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TED FROM 1 he was enormously proud of what he did professionally and cherished the many awards his work had won, he was totally without pretense or even interest when it came to the more superficial things, like his office, which was almost always in total disarray, or the coffee and ink stains on his clothes, which were common. Given the many challenges that working for a small town paper can present, it was fortunate for Ted, and for everyone who knew him, that he also had a great sense of humor and could shake off a lot of the daily annoyances by putting things in perspective.” Scott Rasmussen, now editor of the Journal of the San Juans, worked for Ted as a county reporter. He says he feels blessed to have known him. “I became better at what I did because it mattered to Ted,” he said. “Still, it was never purely top-down with Ted. Over time I came to realize my contribution was not simply expected, but valued, my ideas and insights as well. When someone relies on and trusts in you, it makes a difference.” Throughout his nearly

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Celebration of life for Ted There will be a potluck brunch “Celebration of Life” on Saturday, May 17 in the Madrona Room of Orcas Center at 10 a.m.

30-year newspaper career, Ted received many awards from both the Washington and Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association, most notably The Miles Turnbull Master Editor/ Publisher Award in 2006, awarded by WNPA to those editors and publishers deserving of “the very highest honors and respect of the profession.”

After the Sounder Since retiring, Ted became very interested in his family’s history. He studied Hungarian, audited classes at the University of Washington in Eastern European History, conducted research at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. and archives in Slovakia and Budapest. He made four trips to Hungary and Slovakia. He visited several small villages where his ancestors lived and pored over volumes of town records of births, deaths and marriages to find relatives. In 2010, he and a cousin from Israel presented a paper at the International Jewish Genealogical Societies International Conference in Los Angeles. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010, Ted organized a local support group that met monthly. “Ted felt a strong connection to the group,” Kay said. “It gave him such a sense

of purpose and accomplishment. He was ever hopeful of a cure being found.” In addition to the multiple trips to Hungary and eastern Europe, Ted and Kay spent a year and a half living in Brooklyn with son Alex, enjoying their two grandchildren, Mila and Joe. While there he volunteered at the Women’s Press Collective, mentoring aspiring journalists and helping with the organization’s quarterly publication. This past February, their daughter Marcy as well as Alex and his family joined Ted and Kay in Hawaii for a 50th anniversary celebration. “Ted was ever the optimist,” Kay said. “He touched many people’s lives. He was a cheerleader for whatever cause he believed in and supported. He loved children, and was extremely proud of his own two children and their successes and accomplishments.” Ted received a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer that had metastasized to the bone on April 22. He passed away at home on May 3, with his wife and two children at his side. In remembering him, his grandson, Joe, age five, said what he really liked about Grandpa Ted was that he was funny and silly. His granddaughter, Mila, age eight, said she admired him because “even when he’s tired, he never spoils the fun and is always game to do what people are doing – like going for a walk or swimming or out to dinner.” To read more stories about Ted, see page four. To read a full obituary, see page 7.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 • The Islands’ Sounder

‘Open meetings act’ lawsuit rejected in court By STEVE WEHRLY Journal reporter

A state appellate court rejected an appeal by a San Juan County based property-rights group, bringing a likely end to the legal battle over whether the county council violated state law by meeting behind closed doors while crafting revisions to local land-use rules. In a relatively brief, “unpublished opinion” issued on April 28, a threejudge panel of Division One of the state Court of Appeals decided unanimously that, “Because CAPR (Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights) submitted no evidence that a majority of the council attended CAO team gatherings or that the CAO team exercised actual or de facto decision making authority, no ‘meeting’ occurred for OPMA purposes, and summary judgment was appropriate.” The 16-page opinion was written by Michael Spearman, who on April 1 became Chief Judge of the Seattle-based court.

LETTERS FROM 5 Chicaoji Hot Sauce, Joe Ciskowski, Crow Valley Pottery, Deer Harbor Inn, Deon Studios, Diversity Bookkeeping, Mike Douglas, Ina Druso, Eclipse Charters, Enzos, Flyin’ Hawaiian Sushi, Healing Arts Center practitioners (Mary Jo Ahern, Kimmy Clancy, Rick Doty, Christopher Evans, Anita Holliday, Erin Quies, Christa Smith, and Lisl Thompson), Hogstone, Island Climb, Inc, Island Skillet, Island Thyme,

In October 2012, the Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights sued the county, claiming that the Open Public Meetings Act was violated when a group of county employees and three county council members met to discuss the then-pending update of the county’s critical areas ordinances. In 2013, Judge Alan Hancock of Island County granted “summary judgment” to the county at trial, saying that CAPR had presented no evidence that a trial on the facts was called for. “I’m disappointed in the decision and in the fact that the very brief opinion was unpublished, which is an impediment to obtaining Supreme Court review,” CAPR attorney Dennis Reynolds said of the appellate court decision. Reynolds said no decision on a further appeal would be made until he had talked with CAPR and with representatives of the other groups – Allied

Daily Newspapers, the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association and the Washington Coalition for Open Government – who filed a friend-ofthe-court brief supporting CAPR’s position. The update of the CAO was passed by the county council in December 2012. It has since been the object of multiple appeals by various interest groups, cases that are ongoing in the San Juan County Superior Court and before the Growth Management Hearings Board. The CAPR lawsuit is the first lawsuit related to the CAO to be decided by an appellate court. Deputy Prosecutor Amy Vira prepared the county’s brief and argued the appeal. Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord praised her handling of the case. “Amy Vira went up against five lawyers with great credentials and matched them by sticking to the facts and the law,” Gaylord said. “It was impressive. I’m glad she’s on my side.”

Shirley Lange Photography, Laslo Magic, Carol Lee, Local Goods, Maple Rock Farm, Dante Miller, Mary Miller, Morning Star Farm, Nest, Charlie Nigretto, Orcas Island Canvas, Orcas Island Freight Lines, Orcas Mandala Yoga, Orcas Village Store, Outer Island Expeditions, Nanette Pyne, Rainshadow Consulting, Robin Kucklick Landscape Design, Rosario Resort, San Juan Sanitation, Sea Island Sand and Gravel, Sara and Alan Smith, Springboard, Streamside Renewables, Jerry Weatherman, Maria Webster, West Sound Cafe,

YMCA Camp Orkila, and Andrew and Emily Youngren. Many thanks to all the guests and donors who gave so generously in support of the school. Also thank you, parents, for your incredible gifts of time and talent. If you missed this year’s party, please mark your 2014 calendars to join us next year for another fabulous evening to support island kids and early childhood education. Teresa Chocano OMS director OMS Board

Correction

Superintendent Barbara Kline has been with the Orcas School District for 24 years not 17 years, as stated in last week’s story “The new face of Orcas Island School District.”

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