PORT TOWNSEND — Consolidation of agencies that provide overlapping services was one of the topics at a forum last week for candidates running for Jefferson County commissioner seats in the Nov. 6 general election.
“I think we should consolidate the police forces,” said county commissioner candidate Geoff Masci on Thursday night.
“We would turn the Port Townsend Police into a sheriff’s station and everyone would be a sheriff’s deputy,” he said.
Masci, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Phil Johnson for the District 1 seat.
The forum also included David Sullivan, the incumbent Democratic commissioner and his opponent, Republican Tim Thomas.
About 45 people attended the forum at the Masonic Lodge in Port Townsend.
Military ballots in the election were mailed Friday, and all others will be mailed Oct. 17.
Masci, 64, a Port Townsend claims examiner and former Port Townsend mayor, said that it would make sense to have Sheriff Tony Hernandez lead the consolidated department.
“Usually when there is a reduction in force, the last hired is the first to go,” he said.
“But in this case [Port Townsend Police Chief] Conner [Daily] is 60 and Tony is 41, and Conner has already retired from one police department.”
Daily is 61, he said on Friday.
Masci also favors consolidating the city and county public works departments to make road repairs more efficient.
Johnson, 66, who is seeking a third term as commissioner, said that recreation is most ripe for consolidation.
“If we can create a metropolitan parks district, it will really improve things,” he said.
“Recreation is really necessary to keep kids out of trouble and get them in the right direction, and if we can coordinate these efforts it will be real boon for the county.”
The forum was divided into two segments, the first with District 1 candidates and the second with District 2.
During the second segment, Sullivan and Thomas addressed consolidation of county school systems.
“If it were feasible I would consider combining the high schools and leaving the elementary schools,” said Thomas, 41, an Irondale resident who is president of Bernt Ericsen Excavating Inc. of Port Townsend.
“It would enable us to have a lot more diverse programs that each one of our schools lack, we don’t have enough funding to do some of the programs that larger schools have.
“[Chimacum and Port Townsend] already share a lot of programs like the bus barn and the meals,” Thomas added.
“The only problem you’ll have to deal with is alumni.”
Sullivan, 60, disagreed.
“Cooperation will probably get us a lot farther than consolidation when it comes to schools,” he said.
“The way the county government supports schools is by providing good services, which is part of the infrastructure.”
Thomas and Sullivan also differed on grant funding.
“Grant money’s not free money,” Thomas said.
“With the grants, it depends on what kinds of strings are attached to it,” he said.
“Every time we get a grant, the county has to match a portion of it.
“There are some good grants, like for the Hadlock sewer that will benefit the whole community.”
Sullivan saw it differently.
“Grants are really just contracts,” he said.
“It’s the federal or the state government contracting us to do work for them and that’s how they get a lot of these jobs done.
“They have local people do the jobs because maybe they think they’ll get a better product that way, or if it goes wrong they will have us to blame.
“We need to be careful what grants we apply for because of the matching monies needed and you have to look at the long term effect and what obligations are,” Sullivan continued.
“But grants are an important source of funding and an important source of services for our citizens.”
When asked what he would do in his second term, Johnson said he would continue his opposition to fish farming.
“If I am re-elected, I would like to see a moratorium on net pens that raise Atlantic salmon until we are know for a fact that it’s not going to cause any environmental damage and it will not threaten the native run salmon,” he said.
He said later that a proposed a resolution calling for a moratorium on any new permits for Atlantic salmon net pens has been approved by the legislative steering committee of the Washington State Association of Counties and has been sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire’s office.
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
