By Terryl Asla
Kitsap News Group

HANSVILLE — At the Oct. 7 Hansville “Meet the Candidates Night,” the pie was delicious and the discourse was civil.

The event was as American as, well, homemade apple pie — of which there were 80 slices on the table directly beneath the patriotic mini-quilt made by resident Lynn Hix.

Norman Rockwell would have loved it.

The women of Hansville aren’t quite sure how long they’ve been presenting the pie-and-candidate forum; at least 26 years perhaps.

“We’ve lost count; it could be 30,” Debra Bean said.

Asking the men drew declines to be interviewed. There’s a tradition that, if your name appears in the paper, you have to buy coffee for the morning crowd at the Hansville Store.

More than 100 Hansville residents ate pie, drank coffee and filled the Greater Hansville Community Center to overflowing. They also filled out index cards with their questions for the candidates, which a committee then distilled down to key local issues and gave to moderator Fred Nelson.

It was standing room only by 7 p.m., when Nelson called the meeting to order, sternly admonishing the audience that there would be “No cheering, no jeering, no applause and no groaning.”

Precinct chairpersons from as far away as Bremerton were in the audience and, before the candidate questioning began, Nelson gave them an opportunity to stand up and introduce themselves. He afforded the same opportunity to Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett, position 5, who, by law, couldn’t campaign.

Then Nelson explained the rules. Candidates were broken up according to the positions they were seeking — public utilities district commissioners, and so forth. When that group’s time came, each individual was allowed a two-minute opening statement. After opening statements, the candidates were queried by the moderator in alternating order in order to assure fairness. Each candidate got an equal amount of time to address the question. Following their questions, each candidate could give a one minute summary statement.

In their comments, candidates sometimes made remarks that provided a clearer picture of where they stood on critical issues.

On the foot ferry proposal

The first group to be questioned were County Commission candidates Rob Gelder, the District 1 incumbent; and District 2 incumbent Charlotte Garrido and challenger Christopher Tibbs. Tibbs said he represented South Kitsap interests.

When asked where they stood on the Kitsap Transit’s foot ferry proposal, Tibbs expressed concern about the $12 million annual tax assessment. This was in keeping with his earlier remarks that he saw fixing the Gorst Corridor as a major priority because “30 percent of the population in Kitsap County uses it every day.”

Gelder said he voted for putting the foot ferry on the ballot in a desire for “geographic economic equity,” arguing that Kingston and Bremerton residents deserved a half-hour ferry ride to Seattle as much as Bainbridge Island residents.

Garrido said she voted to put it on the ballot as “the voters should have a voice,” but she felt the county would do better to find funding mechanisms rather than taxes.

On public education and charter schools

State Sen. Christine Rolfes is running unopposed. As she was present, she was asked to join the discussion along with incumbent Sherry Appleton and challenger Loretta Byrnes, who are vying for 23rd District state representative, Position 1.

“I’m absolutely against charter schools,” Appleton said. “Why are we giving $10 million to charter schools when we need to fund basic education?”

Rolfes, who serves on the Legislature’s Early Learning and K-12 Committee, Quality Education Council and Joint Select Committee to Address School Funding, also opposed spending tax dollars on charter schools, saying that to “cannibalize the system that has worked so well is a slippery slope.”

Byrnes supports alternative education. She said she “knocked on 5,000 doors,” and people were very frustrated with their school districts.

“People need a choice,” she said.

On fully funding public

education

When asked if the next Legislature was going to finally comply with the McCleary decision and fully fund education in order to stop being fined $100,000 a day by the state Supreme Court, Rolfes made what may be one of the shortest replies every made by a politician.

“Yes,” she said.

Byrnes took exception to this at some length, concluding, “They’re saying this for an excuse to bring in an income tax.”

Appleton said that, on education issues, she follows Rolfes’s lead because that is the senator’s area of specialty. However, in previous interviews, she has supported bolstering funding for schools and mental-health needs by “closing exemptions and [establishing] a capital gains tax. We’re not going to be able to meet the court’s [mandates] without extra revenue. In a sales tax-based economy, it’s just not going to happen.”

In conclusion

Presidential candidates and debate moderators could learn a lot from the Hansville candidate forum, especially if they served pies rather than threw them.

Terryl Asla is a reporter for the North Kitsap Herald and can be reached at tasla@sound publishing.com.