Commissioner Chris Endresen, with the help of her new lap dog Josh Brown, has moved quickly to consolidate and ensure her position as the most powerful person in Kitsap County. On Monday, Jan 22, at their regular meeting scheduled for 10 a.m., the pair will introduce a resolution that would establish a county position regarding any proposed state legislation that would provide for the development of a professional motorsports facility at the South Kitsap Industrial Area (SKIA).
Suppossedly, at least according to the county's press release, the resolution will outline "unresolved issues the board would like to bring to the attention of state legislators before any action is taken on NASCAR-related legislation that could directly impact Kitsap County." These are the same issues that according to sources at ISC, the county refuses to discuss in good faith. The resolution will pass 2 to 1, with Commissioner Jan Angel voting against it.
It's my understanding that Endresen and Lap Dog Brown spent part of the week in Olympia — on our dime — calling on legislators in hopes of discouraging them from supporting the bill that would move the ISC proposal forward. I believe it is wrong for them to do so, because when coupled with the proposed resolution, it's a blatant attempt to circumvent the entire public process the citizens of Kitsap County have been promised on this issue.
No matter where you stand on the NASCAR issue, the "Big Picture" here isn't about partisan politics — or NASCAR. It's about honesty and integrity in government and respecting the will of the voters.
Comment: If Commissioners Brown and Endresen are traveling around together, it would appear to be a violation of the Washington State Open Public Meetings Act of 1971 which indicates that, with a few exceptions, If a majority of a governing body of a particular agency meets with anyone else concerning agency business, the meeting is still considered a meeting of the governing body and is subject to the OPMA. Under OPMA, A “meeting” occurs whenever members of a governing body discuss agency business – even if no decisions are made.
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