PORT TOWNSEND — Geoff Masci, who served on the Port Townsend City Council and as mayor, has announced he is running for the Jefferson County commissioner District 1 seat now held by Phil Johnson.
“I do think there should be an alternative view on the county commission,” said Masci, a Republican.
“There hasn’t been for eight years,” he added, referring to the three Democrats who serve on the Board of County Commissioners.
“You need to have someone who is willing to put out the other side,” he added.
“If you look at my political history, you will see that I’ve never had trouble speaking truth to power and that I’ve never had trouble being a contrarian.”
The top-two primary will be Aug. 7 for the Nov. 6 general election.
Filing week for the election is May 14-18.
Johnson, 66, who was elected in 2004 and again in 2008, has not indicated whether he will serve another term, but many local Democrats expect him to run again.
Johnson did not return calls requesting comment Friday and Saturday.
Fellow Commissioner David Sullivan, whose position will be on the ballot this year, has not said if he will run again. He has not drawn any opposition.
The third commissioner, John Austin, was re-elected in 2010 to a four-year term.
Masci, 64, talked about possibly serving as the lone Republican on the Board of County Commissioners.
Two options
“When you are elected to the commission, there are two options: You can win with the majority or win with the minority,” Masci said.
“If you win in the majority, you can make some changes if you are in agreement with the people who tend to think like you.
“If you are not, you have to convince the other commissioners who are reasonable people to see your point of view.”
Masci calls Johnson his friend and said he has worked with both Sullivan and Austin in the past and could do so in the future.
Masci is a chiropractor who has lived in Port Townsend for 38 years.
He was a leader in the Make Our City and County Affordable and Accountable — or MOCCAA — initiative, which changed the city government from a strong mayor to a council manager structure.
City Council experience
Masci was elected to the Port Townsend City Council in 1999 and served until 2008, after declining to run for another term.
He served as Port Townsend’s mayor from 2000 to 2002.
During his time on the council, he worked as a liaison between the county and the city, which he said prepared him to serve as commissioner.
“I tend to not go along with the group, the herd, and I prefer to examine the facts and make a decision based on the facts,” he said.
He favors instituting a “programmatic” budget where each county program and service is examined separately for determination as to whether it should be funded.
This decision could be made by the commissioners or put to a vote by the people as to what programs they want to stay in place, Masci said.
He suggests the implementation of a budget review commission, which would operate much like the planning commission and would evaluate each program on a cost-benefit basis.
“You want to look at each program to determine how much money is utilized, how much is the county contribution and how much is the grant contribution,” he said.
Masci said that “in the late 1990s, the county budget was compared with a train wreck.
“The train wreck has been kicked down the track year by year by year by year, and it’s time to get a hold of it, look at it and repair it.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
