Robin Edmondson (R) for County Commissioner

I had a chance to interview Rob Edmondson yesterday. He is running for County Commissioner position 2; The same seat that will be vacated by Diane Oberquell at the end of this year. Simply said, Rob is one of those candidates that you wish there were more of. He is a fresh voice for politics and has a ton of new ideas. Edmondson said, "I call it the way I see it." He is a man with a direct leadership style crafted from his background as a CEO. Rob has an education in global economics and ties these concepts back to Thurston County. Edmondson said, "I accurately predicted the budget crises coming to Thurston County and I have a plan to fix it." And he quickly recites how he will prioritize needs vs. wants in each county department. He talks about how he will separate legislative mandates and scrutinize those. He has a plan to use new technology to automate bureaucratic processes, identify areas where he can combine resources and even outsource some services. There are some things he says are simple, "I don't understand why we are sending employees out in 6 passenger SUV's. Hasn't the county heard of Smart Cars? I will look at every single purchase and identify the best solution at the lowest cost." I like that thought ... downsize the County government from an SUV to a smart car. Simple isn't it? One of the ideas I like best is he has an idea to create a group of experts that would bring even better ideas to Thurston County. Edmondson said, "I want to create a group of super men and women, all of which are nationally recognized and have a minimum of 20 years experience. One will focus on financial matters, one will focus on goods and services, and three will be grant writers. I want to find unique solutions to our problems that can't be foreseen." It takes a combination of humility, experience, and knowledge to come up with these ideas. Robin Edmondson has a fresh approach and will be a breath of fresh air to the commission. Go to Edmondson's website.

Sandra Romero Credentials

Peggy Bruton, a Sandra Romero supporter echos the beliefs of Romero in her editorial titled "Romero Has Solid Credentials" appearing in The Olympian on July 1st, 2008.

Bruton has it wrong and it is indicative of Romero's ideology of putting the interestes of her special-interest group Futurewise (and Liveable Thurston) ahead of the interests of the people of Thurston County.

First Bruton writes, "In the long term, the county has failed to adopt measures, such as impact fees, to slow development in rural Thurston County and redirect it to urban growth areas." This would be an incorrect use of impact fees, but one that is popular with Romero and her group Futurewise. Impact fees are intended to "To ensure that adequate facilities are available to serve new growth and development." (RCW 8202.050) And that is it. Impact fees are not a mechanism to improve or restrict growth, that is the job of the marketplace and the law of supply and demand.

Secondly, Bruton writes, "Short-term, the county has made serious mistakes, such as wasting taxpayer dollars to challenge the Growth Management Hearings Board decision that the county's growth management plan needs more rural zoning options." This is again the position of Romero and Futurewise, but not the truth. The truth is, that under the Growth Management Act, jusidictions have the ability to plan with defrence. In other words, each local jurisdiction can create a plan that makes sense for them. 1 unit per 5 acres is a rural zoning, and when Thurston County adopted their comprehensive plan, the pople of Thurston County adopted their rural zoning plan to be 1 unit per 5 acres.

It was an out-of-town, Seattle-based group called Futurewise that challenged the Thurston County comprehensive plan, and caused Thurston County to defend, and revise the existing plan where needed. Sandra Romero is a board member of this group and now wants to be a County Commissioner. Isn't this like sending the fox to the henhouse?

There are much better options available for this postition:

Robin Edmondson

Jon Halvorson

Pick one!