchester port commissioner was charged after a WDFW investigation. Here are the Independent’s top 13 stories of the past year: CHARLOTTE GARRIDO

Editor

TIM MATTHES

By DANNIE OLIVEAUX

have opened up to the community,” said Rebecca Brown, an Olalla resident. Brown said no Kitsap County officials have been invited to the meeting, but they are welcome to attend. “We’ve advertised around town and on website and Facebook pages about the meeting,” Brown said. “I’m sure the county officials know we’re meeting. I’d be a little surprised if they came.” Brown said the meeting will be focused on letting South Kitsap residents know the park exists, where it is located and how to access it. “Some people who live a mile away from

Expectations were turned on their head in two Kitsap County political contests during Tuesday night’s primary election, as the perceived front-runners came in third and were disqualified in their respective races. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap commissioner’s race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido. Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third (See related story, page A3).

Residents using social media, internet for lobbying county park’s reopening

By DANNIE OLIVEAUX

BRUCE DANIELSON

See Slideshow online

highlight past year JEANETTE DALTON

Dannie Oliveaux/Staff Photo

Meeting set for 7 p.m. tonight in Olalla

2013 Victories, struggles SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2

4DIPPM EJTUSJDU MPPLT UP CBMBODF JUT CPPLT

Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.

▼

By CHRIS CHANCELLOR

Staff Writer

and pension rates along with inflation as issues. In addition to the money saved on custodians, Patton said the district will dip into its reserve fund for $1.72 million. She said that’s not all bad because the district saved more than it anticipated in its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through not filling other vacant positions in the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. The board unanimously adopted the budget. Patton warned in previous meetings that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end

SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2

activities she reported as stemming from Keehn’s attempts to operate a business out of her home. Weaver said following an April 11 hearing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, certain conditions were placed on Keehn’s permit to mitigate Cronan’s concerns before she would be allowed to operate her business. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of those conditions, with the last being the letter from the (Kitsap County) Health Department,” Weaver said, explaining that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are

SEE NEIGHBORS, PAGE A2

Two women were among hundreds of people who started the new year taking a dip into the cold clear water of Olalla Bay during the 30th Polar Bear Jump. Before the firing of the ceremonial cannon, floating on a barge, at noon, dozens of people, of all ages, took the plunge off the Olalla Bridge with temperatures in the low 40s.

The South Kitsap School District is a little closer to closing its $2.9 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent for business and support services, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting that the district won’t replace five full-time custodians who left the district after the last school year. She said that will save the district $250,000. Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district presented its last levy to voters in 2004. She cited escalating teacher salaries

chasing it last spring. City Development Director James Weaver confirmed that Keehn received a conditional-use permit to operate a onechair hair salon out of her home, which he described as “pretty innocuous” and something that doesn’t typically reach “the level of intensive use,” as far as impacts on the neighborhood are concerned. However, since November of 2007, Cronan has filed multiple complaints with the city regarding traffic, noise and other

NEW YEAR’S DAY PLUNGE