About half of Washington’s big counties, but not Clark, have “home rule,” which means they’ve drawn up their own charter for local government instead of using the state’s cookie-cutter template. New rules, for example, might put the county under a single executive instead of three commissioners. Or they might make it easy for citizens to put local issues on the ballot. But the road to home rule is difficult.
o The county would agree to elect between 15 and 25 “freeholders,” either by a vote of the sitting commissioners or a signature drive.
o Once freeholders were elected, they would agree on a proposed charter, which would go on a second ballot.
o If a majority of voters agreed to support the new charter, it would take effect … and could later be amended through a less complicated process.
About half of Washington's big counties, but not Clark, have "home rule," which means they've drawn up their own charter for local government instead of using the state's cookie-cutter template. New rules, for example, might put the county under a single executive instead of three commissioners. Or they might make it easy for citizens to put local issues on the ballot. But the road to home rule is difficult.
o The county would agree to elect between 15 and 25 "freeholders," either by a vote of the sitting commissioners or a signature drive.
o Once freeholders were elected, they would agree on a proposed charter, which would go on a second ballot.
o If a majority of voters agreed to support the new charter, it would take effect ... and could later be amended through a less complicated process.
A group of mostly right-leaning local activists is rebooting a 30-year-old effort to make Clark County a little more democratic.
With a small d.
The group, some of whose members share inspiration and language with U.S. Rep. Ron Paul’s “Campaign for Liberty” and broadcaster Glenn Beck’s “9.12 Project,” want county commissioners to support a new county charter that might be friendlier to ballot issues and to more politically diverse leaders.
Chuck Miller, whose Camas-based nonprofit group has spoken out against illegal immigration and same-sex marriage, said direct democracy is something people from right, left and center should all be able to agree on.
“This isn’t a partisan issue,” said Miller of Washington Citizens for Responsible Government. “It gives us all an opportunity to participate.”
Despite the conservative base of support for Clark County’s so-called “home rule” effort, some Democratic politicians say Miller is exactly right.
“It is always a good time for citizens to be looking at this,” said state Sen. Craig Pridemore, who helped put home rule on the ballot when he was a Clark County commissioner.
The 2002 issue failed by 187 votes. Similar proposals failed by larger margins in 1982 and 1997.
Pridemore said he backs the reform not because he wants citizen referendums to be easier, but because he wants to make future reforms easier.
“The No. 1 thing I always argued for was that we needed a home-rule charter so we could amend it by rational process in the future,” Pridemore said. “The time to start addressing government issues is when you’re not just responding to a crisis. When you are thinking rationally.”
Commissioner Steve Stuart, a Democrat up for re-election in November, also seemed open to the idea.
“I like the idea of using all the tools that are possible to better serve the people,” Stuart said Thursday.
Stuart said the three commissioners agreed Thursday to do more research on county charters around Washington and to push a legislative bill in 2010 that would give citizens initiative and referendum powers over county government without a charter process.
Barring legislative action, county commissioners could start the home-rule ball rolling. (See story at left).
Bipartisan potential?
For some backers of a home-rule charter, reforming the local government is a way to flex political muscles and, maybe, build bipartisan connections.
One national poll last month found that 41 percent of Americans view the libertarian-conservative “tea party” movement favorably, compared with 38 percent who thought well of the Democratic Party and 28 percent who thought well of the Republican Party.
Tom Niewulis, a Battle Ground business consultant who managed Republican Matt Swindell’s 2008 commissioner race, said he sees the effort as applying the principles of the Founding Fathers to local government.
“Let’s take care of home,” Niewulis said. “Then we can make a difference at state, federal (levels).”
Also speaking this week in favor of a home-rule charter were Vern Veysey, a former GOP county commissioner; Jeanne Schaefer, a GOP commissioner candidate in 1992; and Debbie Peterson, a Republican legislative candidate in 2008.
Others are more skeptical, like county Treasurer Doug Lasher.
“Show me examples of where home rule has provided better efficiency and reduced costs,” said Lasher, a Democrat. “It’d be like asking all your subscribers to tell The Columbian how to run your business, and to decide on pay and what your benefits should be.”
Lasher said the current system works.
“There are other ways people can influence it, and that is talking to their commissioners,” he said. “That’s what they’re there for.”
Michael Andersen: 360-735-4508 or michael.andersen@columbian.com.
