It’s a very interesting and important off-year election with the expansion of the Board of County Commissioners and the port commission. There is a tax proposal to bolster law enforcement also on the ballot, plus numerous school board and local elected officials.
In the interest of brevity I will stick to the most important races, county commissioners. In District 5, Vivian Eason will be my choice. Her long service to the citizens of Thurston County has been exemplary. Her knowledge of the inner workings of county government is encyclopedic. I have attended several town hall and candidate events and thought she was honest and trustworthy and up on the issues.
Her opponent, I didn’t feel has the experience, and, to be honest, I believe his answers to a couple hard questions I asked him were deceitful. The assault he committed, the drunken behavior and serious anger issues I feel are disqualifying.
In the fifth district, Terry Ballard will get my vote. His long service to the country, the community and his outstanding work on veterans issues, I believe, will serve the citizens well. I have had many conversations with him and thought all his answers to questions I had were from the heart, and if I didn’t totally agree, I could see his point of view and must admit his point was usually the better path for the majority of people he would represent.
I also must admit I have not spoken to his opponent. I went to an event, but unfortunately she was sidelined for some reason. Probably a decent person but very short on practical experience, in my opinion.
Please do your own research, my fellow voters, and choose wisely.
Martin L. Miller
Rainier
