SOUNDER THE ISLANDS’
Serving Orcas, Lopez and San Juan County
Vikings sports coverage – page 8
WEDNESDAY, October 9, 2013 VOL. 46, NO. 41 75¢ www.islandssounder.com
Election 2013 | Two islanders vie for school board
Justin Paulsen is running against incumbent Tony Ghazel; county puts charter amendment on ballot
Contributed photos
Tony Ghazel (left) and Justin Paulsen (right) are running for school board. by COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG Editor/Publisher
Three positions on the Orcas Island School Board are on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election. Ballots will be mailed out on Oct. 18. Chris Sutton and Scott Lancaster are up for re-election unopposed while Justin Paulsen is running against incumbent Tony Ghazel for the director two position. Also on the ballot is a change to
the charter amendment. See the story on page six for more about the proposition. The Islands’ Sounder asked Ghazel and Paulsen the following questions.
Tony Ghazel Sounder: Why are you running for re-election? Ghazel: I strongly believe that education is what defines a community, and serving in the capac-
ity of a school board director allows me to be at the forefront of advocating for that belief. We need to ensure that we create conditions in which our children and staff can succeed, and that everyone involved in the education of our children is appreciated and held to a high standard. We must not fail the children in our charge. I want to build on our successes of the past few years and also continue advocating on behalf of our children at the state level in pursuit of full funding of basic education. S: What have you learned while serving on the school board? G: On the Orcas school board there are five hardworking, dedicated and passionate individuals and each wants the best for our children and staff. You learn, however, that sometimes you don’t agree on how that gets accomplished. So you do your homework, respect others’ passion, negotiate, reason, compromise and then, when you get consensus, you support the whole board’s decision.
I also learned that when you build trust amongst your peers and add perseverance and dedication, you have a successful formula for getting a lot accomplished and making a difference. At the end of the day you create conditions where children and staff can succeed. S: What experience do you bring to the position? G: I have been an effective school board director serving twice as chairman, twice as vice-chairman, two years as the state’s athletic liaison, six years as state legislative liaison and currently serve as the vice-chairman of the Washington State School Directors’ Association Legislative Committee. I also served on the budget advisory committee, was actively involved in the passage of the 2005, 2011 and the 2012 bond elections, maintenance and operation levies and a 2012 tech levy. I served as Education Foundation treasurer for three years and have been president and a board member of the Orcas Lions Club. I also own and operate
Second OPALCO board member resigns by STEVE WEHRLY Journal reporter
Disagreement over strategies for deployment of broadband has prompted another resignation from the local power and light cooperative's board of directors. When George Mulligan resigned from the Orcas Power and Light Cooperative’s board in May, his resignation letter cited “very different perspectives on matters of governance, and management resources.” It did not specifically reference broadband deployment strategy. John Bogert’s resignation letter does. His letter was similar in its respectful, positive tone, but provided more details and was critical of the board’s broadband direction. Fiber optics deployment has been pursued by OPALCO since 2001, partly for use in controlling and managing its electrical grid and partly for possible resale to commercial broadband users. These ideas are not unique to OPALCO - virtually all utilities, including rural cooperatives, have been utilizing fiber-optic technology for many purposes. OPALCO has studied consumer broadband deployment for several years, culminating in
2012, when the co-op’s top executives made presentations on the four major islands asking members to sign up for future broadband services. In August of that year, OPALCO announced it had landed a $34 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan to pay for infrastructure design and deployment, some for broadband deployment. The original plan envisioned repayment from a $15 per month co-op infrastructure fee and an Internet service fee of $75 per month. The approved business plan required that about 6,000 subscribers sign up to make the plan viable. By May of this year, 900 members had signed up. After Mulligan resigned from the board on May 21, OPALCO announced a “new direction” for broadband deployment and said subscriber deposits would be credited to their electric bills. The new direction provided for a $3 million to $5 million OPALCO investment in infrastructure to be leased to internet service providers such as CenturyLink, who would provide broadband services to consumers. OPALCO framed what happened differently: “That idea was shelved in mid-June
2013 when the plan gained the attention of the competition and an opportunity emerged to accomplish the improved broadband service in the county at a lower cost and lower risk to the co-op.” In October, negotiations with CenturyLink have apparently taken a turn, although OPALCO says negotiations continue and a draft contract has been prepared and is under review. Bogert's letter suggests that OPALCO is returning to the idea of building-out the infrastructure itself. OPALCO says the buildout will be incremental over ten years, with possible leasing to broadband providers, including CenturyLink. At the same time, Bogert, who earlier this year was re-elected for another term, resigned from the board. In his letter of resignation, Bogert said he had supported the board's effort to explore two alternative broadband deployment strategies – “OPALCO-only and a partnership with CenturyLink and/or other providers.” But more recent developments prompted a parting of the ways: “The board’s recent decision to unilaterally proceed with broadband buildout
SEE OPALCO, PAGE 6
a technology consulting business and am an electrical contractor. S: If re-elected, what are your goals? G: Firstly, my goal is to serve our children and their families by providing robust curriculum including music and athletic programs to empower our children to succeed in whatever career path they choose. Secondly, I will continue being a careful steward of the public’s funds by passing sensible budgets, completing within budget the revamping of the 1980’s buildings, and achieving a healthy fund balance. Thirdly, to engage our community and our local legislators: Senator Kevin Ranker and Representatives Kristine Lytton and Jeff Morris, who have supported us on many occasions to eventually gain full funding for basic education which includes better compensation for our faculty and staff. S: How do you feel the school construction and renovation projects have been going? G: Since I became a school board member we have successfully completed, within budget, five renovation and construction
SEE ELECTIONS, 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