Around Town
Artist Aaron D’Errico draws on experience page 8
Island Scene
Encampment 2012 features tribute to Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson page 9
Editorial
Democracy should include a healthy and knowledgeable debate—that appears to be in store page 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 29
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
CRC plan sparks dissent
Back against the wall By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
Recommended fix for charter draws criticism of former freeholders By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
As surely as the tide flows in and out of Friday Harbor, opposition is gathering to recommendations endorsed by the Charter Revision Commission. On July 10, an unenthusiastic San Juan County Council “received” – but would not “accept” – the report of the Charter Revision Commission, which proposes to scrap the six-member council and return control of the county to a three-member council, which would be responsible for executive functions by utilizing a “county manager” in place of the present county administrator. The changes recommended by the CRC were denounced by former freeholder Charlie Bodenstab, who criticized both the process by which the commission conducted its review and its conclusions. Bodenstab suggested that two CRC members, both former freeholders, “had an agenda” to essentially repeal elements of the charter with which they disagreed and that the commission “blew the opportunity to fine-tune the
Contributed photo / Chris Teren
Three strikes of lightning appear to touch down simultaneously on Griffin Bay. Photographer Chris Teren captured the moment at about 10 p.m., on Friday, from a vantage point near the Redoubt at American Camp.
Friday the 13th surprise Lightning strikes knock out power, cause minimal damage By Steve Wehrly
Journal reporter
Friday the 13th was a bad day for one tree on Lopez, and Lopez Fire Chief Jim Ghiglione didn’t get much sleep that night. But camera buffs and sky watchers were treated to a rare light show from back-to-back nights of thunder and lightning over the San Juans. The exploded tree and a small fire on Turtleback Mountain on Orcas were the only major problems caused by two electrical storms that filled the skies with an untold number of lightning bolts that struck before dawn Friday to early Saturday morning. Some 10,500 households and businesses were without power across the county, although many turned to backup generators, public safety and community service facilities in particular, to
keep the power on. Checking Lopez generators, especially those at the medical clinic and pharmacy, where vaccines and other medicines are stored, kept Ghiglione up until power was restored. “That’s just part of my job,” said Ghiglione — although he said he would have preferred not having to respond to an aid call at 5 a.m. the same morning. The “big one” occurred at 8:46 p.m. Friday at Puget Sound Energy’s Burrows Bay substation on Fidalgo Island, reportedly from a lightning strike near the substation, which transmits all the power for the San Juans. According to Orcas Power and Light Cooperative, power was restored at 2:50 a.m. Saturday, just about the time the lightning stopped. Two other outages occurred Friday evening and again Saturday morning in the Cape San Juan area, both apparently the result of one lightning strike on a home in the area. A memorable weekend, perhaps, but presumably no ruined vacations.
See OPPOSITION, Page 4
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
It is not a matter of whether there will or won’t be. It’s more of a matter of how deeply San Juan County officials will be forced to cut in the year ahead. Faced with an anticipated revenue shortfall of $3.6 million over the next three years, County Councilman Rich Peterson last week acknowledged that some degree of workforce cuts will need to be made even if voters approve the public safety sales tax measure that will be on the Aug. 7 primary election ballot. It simply gets worse should the measure fail, he said. “If the public safety sales tax doesn’t pass, nothing is safe,” Peterson said. “If it does pass, See BUDGET, Page 2
Have you reserved your space yet?
County Fair Guide 2012 Reserve your space by July 27