INSIDE: Optimism guides Gilbert, Hometown Hero ... A10
Record South Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 59 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
Island County commissioner candidates butt heads at final forum
Guilty
Ben Watanabe / The Record
James Edward Huden, 59, speaks with his attorney Matt Montoya before hearing the verdict in his trial Monday in Island County Superior Court. The jury unanimously found Huden guilty with the aggravating circumstances of using a firearm on a particularly vulnerable victim. Justin Burnett / The Record
Helen Price Johnson, the incumbent Island County District 1 commissioner candidate, speaks during a League of Women Voters of Whidbey Island forum in Freeland last week. Fellow candidates from the left include Curt Gordon, Ed Jenkins, Jeff Lauderdale and Wayne Morrison. By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Island County District 1 commissioner hopefuls squared off Thursday at one of the last political forums before the August primary election. Candidates sparred over a range of topics for about an hour and a half before a crowd of more than 115 people at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation church just north of Freeland. It was the second of two commissioner forums held by the League of Women Voters of Whidbey Island for the primary election. Ballots went out Thursday afternoon and Election Day is August 7. Washington uses a top-two primary system in which the two candidates with the most votes, regardless of party, proceed to the general election in November.
District 1 participants included lone Democrat and incumbent Helen Price Johnson, Republican challengers Jeff Lauderdale and Wayne Morrison and independents Curt Gordon and Ed Jenkins. All but Lauderdale, a Coupeville resident, hail from Clinton. Although the gathering lacked some of the fireworks present at the District 2 forum in Oak Harbor earlier this month, the new format that utilized predetermined questions rather than opening it up to the crowd resulted in healthy debate and discussion on a wide range of issues.
Jobs, jobs, jobs Perhaps one of the most interesting, if not entertaining, questions of the evening focused on job creation in Island County.
Answering first was Lauderdale, a retired U.S. Navy commander. The former officer said government walks a fine line between the right to regulate and the need to regulate. A business-friendly regulatory environment should be established and it should not restrict growth, he said. When an “entrepreneur comes to Island County with an idea, with money, with energy, they need to get the regulation out of the way.” “You cannot protect Island County from every imaginable problem,” Lauderdale said. Price Johnson, who is seeking re-election to a second term as commissioner, talked about her recent efforts to promote economic growth through the expansion of broadband internet service and by fostering partnerships among high school students,
Jury rules Huden guilty of first-degree murder on South End BY BEN WATANABE Staff reporter
community colleges and local businesses. Efforts to expand broadband coverage, which may boost e-trade, were based on a planned study that was to be funded by a state grant. It was not awarded but it’s likely the grant money will be applied for again next year. Price Johnson also talked about the need to support local businesses by shopping locally, saying the community needs to do a better job at doing so. “That would have the biggest impact on our economy,” she said. Jenkins, a retired businessman, said the issue is about “job, jobs, jobs, not broadband.” It’s a small component and important, he said, but this is more about changing dynamics and branding Whidbey Island for what it is.
COUPEVILLE — All the waiting is over for the family of Russel Douglas. James Edward Huden was found guilty Monday, July 23 of murdering Douglas in December 2003. An Island County Superior Court jury unanimously agreed Huden was guilty of the murder with “aggravating circumstances” of using a firearm on a “particularly vulnerable victim” Monday morning. Judge Vickie Churchill read the verdict at 11:15 a.m. to a courtroom packed with the Douglas family, absent his two teenage children and widow, Brenna Douglas, along with Dateline NBC and court staff. The jury ruled that Russel Douglas was vulnerable at the time because he was seated and buckled in his Chevrolet Geo Tracker when he pulled onto a driveway off Wahl Road in Freeland, where Huden shot him in the head. After the verdict was read, the courtroom remained silent save for a few sniffles from the Douglas family, which was present for the duration of the eight-day trial. Huden barely reacted, keeping his head lowered while the verdict was read. The couple of weeks in the courtroom were short compared to the wait the Douglas family experienced over the past eight years. Huden evaded custody in August 2004 when Hurricane Charlie hit Florida, and fled to Veracruz, Mexico where he became known as Maestro Jim, a music teacher. U.S. Marshals brought Huden into custody
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See Guilty, A24