Sounder The Islands’
Chamber Music festival – page 9
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
WEDNESDAY, July 18, 2012 n VOL. 45, NO. 29 n 75¢
www.islandssounder.com
Opposition rises over Charter proposal by Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
When lightning strikes
Ray Pfortner photo/ RayPfortner.com
Photographer Ray Pfortner from Vashon Island was on Orcas recently to teach workshops. He also snapped shots of the island “from one corner to the other.” He captured last week’s lightning storm (above) while on Crescent Beach. For stories about how the electrical storms impacted San Juan County, see page 3.
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 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
Crime wave on Lopez; break-ins on Orcas by CALI BAGBY Staff reporter
A string of what locals call “suspiciously similar” burglaries in a Lopez neighborhood is leaving residents feeling not only violated, but angry. More than 30 concerned islanders showed up at the Lopez Library last Tuesday to talk with San Juan County Sheriff Rob Nou about the outbreak of crime in the Bakerview neighborhood. “It’s scary stuff,” one woman whispered as they waited for Nou to arrive. Between October and May there have been five repeated burglaries at the same residences and several thefts reported in the area. It was evident at the meeting that most residents suspected one man was involved, but the police have yet to find evidence tying a single suspect to all of the break-ins. Daniel Glenn Roadruck, 48, of Lopez Island, was arrested in May for allegedly stealing meat and cash at Horse Drawn Farm on Lopez, after evidence was found tying him to the crime, according to the Sheriff ’s Department. Roadruck is charged in San Juan County District Court with a gross misdemeanor and is out on conditional release, said Nou. His next court hearing is Oct. 10. The maximum sentence for a gross misdemeanor is 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Cali Bagby/staff photo
Sheriff Rob Nou at the Lopez meeting.
“With ties to the community and being a semi-long-term resident he was released,” Nou said. “It’s [conditional release] not uncommon when it comes to a misdemeanor.” He added that the burglaries are part of an active investigation, and that the Sheriff ’s Department has given Roadruck a “trespass notice” to leave the residence he has been living in, which is located in the Bakerview neighborhood. Roadruck has not been arrested or charged in connection with any other residential burglaries or crimes. Nou told islanders at the meeting that he doesn’t see anything coincidental about a string
of burglaries in a small neighborhood. “But ‘knowing’ and being able to prove beyond a shadow of doubt in court is different,” he said. Citizens decided to hold the meeting in order to help “connect the dots” between these crimes. It was also a time for people to tell the sheriff how the recent thefts have affected the community. “We’ve lost a sense of security,” said Ellie Roser, a local residence. “Most of all we’ve lost a sense of innocence.” One man said he was worried that the thefts could escalate to more dangerous activity. “The door was smashed, it was a violent entry,” he said describing the scene at his home after a break-in. “Someone could be home during one of these thefts and it could become violent.” Another resident said he has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years and never experienced a theft. A south end island resident told Nou he attended the meeting because he feared the burglaries may spread. Other members in the audience had less negative feelings toward the suspect in the Horse Drawn Farm burglary. One man described how Roadruck chopped his wood and was pleasant to chat with. Another woman said when her husband fell on the road it was Roadruck who
See CRIME, Page 6
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 charter,” as he and other freeholders had originally intended. In 2005, voters approved a home rule charter, crafted by the board of freeholders, which changed both the structure and the manner in which county government operates. At that time, voters endorsed both the “basic charter,” which separated the legislative and executive branches of county government, installed a system of initiative and referendum, turned elected offices into non-partisan posts and created the position of county administrator. Voters also approved an amendment to the basic charters, though by a smaller margin, that turned the former three-member county commission into a six-member council, each elected from districts of roughly equal population – three on San Juan Island, two on Orcas and one from Lopez/Shaw. The charter also calls for its own periodic review and for creation of a Charter Review Commission to conduct that review. The commission may propose changes to the
See CRC, Page 6
Sounder deadlines Display advertising: Friday at noon Classified advertising: Monday at noon Legal advertising: Thursday at noon Press releases, Letters: Friday at 3 p.m.
How to reach us Office: 376-4500 Fax: 376-4501 Advertising: advertising@ islandssounder.com Classified: 1-800-388-2527, classifieds@ soundpublishing.com Editor: editor@ islandssounder.com