Bill Appel: No on Propositions 3, 5, and 6

We elected our county government to, among other things, regulate our shared environment and protect individual rights. The Charter Review Commission has perceived a failure of citizens to prompt action on these issues. This has resulted in:

• Proposition 3, creates a nine-member advisory Environment and Climate Commission without enforcement powers, that duplicates a focused county department and the functions of existing advisory committees that are themselves in need of additional members.
• Proposition 5, Nondiscrimination (strict if you’re small business, more relaxed if you’re big), but in any event non-mandatory because the word “shall” is used. The US Supreme Court has ruled that “shall” generally means “may.” To create a legal obligation in a law, “must” is required. Gutierez de Martinez v. Lamagno, 515 US 417 (1995).
• Proposition 6 creates an eleven-member advisory body largely functionally duplicative of the already existing county Law and Justice Panel (SJCC §2.10.090) to which citizen concerns can be directed.

These bodies are proposed to do what we citizens can and should be doing. It’s your choice. Do you want to bloat and dilute your government and delegate your civic duties to three vaporous bureaucratic bodies?

Vote No on Propositions 3, 5 and 6.

Bill Appel
Friday Harbor