For the three men hoping to take over Don Munks’ District 1 Skagit County Commissioner seat, the last week of the primary campaign means getting out and visiting with as many people as possible.
GOP Candidate Ron Wesen intended to be at the Skagit County Fair this weekend, Democrat Bill Turner planned to campaign on the side of the road and Democrat Leo Jacobs was continuing his grassroots efforts of ringing doorbells and making phone calls as the Aug. 19 election nears.
With the new top two primary system, the two candidates getting the most votes move on to the general election. District 1 includes Anacortes, South Fidalgo, La Conner, Bay View, Bow, Edison and the Blanchard area.
Jacobs explained that grassroots effort is one reason why his campaign has only raised $2,300 compared to Wesen’s $27,584 and Turner’s $26,228 as of Aug. 11, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.
In the end, he will not owe anyone and he won’t have a special agenda, he said at a candidate forum hosted by Save South Fidalgo on Aug. 7 at the Dewey Beach Fire Station. He pointed out that Turner loaned himself $15,000 of his $26,000.
According to the Public Disclosure Commission, Turner is using $15,500 of his personal funds in the campaign.
Money was one of several points Jacobs criticized Turner on at the South Fidalgo forum. He also reproached Turner for saying he knows what’s best for the county as a developer and Anacortes councilman, focusing on meeting with county officials rather than residents, and for indecision on such issues as fluoride.
Turner rebuked some of the criticism, using some of his time to answer questions to do so.
At the evening forum and at two other forums earlier that same day, the candidates reiterated what they have been saying throughout the campaign.
Jacobs said as a Sedro-Woolley solid waste supervisor and consultant for Tri-County Recycling, he knows how to set goals and get things accomplished.
He spoke of his recent accomplishment to get a grant for Sedro-Woolley to start a food recycling program that is helping the entire county, he said.
Turner reiterated his experience working on the growth management act, county-wide trash issues and water issues, and the need for fair representation at the commission level. The need to get people to the table to discuss issues is important, he said.
Wesen, a Bow dairy farmer, said he has been criticized as being too quiet but said it is only because he is not a politician. However, he is running because he wants his nieces and nephews to grow up enjoying the same rural county he did. He aims to work on preserving natural resources and quality of life through attractive communities, good schools and good jobs.
The key issues of the campaign have also remained the same since the beginning — working with cities and other entities to solve problems, providing better representation on the commission and preserving farmland.
At the public forum Wednesday afternoon hosted by American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters and the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce, Howard Pellet, who is running for 40th District state representative, asked how each of the candidates aims to protect farmland.
Jacobs reiterated his goal of no net loss of farmland while Turner repeated that he intends to work within the guidelines of the Growth Management Act to prevent sprawl. Wesen took the stance that the county needs to make sure farming is profitable to the farmer.
Something new Jacobs said at the public forum was he would not raise taxes and will work with the Legislature to reduce property taxes. Yet later, Jacobs said he was in support of the sales tax increase for Skagit Transit on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
Questions at the Save South Fidalgo forum included what was each candidate’s position on rezoning, how they would recognize the South Fidalgo Community Council and if they would support a sheriff’s substation in the community.
Both Jacobs and Turner said they are opposed to any rezone and Wesen added that the county needs as much information it can get to finish the subarea plan. All the candidates said they were open to working with the community council.
Concerning the substation, Jacobs was for the idea while Turner and Wesen were more hesitant because the commission does not have a direct say over the sheriff’s department.
During the evening forum, Turner emphasized he used to live on South Fidalgo and still owns 26 acres of property there, including 12 acres next to Mount Erie that he is putting into a conservation easement.
Because he was also a member of the citizen’s advisory council on the community’s subarea plan, Turners said he understands the issues of South Fidalgo. Turner said he saw the council fall apart and was against the 2.5-acre blanket rezone suggestion it ultimately sent to the county.
Wesen said he does not own property on South Fidalgo and has no close ties to developers, thus he can work with residents to do what they think is best.
Each of the candidates was asked if he was prepared to leave their current jobs if elected. All said yes. Turner has already switched his development company over to his wife, Wesen’s brothers are willing to take over his share of the dairy and farm business, and Jacobs saying the commissioner’s position is a full-time job and so was willing to leave his supervisory position.
Ballots for the primary must be postmarked or dropped off at a county drop box by Aug. 19.
