4th Legislative District Deserves Representation!
On January 5, 2011, the state senate seat in the 4th Legislative District was vacated when 30-year Senate veteran Bob McCaslin retired.
State law specifies when a state legislative seat is vacated during an elected official’s term, the precinct committee officers in that district gather to nominate three people for the job. It is then the duty of the county board of commissioners to select and appoint one of these nominees.
If the commissioners fail to act within 60 days, the Governor has the authority to make the appointment.
Time is of the essence
On Saturday, January 15, 2011, Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) from the 4th Legislative District in Spokane County, met to select nominees to fill Senator McCaslin’s seat. The nominees are:
- Matt Shea, an attorney and sitting State House Representative from the 4th LD
- Jeff Baxter, a local businessman and former school board candidate, and
- Roy Murry, also a local businessman.
As reported on the Spokane County GOP website, Representative Shea was the first nominee selected and also received the highest number of votes.
The nominees have been submitted to the Spokane County Board of Commissioners; now the commissioners must choose an official replacement. The commissioners have set an extraordinarily long due diligence review period, until March 4, 2011.
In the interim, the 4th Legislative District is without senatorial representation.
Why is it taking so long to appoint a successor?
Local political insiders note that the Spokane County Board of Commissioners may be facing pressure from outside groups and interests.
Meanwhile, voters from the district are understandably frustrated that they are without representation during this critical period of the legislative cycle when bills are being introduced and agendas set in Olympia.
The commissioners are on record indicating that they feel they must complete a diligent review. Surely the sentiment is commendable, but it doesn’t add up. Why would it take up to 60 days to complete a review?
The law is unambiguous about the process, the elected party officers have made their choice, the next steps are clear. It leads to the uncomfortable question – are the commissioners playing politics?
Urge the commissioners to action
We encourage all citizens to contact the commissioners at the numbers below to provide input to the decision-making process and encourage a speedy resolution. The Commissioners have set a February 2, 2011 deadline for public comment on the nominees.
Mark Richard
(509) 448-6160
(509) 251-3643 cell
(509) 477-2742 office
Todd Mielke
(509) 220-2200 cell
(509) 477-2267 office
Al French
(509) 994-4351 cell
(509) 477-2741 office
Comments may be emailed to derickson@spokanecounty.org or mailed to:
Daniela Erickson
Clerk of the Board
1116 W Broadway Ave
Spokane, WA 99260
How would you feel if you were being denied representation on procedural grounds? Contact the commissioners today!
Washington State Campaign for Liberty is a 501(c)4 lobbying organization which neither promotes nor opposes candidates for public office.
Can you help make sure the ballots are counted?
Some of your fellow citizens didn’t completely follow every step in getting their ballots properly certified. Unless someone takes them an affidavit, their vote won’t count.
Your help is urgently needed if you can volunteer to do a job known as “Ballot Chasing.” When a County Auditor rejects a ballot because the voter forgot to sign their ballot, the ballot isn’t just thrown away. These voters are given the opportunity to sign an affidavit to have their vote counted. A number of pro-liberty candidates need to make sure these ballots are counted to ensure a fair and honest election.
What can you do to help? Volunteers are urgently needed who are willing to make phone calls, and more importantly, to deliver affidavits to our fellow citizens whose vote won’t get counted.
The need is especially acute in the following areas:
• The 1st legislative district. Contact Georgene Faries at 425-232-3092 to volunteer.
• The 24th legislative district. Contact Eric Foth at 360-452-2199 to volunteer.
• The 28th legislative. Contact Pam at the Puyallup Victory Office at 206-406-2903 to volunteer.
• The 35th legislative district. Contact 360-229-0086 or 360-462-1003 to volunteer.
To see if you live in these districts, click here.
If you can volunteer, please contact them now. The elections will be certified on the 12th, so please volunteer if you can. This will be going on this weekend.
Candidate Survey Results Posted
Do candidates for state office in your district support liberty?
Washington State Campaign for Liberty sent candidate surveys to everyone that will be on the November ballot for State Representative or State Senate positions. Before you cast your vote wouldn’t you like to know if:
- the candidate supports an income tax?
- if they support our Tenth Amendment rights?
- will they support tax increases?
- what about traffic cameras, National ID, or regional Cap & Trade?
Not all candidates responded.
If the candidate in your district didn’t respond, please contact them and urge them to submit their survey so we know where they stand on liberty issues. Otherwise we can only suppose that liberty is not as important to them as it is to you and me.
Spread the word!
Let your friends and family know where their candidates stand on liberty issues, please send along to your email lists.
2010 Candidate Surveys Are In the Mail
We’re pleased to announce that Washington State Campaign for Liberty has sent a candidate survey to all of the State Representative and State Senate candidates moving on to the general election in November! We’ll be reporting where the candidates stand on issues from a state income tax to property rights.
Stay tuned for the results in early October before your ballot hits your mailbox!
Don’t forget, candidates for federal office received a survey from the national organization. You can see their responses here.
Rossi and Didier: Federal Unconstitutionality
This is another video in the series of questions asked of Dino Rossi and Clint Didier at the Washington Patriot Coalition Rally on June 11, 2010.
