INSIDE

Point continues on as Democrat stronghold

By Meg Olson

Point Roberts emerged as a Democrat stronghold in the recent general election, with voters showing strong support for every Democrat on the ballot.

Almost 80 percent of the Point’s 765 registered voters cast a ballot November 2, more than half voting by mail.

County auditor Shirley Forslof had predicted an 80 percent voter turnout and the county issued 77,000 absentee ballots – twice as many as were issued in the 2003 general election. “I think we’ll be close to 80 percent when the rest of the absentees are counted,” said Forslof. That would top the 2000 general election, which drew 75 percent of registered voters to cast a ballot.

Point Roberts voters went against the county trend in voting 51 percent opposed to the initiative for new jail finding. Whatcom County’s jail initiative won strong support from countywide voters, more than 60 percent favoring the measure as county elections finished processing polling in the county’s 119 precincts. “We’re optimistic with this trend it’s going to pass,” said Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo. “I think the voters of Whatcom County are very discerning and they put public safety first. This is an effort that has had support from Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals, business, labor – a wide section of the community came together.” The measure will increase the county sales tax by 0.1 percent, adding an additional 10 cents in tax to a hundred dollar purchase, and the funds will be used for jail construction and operations.

Preliminary results left the races for top executive too close to call. Whatcom County and Washington voters favored Senator John Kerry (D-MA) as the next U.S. President and many went to bed on November 2 hopeful he still had a shot at the oval office. That race saw some resolution by Wednesday morning as networks reported a Kerry concession, but the even tighter race for Washington’s governor is still deadlocked, with state attorney general Christine Gregoire (D) and state representative Dino Rossi (R) with a mandatory recount as of press time.

Point Roberts voters were strong Kerry supporters, 63 percent voting to elect the Massachusetts senator to the White House. They also favored Gregoire for governor by 55 percent.

Elected seats in state government went largely to incumbents. Lieutenant governor Brad Owen (D), secretary of state Sam Reed (R), treasurer Mike Murphy (D), auditor Brian Sontag (D), commissioner of public lands Doug Sutherland (R), superintendent of public instruction Terry Bergeson (NP) and insurance commissioner Mike Kreidler (D) were all poised to keep their jobs. In the race to replace Gregoire as state attorney general Deborah Senn (D) was losing ground to Rob McKenna (R), who held 52 percent of the vote.

Races for both federal and state legislative spots were decisive, with strong support for incumbents. U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D) defeated republican congressman George Nethercutt (R), winning 54 percent of the vote according to unofficial results.

U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D) crushed challenger Suzanne Sinclair (R) with a 63 percent landslide after preliminary vote counts. Point Roberts voters were even more devoted, 75 percent supporting Larsen. “I think it’s a reflection of a lot of good work people in the Bellingham and Everett offices do,” Larsen said. He indicated he would continue to focus on jobs in Whatcom County, emphasizing the importance of keeping Intalco open and preserving that employment base. Larsen will also continue his efforts to keep traffic moving across the border. “We’ll be trying to get our border crossings in a place where we can take advantage of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver,” he said. “That means putting infrastructure and the right number of people there. That’s how we’ll address the issues of the security of our country and the issues of facilitating legitimate trade and travel.” He added he would continue to emphasize the need for useful solutions to the unique challenges of local borders in discussions with the Department of Homeland Security, specifically mentioning Point Roberts particular geographic isolation and attendant complications.
At the state level former Blaine mayor John Hobberlin (R) lost his bid to oust longtime state representative Kelli Linville (D), who won 59 percent of the vote countywide. Linville had strong support on the Point, where she was favored by 69 percent of voters.

Incumbent Doug Ericksen (R) retained the other 42nd district state representative position, defeating Robin Bailey (D). If the race had been decided by Point Roberts voters, 55 percent of whom favored Bailey, Ericksen would have lost his seat.

Four state initiatives and one referendum were on the ballot in the November 2 general election and Point Roberts voted along the same lines as the rest of the state. Initiative 872, asked voters to approve a state primary system in which voters could choose from all candidates on the ballot and the two top picks, regardless of party affiliation, would go to the general election. Preliminary counts indicated the measure was winning approval by 60 percent of statewide voters, and 67 percent of Point Roberts voters supported the measure. Initiative 884, establishing an extra one percent sales tax to create an education trust fund dedicated to the state’s schools, was rejected by 61 percent of the state’s voters and 52 percent of Point Roberts. Voters turned down a property tax break, 61 percent rejecting initiative 892, 55 percent on the Point. The measure would have allowed the same gambling machines in non-tribal gambling establishments as are now permitted in tribal casinos, with some of the proceeds to offset property taxes. Initiative 297, imposing tighter regulations for radioactive and non-radioactive hazardous waste, referred to as the Hanford cleanup bill, was approved by almost 70 percent of voters statewide and received an overwhelming 78 percent from Point Roberts voters.

Voters put the brakes on charter schools, 58 percent rejecting referendum 55, narrowly approved by the 2004 state legislature, The measure would have authorized the creation of charter schools, run by independent non-profits under contact to local school boards and allocated public funds. Fifty-one percent of the Point’s voters rejected the measure.

Chuck Snyder is the projected winner of a seat on the bench as a Whatcom county superior court judge, earning 54 percent of the vote to Mac Setter’s 46. Mary Kay Becker, Barbara Madsen and Richard Sanders were winners in the races for three positions on the state supreme court.

While results won’t be conclusive until the election is certified and all the votes are counted November 17 because of the number of candidates for the charter review commission, which will be charged with the decennial review of the county charter, current leaders in district three are Charlie Crabtree, Bill Crawford, Yvonne Goldsmith, Bertella Hansen, and Polly Hanson.