As an elected charter review commissioner I participated in the discussions surrounding the charter amendments on your ballot.
I urge a Yes vote for all amendments because:
Amendment 1: The prosecuting attorney becoming a non-partisan position.
No opposition was received.
Amendment 2: Add “county” to section 4.10, a basic housekeeping measure
Amendment 3: Increase charter review commissions frequency to eight years, every eight years means two fewer commissions in the next 32 years thus saving money.
At any time citizens by initiative and the county commissioners can propose amendments.
Amendment 4: Elect County Commissioners countywide. District only voting, which began in 2015, means county commissioners elected with only 13 percent to 26 percent of the countywide votes make decisions affecting all the voters.
Commissioners making decisions for all of us should be voted on by all of us.
Amendment 5: Appoint the director of the Department of Community Development. Three of the four elected directors of
the Department of Community Development, after serving in the office, endorse returning it to an appointed position.
It remains the only elected director DCD in the nation.
No other county has adopted the idea.
One must wonder why.
Amendment 6: Change the number of signatures required to put repeal of the charter on the ballot to 20 percent of all voters in the previous gubernatorial election, the current number is more than any other Initiative in any charter or state law.
20 percent is a reasonable number.
I urge a Yes vote on all six amendments.
Norma Turner
Vice-Chairman of the Clallam County Charter Review Commission
Port Angeles