Around Town
What’s the buzz? Spellers compete at Rotary’s annual ‘Bee’ contest PAGE 13
Island Scene
Plants & birds; tied together like, well, like birds of a feather PAGE 11
Guest Column
Plans for increased shipping traffic put the San Juans under the long, dark shadow of the Exxon Valdez PAGE 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, March 12, 2014 Vol. 107 Issue 11
of the San Juan Islands
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Third new ferry? Full steam ahead Financing plan ‘mostly’ approved in Olympia Editor’s note: House Bill 1129 passed in the state Senate, Friday, on a 41-8 vote. The bill has already passed the House on a 62-36 vote. “What this means is that the oldest boats in the fleet, the Evergreen State class, can finally be retired and replaced by newer and more reliable vessels,” San Juan Ferry Advisory Committee Chairman Jim Corenman said. “While beloved, the three E-State class boats are approaching 60 years of age and increasingly costly to maintain.” By Rebecca Gourley
WNPA Olympia News Service
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
Friends, colleagues and well-wishers crowd the county courthouse halls to say “so long” and honor the career of Chief Deputy Prosecutor Charlie Silverman at a March 5 retirement party. Silverman’s last day with the county is Friday.
Silverman calls it a career Long tenure in halls of justice included many major cases By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
For the first time in 36 years, Charles Silverman says, “I have no plans.” Except for getting to know Deborah, his wife, a bit better, he quipped. That came in response to a comment by his boss, Prosecutor Randy Gaylord, who noted a famous quote by Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, “The law is a jealous mistress and requires a long and constant courtship.” A crowd of 40-plus filled the hallway on the first floor of the county courthouse to hear friends and colleagues praise
“What I’ll remember most is coming to work every day with people who care, who want to do the right thing every day.”
— Charles Silverman, Chief Deputy Prosecutor
Silverman’s career and wish him well in retirement. Gaylord reminisced that Silverman, the county’s chief deputy prosecutor, was his first hire after being elected prosecuting attorney in 1994. By that time Silverman had already worked as an assistant prosecutor in four counties, including seven years in San Juan County for Gene Knapp before seven years’ service in Gray’s Harbor and Mason counties. “He was a mentor and teacher for me, and a tireless advocate for justice,” Gaylord said. Friday Harbor attorney Steve Brandli, who worked with Silverman in the prosecutor’s office, said he was a model lawyer:
“He embodies everything I want to be as a lawyer.” Former Sheriff Bill Cumming said that he owes a lot to Silverman. “He pointed me in the right direction when I started in 1980 and I was thrilled when he returned in 1994,” Cumming said. “You can’t calculate the benefits he had to the sheriff ’s office. He always pushed us, made sure that all the questions were asked, sometimes more than once.” In addition to a dogged tenacity and unwavering work ethic, Cumming said that Silverman will long be remembered for the comSee CAREER, Page 4
The state House of Representatives wants to set aside $50 million to spend on the construction of a new 144-car ferry. The money is included in the House supplemental budget for transportation, which passed by a large margin March 4. However, Jeff Morris approval of the money is contingent on passage of another bill now in the Senate. House Bill 1129 aims to fund a third 144-car ferry by charging a service fee on all vehicles registered in Washington. Dubbed the “peanut butter cup bill” during last year’s session, the bill combines what primary sponsor Rep. Jeff Morris, D-Mount Vernon, describes as two good things that go well together. It includes money for new ferries and makes tab service fees the same for private businesses and public offices. The Department of Licensing contracts with a number of private businesses to offer vehicle and vessel title registration services, but these business must charge a $5 administrative fee. The bill proposes that public offices do the same, in addition to a $12 fee
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
applied to title transactions. Morris said that this bill would “level the playing field,” charging drivers the same amount whether they renew or purchase tabs at a private business or at a government office like a state licensing office or county courthouse. “It’s a win-win,” Morris said in an interview. Revenue from the new fees is expected to be about $11 million in the first year (2015), and about $22.8 million per year for the four See AHEAD, Page 4
Obituaries, pg. 9-10 Adventurous in nature, well known for his aviation skills, Daniel Dennis Martel: Aug. 10, 1941 — Feb. 16, 2014