INSIDE School board candidates address enrollment, budget A3 INSIDE Low-income housing set to open in South Kitsap A14 SPORTS Wolves suffer wild 42-35 league loss against Lincoln A28
Port Orchard
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2013 N VOL. 122, NO. 42 N WWW.PORTORCHARDINDEPENDENT.COM N 50¢
Inside
A Section Editorial Robert Meadows Scene & Heard Sports Legal Notices Mary Colborn Obituaries
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▼ Matthes, Garrido advance in SK commissioner race; Dalton, Danielson in judicial contest.
By CHARLIE BERMANT Staff Writer
Expectations were turned on their head in two Kitsap County political contests during Tuesday night’s primary election, as the perceived front-runners came in third and were disqualified in their respective races. Republican Tim Matthes drew the most votes in the South Kitsap commissioner’s race, followed by Democrat Charlotte Garrido. Monty Mahan, who was the first to declare for the seat and earned the endorsement of local mayors, came in third (See related story, page A3). SEE UPSETS, PAGE A2
TIM MATTHES
BRUCE DANIELSON
CHARLOTTE GARRIDO
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JEANETTE DALTON
4DIPPM EJTUSJDU MPPLT UP CBMBODF JUT CPPLT Custodians won’t be replaced, $1.72 million will be taken from reserve fund.
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By CHRIS CHANCELLOR Staff Writer
and pension rates along with inflation as issues. In addition to the money saved on custodians, Patton said the district will dip into its reserve fund for $1.72 million. She said that’s not all bad because the district saved more than it anticipated in its last fiscal year, which ends Aug. 31. Patton said they also will save through not filling other vacant positions in the district, and through cutting expenses on supplies. The board unanimously adopted the budget. Patton warned in previous meetings that the “hard decisions” likely won’t end
SEE COUNCIL, A31
Seeking the four council seats are Bek Ashby, Kim Punt, Jerry Childs, Rob Putaansuu, Fred Chang and Eric Gonnason. Ashby and Punt are seeking the Position 2 seat being left vacant by Carolyn Powers, who decided not to seek reelection after more than
South Kitsap’s Source for News & Information Since 1890
Childs and Gonnason, a political newcomer, are running for the city’s two-year term council at-large position. Childs, a former Seattle firefighter, has lived
For more than 23 years, Punt has been active in Concert by the Bay, Fathoms o’ Fun, Olympic College Foundation, SK Rotary, Soroptimist and Chamber of Commerce. She also served on the city’s Economic Development and Tourism Committee.
Chang
Putaansuu
Gonnason
Childs
Punt
2013 ELECTION
SEE SCHOOL, PAGE A2
activities she reported as stemming from Keehn’s attempts to operate a business out of her home. Weaver said following an April 11 hearing with the city’s Hearing Examiner, certain conditions were placed on Keehn’s permit to mitigate Cronan’s concerns before she would be allowed to operate her business. “(Keehn) has addressed all but one of those conditions, with the last being the letter from the (Kitsap County) Health Department,” Weaver said, explaining that Keehn’s current sewer facilities are
SEE NEIGHBORS, PAGE A2
Six candidates — including two running unopposed — are seeking election to the Port Orchard City Council.
Jesse Beals/Staff Photo
chasing it last spring. City Development Director James Weaver confirmed that Keehn received a conditional-use permit to operate a onechair hair salon out of her home, which he described as “pretty innocuous” and something that doesn’t typically reach “the level of intensive use,” as far as impacts on the neighborhood are concerned. However, since November of 2007, Cronan has filed multiple complaints with the city regarding traffic, noise and other
Both sides report feeling harassed in rift over home business. shot in three of her home’s windows. Cronan, who lives on the 200 block of Flower Meadows Street in Port Orchard, said she believed the attack was part of an ongoing dispute with Keehn, whom she alleges has been running a hair salon out of her home without a business license and in defiance of a city “stop-work” order. Keehn, 30, said she filed for permission from the city of Port Orchard to operate a hair salon out of her home on the 2300 block of Flower Avenue soon after pur-
Editor
The South Kitsap School District is a little closer to closing its $2.9 million deficit for the upcoming school year. Terri Patton, assistant superintendent for business and support services, said at Wednesday’s school board meeting that the district won’t replace five full-time custodians who left the district after the last school year. She said that will save the district $250,000. Patton said the deficit stems from unforeseen circumstances when the district presented its last levy to voters in 2004. She cited escalating teacher salaries
The Port Orchard City Council voted 4-3 to approve setting councilmembers’ compensation for $500 for each regular meeting. Action was taken at the Oct. 22 meeting. Voting against the ordinance were Councilmen Jerry Childs and Fred Chang, along with Councilwoman Cindy Lucarelli. According to City Treasurer Allan Martin, the Department of Retirement Systems advised the city that a Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) 2 or 3 elected official earns service credits on a monthly basis. Martin said in order for a councilmember to qualify for the monthly service credit, and official must be compensated for more than 90 times the state minimum wage ($9.32 an hour) in a month as of Jan. 1. A councilmember must be compensated $838 a month at the time to be eligible for one month of service credit. The state constitution provides that a councilmember’s
Neighbor denies pellet gun shooting
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By JUSTINE FREDERIKSEN
Staff Writer
Tensions between two Port Orchard neighbors that erupted after one attempted to open a home business last year led both women to head down to the Kitsap County Courthouse Monday and file restraining orders against each other. Shelia Cronan, 49, said she filed a restraining order against Amber Keehn after returning home from a camping trip Aug. 17 and discovering pellets had been
SOUTH KITSAP’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL NEWS AND INFORMATION SINCE 1890
Editor
SEE FIRE, A2 SEE INCREASE, A27
Cody Wright from Milford, Utah, got a mouth full of mud and a zero score after falling off Strawberry Delight in the Saddle Bronc Riding competition Wednesday night at the Kitsap County Stampede. The fair runs through Sunday.
Independent
Printed with recycled paper and environmentally friendly soybean oil-based ink.
By DANNIE OLIVEAUX
25 years on the board. Ashby, a South Kitsap native, retired as president and chief executive officer at Silverdale State Bank. She has served on the city’s Planning Commission and Civil Service Commission, and is a member Ashby of the Port Orchard Bay Street Association. She was president of the SK Western Little League and Pony Colt baseball organization. Punt, who has been in the insurance business for more than 23 years, owns an independent insurance agency in Port Orchard. She has lived in Port Orchard for 12 years.
By DANNIE OLIVEAUX
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office released the cause of death of a South Kitsap man involved in a Oct. 9 fire. Jimmie Dale Johnston, 63, died from smoke inhalation and severe burns on 40 percent of his body, according to William Barour, investigator for the medical examiner’s office. Johnston died Oct. 10 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Barour said Johnston’s death was ruled an accident. Johnston was pulled from his home, located in the 1300 block of Glenwood Road SW, by a neighbor about 6:30 p.m. He was transported to Harborview with secondand third-degree burns on his back and legs.
Increase would meet minimum wage requirements to earn service credits for retirement plan
Dannie Oliveaux/Staff Photo
Staff report
City Council approves pay increase
South Kitsap High School students, Aigul Bauer and Tyler Ludlow, were named homecoming king and queen during halftime of the SK-Lincoln football game on Oct. 18.
SK man dies from fire injuries HOMECOMING ROYALTY
Expanded Classifieds in Kitsap Week
Candidates address goals, improving city, annexation if elected to council