I received a campaign mailer from Central Kitsap Commissioner Josh Brown whose front side boldly states, “Tired of Partisan gridlock? So am I.”
Let’s see, we have three Democrat commissioners and we want to end gridlock?
Good idea. Let’s retire Josh and elect Abby Burlingame.
That will certainly end the gridlock.
On the mailer’s reverse, Josh touts his “accomplishments,” including a “balanced budget without cutting essential services.”
How about closing down government one day a week, spending the reserves, and borrowing from other accounts to fill the general fund?
With that kind of balance, we’ll be out of business in a year or two.
Josh then claims he “supported increased employment at PSNS by securing resources for more buses.”
Was that in his role as commissioner, transit system tout, or Puget Sound Regional Council sellout?
Somehow I thought the federal government controlled hiring and firing at PSNS.
The Rolling Hills boondoggle that has the county as a pass-through agent for major donations to a charity is now offered as “supporting county parks at no cost.”
What about the future bill to mitigate the wetlands problems on the site?
Brown is also proud of the new YMCA, which, so far, has only cost the taxpayers about $10 million for the property and $1 million in a direct taxpayer contribution.
Maybe he really should give leadership credit to the people who really made the project happen.
That would also allow him to evade answering the questions about direct public funding of a religious organization and facility.
Just in case you didn’t know, that “C” in YMCA stands for Christian.
Where is the economic development that was supposed to happen in Kitsap? Just what has Brown actually done? Where is any evidence that he’s actually performed the duties to which he was elected?
What I missed in Brown’s accomplishment list was the direct financial impact on property owners and developers incurred by his “building moratorium.”
That non-decision cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, caused projects to be canceled and added to the end cost of the projects that were completed.
Where is he heralding his vote to remove the county commissioners from oversight of the Hearing Examiner?
That was one of the key responsibilities for which he was elected.
Development permitting continues at an unacceptably slow pace at higher cost.
The permit section, separated as an Enterprise Fund unit, has yet to pay its own way and continues to drain the general fund.
Because of Brown’s efforts, the coming revisions to the countywide planning policies, required to be completed by the end of the year, will impose the King County-centric policies on Kitsap.
That should certainly put an end to any potential economic growth.
When I look closely at what Brown has to offer as accomplishments, all I see is that we have wasted $500,000 in salaries and benefits and received little of value in return.
It really is time to end the “political gridlock” and to send Brown home — wherever that is.
JACK HAMILTON
Silverdale
