Contributed photo
INSIDE Community briefs
Read about the second anuual litter pick-up event on the island on page 3.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2
Senior Spotlight
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3
Update on solid waste
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6
www.islandsweekly.com 360-468-4242 • 800-654-6142
The
Islands’ eekly W
VOLUME 36, NUMBER 18 • April 30, 2013
Results are in – school bond rejected and council candidates elected By Cali Bagby and Scott Rasmussen
Lopez Center
Live in Concert
Friday, May 17st 7:30 pm
Concert is made possible, in part, from:
Tickets on Sale now: Lopezcenter.org, PSR, Blossom Grocery, Lopez Book Shop
Do you have questions about your child’s . . .
It looks like the Lopez Island School will not have renovations coming soon as voters appear to have voted no on the school bond proposition. As of this writing, 7,036 votes have been counted and 60 are left. The rejection voters have 848 votes, which is a 58 percent lead on those who sought to approve the measure. The proposed $15.5 million project would have represented an increase of $68 per $100,000 dollar of assessed property valuation, or $272
per year for a median priced house on Lopez. The issue has been controversial on Lopez, eliciting numerous letters to the editor. Proponents of the measure called the school board “ brave, sticking to the vision” and claimed that renovations will help grow “educated students in future decades.” Those opposed to the bond stated that it’s not “fiscally responsible,” and called for improvements at half the cost. Renovations would have included classroom upgrades, installation of solar panels, LED lighting and fire suppression sprinklers.
Speech? Hearing? Vision? Development? Social/Behavioral? ■
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Lopez Island School District will provide a free clinic for children aged birth through five years to screen development in communication, motor, and adaptive skills. When: Friday, May 3, 2013 Where: Lopez Elementary School Time: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm How: Please call Laurie at 468-2201, x 2127 during school hours, to make an appointment.
Volpone, or T he Fox
Thanks to all our Riders!
We had a great event and couldn’t have done it without our wonderful sponsors and team of dedicated volunteers.
THANK YOU LOPEZ!
Special THANKS to Jeff Nichols & crew, Lopez Fire & EMS, WS Ferries & Diamond Parking.
LOPEZ ISLAND COMMUNITY FIREWORKS PRESENTS A…
By Ben Jonson
May 2-5, 7:30 pm Thursday, May 2 – Sunday, May 5 Matinee 2 pm Sunday, May 5
Lopez Center for Community and the Arts
Dinner & Live Auction Fundraiser
Saturday May 4th, 5pm @ Woodmen Hall
KS COST: $25 • AUCTION PREVIEW & DRIN AUCTION E •LIV L MEA SE AUTHENTIC MEXICAN 3 COUR E HAS PURC FOR BEER, WINE, MARGARITAS
Tickets selling fast at: www.lopezfireworks.com or at the Lopez Chamber Office ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE LOPEZ ISLAND COMMUNITY FIREWORKS GENERAL FUND
A Lopez Community Theater Production Benefitting the Lopez Historical Society Age recommendation: 13 and above
Thank You to our Sponsors
Ascent Building Co. Shawn Westervelt • Barbara Nason Bill Kimm • Lopez Pharmacy • Lopez Village Market North Sound Communications • King Excavating
Candidate elections
Bob Jarman thought it would be a toss up. Rick Hughes knew it’d be close. And Jamie Stephens, while not wholly surprised by the outcome of the April 23 countywide council election, is grateful for the sizable margin by which voters backed his reelection bid. That wasn’t the case back in the fall of 2010, when Stephens, the council’s current chairman, endured four weeks of limbo before results of a recount confirmed his win over then-incumbent Bob Myhr and a victory in his second campaign for the county council. “It seemed like it just kept going on and on, for almost a month, and after it was over I’d still only won by just 11 votes,” he recalls. This time around, Stephens won handily. A two-year council incumbent and former port commissioner, he earned a decisive win by outpacing 33-year-old Brian McClerren, a political newcomer making a first-ever run for public office, by garnering 57 percent of total ballots cast -- 3,640 votes to 2,737 votes -- in the District 3 council race. He gathered a majority of votes in 17 of the county’s 19 voting precincts, losing San Juan Southeast and San Juan North by a combined 27 votes -- and prevailed convincingly in District 3.
Stephens, endorsed by both the local Democratic party and the San Juan’s three elected state representatives, Sen. Kevin Ranker (D-Orcas), and 40th District House representatives Kristine Lytton and Jeff Morris, out-raised and outspent McClerran more than 2-to-1 over the course of the campaign. McClerran, who drew a boost from the only political action committee involved in the campaign, Trust Islanders, spent $6,470 in campaign funds, compared to $15,628 by Stephens, who raised a total of $19,399, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. With roughly 60 ballots remaining to be counted, voter turnout for the April 23 election, the first countywide election in seven years, excluding February’s primary, totals nearly 59 percent. All remaining ballots will be counted May 1; date of certification for the election is May 7. With the die of the April 23 election now cast, the council will now shift from a six-person panel of part-time legislators to a three-person body with legislative duties and with responsibility over dayto-day operations of county government. Each will earn $75,000 a year, plus benefits. The council will soon select someone to fill the role of county manager, whose
✓OTE YES . . .
See elections, page 6
Okay, so the vote did not go how we’d hoped, but we thank all who voted and shared your opinions about one of our greatest local resources: Our School.
We especially thank all who worked on and voted for the bond and the teachers, staff, and administrators at our school, who support our kids every day. Paid for by Yes For Lopez, 1937 Bakerview Rd., 98261 info@yesforlopez.org www.yesforlopez.org • www.lopezislandschool.org