Last week, I reviewed the work of the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission. Now, it’s time to praise the commission.
There was reason for skepticism when we elected the commissioners last year. With six to 16 candidates running for three positions in each of the county’s five districts, the election was confusing. Slates of Republican and Democratic candidates running as non-partisans made many of us fear that partisan interests would trump good-government concerns, but the commission gave us a group of public-interest proposals.
There was no serious consideration of making non-partisan offices into partisan ones.
Instead, the commission gave us measures for a salary-review commission, a line-item veto, a reformed budget process, increased access to the County Council, updated elections and initiative rules and a shift in the oversight of the county performance auditor.
Their proposals aren’t ground breaking, but they are positive proposals from a group of people who put their diverse interests aside to work together for an improved county charter.
Forget Cantwell and McGavick
Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Mike McGavick have been running against each other for months, as if they were already on the November ballot.
They aren’t.
Both face opposition in the Sept. 19 primary election for their parties’ nominations. Six Republicans are running against McGavick for their party’s nomination and four Democrats are running against Cantwell.
Voting for one of the challengers will send a message to the bosses in both parties who anointed Cantwell and McGavick as their candidates months ago.
We need to let those party bosses know that voters in the primary, not party bosses, nominate candidates – and that we’ve banned smoke-filled rooms in this state.
Chief Sealth penalty: The right move
Two weeks ago, The Enterprise sports pages quoted local high-school basketball coaches in praise of the decision to strip Chief Sealth High School of its 2005 and 2006 district and state girls’ basketball championships because Sealth coaches illegally recruited players.
That was a necessary decision, but what impressed me was the decision to recognize no state champions for those years.
That means that future listings of State basketball champions will look like this “2006 Girls’ Basketball: 4A – Lewis &Clark, 2A – King’s, 1A – Colfax, B – La Salle, 3A – No Champion.”
Having no team recognized as champion means that we will always be reminded that the winner was disqualified. Had the second-place team been elevated to first, it would have looked like just another winner.
Evan Smith is the Enterprise Forum editor. Send comments to entopinion@heraldnet.com.
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