County to increase babel factor

By Meg Olson

County executive Pete Kremen is recommending an eclectic group to be the voice of Point Roberts.

At their September 14 meeting county council will consider a proposal for a Rural Advisory Committee (RAC) that the county would work with to make sure the community’s best interests were being represented. After reviewing applications for committee membership submitted by individuals and local community groups, Kremen has come up with a list that combines the infamous with the unknown.

“We asked each group and the general public to submit applicants and the county executive chose one from each group and two at-large members,” said county planner Amy DeVera Pedersen. “We really did not receive many applications – we were a little concerned about the variety.”

Sometimes voter’s association president and local mailman Tom Hollett is being recommended as the voter’s association representative, being the only applicant that group submitted. Newcomer Joanne McNeal has been chosen to represent the taxpayers association. Local realtor Heather McPhee is the chamber of commerce nominee for the committee. Another real estate agent, Paul Rusk, was selected to represent the economic development committee (EDC). Rusk is also a taxpayers’ association board member but Pedersen said he had given the EDC his assurance that he would represent their interests exclusively. Michael Peters, selected to represent the character plan committee, is also a voter’s association member.

“There’s definitely a lot of overlap,” Pedersen acknowledged when ask why the EDC and character plan committees, already made up of representatives from each of the other local groups, were given seats on the RAC. “It’s just another perspective,” she said. “The EDC has many projects that might not be represented by the voters or taxpayers groups.”

The two at-large committee members recommended by Kremen are John Lesow and George Wright. A former water board commissioner, Lesow is perhaps best known for a fistfight with fellow commissioner Ron Calder at a water board meeting and as a prolific contributor to the All Point Bulletin opinion pages. Wright, after a brief stint on the voters association board, has stayed largely on the sidelines of local politics.
Pedersen said county council was being asked to approve the committee as a two-year pilot project. “If this works out really well, if it does really help with the county process we’ll continue it,” she said, adding that membership would be reviewed at that time.

The proposal allows for groups to remove their representative at any time if there is a perception they no longer represent that group’s interest, and the county executive would appoint a replacement. At-large members could also be kicked out. “If the community was not really behind this person or they were being disruptive, they can be replaced,” Pedersen said.

When county council reviews the committee September 14, they do not have to accept the executive’s recommended membership. “They could say this person is not a good representative and replace them with a majority,” Pedersen said. “They have all the applications.” The council can also review if certain proposed committee members do not meet the criteria for membership, such as residence or voter registration. Rusk, for example, is not listed as a registered voter at the Whatcom County auditor’s office.

If the committee is approved Pedersen said they would start meeting this fall, starting with setting some ground rules. “Business rules will be adopted,” she said. “The county wasn’t planning on stepping in but if they can’t work something out the county will come in as facilitator. It should be interesting.”