08/19/2005: "Housing Bank Proposal Will Not Be On Ballot"

After many meetings, planning and a lot of hard work, the Housing Bank concept will not be on the November ballot after all. Why not depends on who you talk to. According to Paul Losleben of the Orcas Research Group, the blame is due to the failure of the Prosecuting Attorney' office. Mr. Losleben states " I contacted the Prosecuting Attorney's office regularly to inquire about progress. Each time, I was assured that they ‘were working on it.' I and other members of our group kept the County Commissioners informed of our assumed progress on the ordinance and as the time grew short, we asked them to assist in getting the ordinance through the Prosecuting Attorney's office in time."

As far as Mr. Loslesben knew, everything was going along as it should, and the Prosecutors office did not contact him with questions or concerns until "Karen Vedder called to let me know that they had missed the deadline" because the Prosecuting Attorney's office works for other departments and that since no department had been assigned to ‘bird dog' the ordinance, that it was not given priority in her office".

Mr. Loslesben has talked to Commissioner Lichter (Kevin Ranker was sitting on a week long Shoreline Hearings Board hearing) about the problem and believes that both he and Ranker "will agree that our county government must become more responsive to the needs of the public. This kind of cover-your-butt government cannot be allowed to continue".

While it is too late to be on the ballot, the group plans to keep moving forward on the project, and will be attending the August 23 BOCC meeting, where they have been told there will be a resolution discussion relating to the issue. In the meantime, they are urging the public to express their concerns directly to the BOCC.

Randy Gaylord explained to The Island Guardian that he believed the problem was a result of miscommunication, and that he is apologetic about any role his department may have played in it. Gaylord said the BOCC lead on the project was Commissioner Miller, and the that the BOCC was required to pass a resolution, and approve a plan on how the tax money gathered would be spent, in order for the measure to be placed on the ballot for the election in November, but that did not happen prior to Commissioner Miller departed the Board.

While it is too late to be on the ballot, the group plans to keep moving forward on the project, and will be attending the August 23 BOCC meeting, where they have been told there will be a resolution discussion relating to the issue. If the BOCC approves the plan for the expenditures of the tax money that the measure will generate, and passes the require resolution, the measure will appear on the ballot for the election that will take place in February.