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FRIDAY, FEBRuary 8, 2013 | Vol. 28, No. 22 | www.CENTRALKITSAPREPORTER.com | 50¢
Those opposing incorporation hit Silverdale streets
Brothers in arms
Leslie Kelly/Staff Photo
Debbie Davis, left, and Joyce Merkel bring their vote “No” message to the new Silverdale roundabout. Kevan Moore/staff photo
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, center, visited Navy Base Kitsap Wednesday. Half brothers U.S. Army Sgt. Paul Robinson from Fort Lewis, left, and HM 3 Corpsman Jamal Deweik meet the secretary. When Sec. Mabus saw Sgt. Robinson, he joked, “That’s the strangest Navy uniform I’ve ever seen.”
As vote draws near, debate heats up over incorporation By Leslie Kelly lkelly@soundpublishing.com
There’s no doubt that Kitsap County will take a huge hit -- a $7 million hit -- if voters approve a ballot measure to make Silverdale a city. That’s the finding of a county report issued last week from the office of County Commissioner Josh Brown. “For the county, (incorporation) would be a tremendous loss of sales tax revenue overnight,” Brown said. Brown is the commissioner who represents the area of the county that will become the city of Silverdale if the measure is approved. “The county would lose a significant amount of funding for services and that can only mean a reduction in services to the remaining areas of unincorporated Kitsap County.” The loss of retail sales tax revenue would be about $7 million, or 8.7 percent of the county’s general fund, the report said. “When you look at the fact that the entire budget for the sheriff’s office is
$16 million, and the jail is $13 million, losing $7 million would be something that we would feel,” he said. “It would be catastrophic.” But supporters of the incorporation said the report written by Eric Baker, the county’s special projects manager, and made public by Brown, is just a “scare tactic,” meant to intimidate voters. “These sort of heavy handed scare tactics by local public officials are clear evidence of (a) conflict of interest,” said Rob MacDermid, who spoke as an individual voter, but who is working with the Citizens United for Silverdale, on the campaign to incorporate. “It is clear that these officials are not acting in the best interests of Silverdale but rather to preserve the status quo for the benefit of the county as a whole. This is another clear demonstration why Silverdale needs its own local government.” While Brown and the other two county commissioners decided early on not to take a stand on the incorporation vote, Brown said he presented the infor-
mation about the effects that Silverdale becoming a city would have on the county as “just putting the facts on the table.” “We’ve had a lot of questions,” he said. “We’re just trying to give the data that will show what the impacts will be.” Much of his concern is for the unincorporated areas that will have services reduced, he said. “When you look at an area like East Bremerton, that has about 30,000 residents and will remain unincorporated, you begin to wonder what will happen to those residents,” Brown said. “These areas are not rural. They are very urban in nature and yet they will see a reduction in services simply because the county will not be able to afford the kind of coverage we have now. They will notice fewer sheriff’s patrol cars in the neighborhoods and they will see fewer road repairs.” In light of that, those places will have to determine their future by either See VOTE, A8
By Leslie Kelly lkelly@soundpublishing.com
A handful of Silverdale-area residents who oppose incorporation were out this week with signs in hand, urging voters to vote “No” on efforts to incorporate Silverdale. “We oppose Silverdale becoming a city because Silverdale is not a city,” said Debbie Davis, who resides in the area slated for incorporation. “There’s just no reason for it. And the way that the area has
been designed, it breaks apart existing neighborhoods.” For example, she and her husband, Gary, live on Chico Way, as does her son and his family. “They live just down the road from us and if this passes, we will be in the city and they won’t be,” she said. “It just doesn’t make any sense.” Davis and her husband are neighbors of Joyce Merkel, who also stood at the round-about at Silverdale Way and Chico See ANTI-InCORPORATION, A9
MAP controversy isn’t so controversial on this side of Sound By WES MORROW wmorrow@soundpublishing.com
The Measures of Academic Progress test, commonly known as the MAP, has been the center of a clash between administration and educators in Seattle School District. Across the sound in Central Kitsap School
District, however, the test has met with more optimism. More than 100, and possibly as many as 200, of the 295 districts in Washington use the MAP test. While the Bremerton School District does not administer the MAP, See MAP TEST, A9