The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Sheila Kennedy and Ray Campbell have both announced their interest in being re-elected as Okanogan County commissioner.s Given their track record, we can’t let that happen. So far, Campbell is running unopposed.

The deadline to declare your candidacy is this Friday! We need qualified candidates for District 2 with a sincere interest in addressing the concerns of constituents and the integrity and business savvy needed to put our county back on track.

Candidates must register and pay the filing fee with the Okanogan Auditor by 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 20, online at okanogancounty.org. Payment must be made in cash or by check. Okanogan County commissioners receive an annual salary of approximately $64,500.

Recently, your county government has spent large amounts of time and money engaging in expensive lawsuits, making illegal decisions they were later forced to reconsider, and thwarting public participation.

In the past three years:

1) They have attempted to thwart efforts to provide a public transportation system in spite of voters approving funding.

2) Commissioners Campbell and Kennedy voted to vacate the Three Devils Road, ignoring the advice of the hearing examiner and testimony of over 200 area residents with concerns about access to public lands and emergency exit in case of fire.

3) Okanogan County’s top two economic drivers have historically been farming and ranching, yet recently, our county commissioners have zoned the majority of private land in the county for urban densities rather than agriculture. 

4) Kennedy and Campbell are also spending an inordinate amount of time and money pursuing the transfer of federal lands, an effort to take the “public” out of public lands.

5) The Commissioners are currently pushing to shut down local facilities for juvenile detention and contracting with a facility in Spokane — ignoring public outcry and the advice of local judges and youth advocates.

Help us find a new county commissioner for our Okanogan County District 2. Encourage qualified individuals to run for county commissioner. For more information, go to the website for Represent Okanogan County at rocon2016.org.

Pat Leigh

Winthrop