Does Silverdale no vote really mean a populist anti-tax/anti-government movement is on the rise? Silverdale voters say 'no' to cityhood By Tim Christie, Sun staff

The only suspense is whether the issue will be barred from the ballot for three years. A third try was no charm for Silverdale incorporation Tuesday, as voters decisively rejected making their community Washington's newest city. The cityhood issue was headed toward a resounding defeat Tuesday night, with nearly 60 percent of voters casting "no" votes in the all-mail election. With 53 percent of ballots returned, the count Tuesday night was 2,244 votes against incorporation (59.8 percent) to 1,509 votes in favor (40.2 percent). Voters also rejected incorporation in 1941 and in 1985. Perhaps 800 to 1,000 ballots may be counted over the next 10 days, Auditor Karen Flynn said. That makes it highly unlikely the outcome would be reversed by late ballots, as it was in November. In the November election, the incorporation issue was leading by 56 votes on election night, but late ballots swung hard against cityhood. The measure wound up losing by five votes, but a judge threw out the election and ordered a new election because of voting boundary errors. But unlike the November election, Silverdale Cityhood Part II wasn't close. "It's a stunning defeat," said Rick Smith, who, with fellow Silverdale lawyer Ron Templeton, led the opposition campaign. "Everyone is amazed by the percentage." He called for all Central Kitsap residents, for and against cityhood, to work together "to see if there is something we could do to make government more efficient so people have more faith in the process." He cited the charter government issue as an opportunity for Silverdale residents to make county government more responsive. County voters will decide in November whether to elect a board of citizen freeholders to write a new blueprint for county governance. Templeton said the incorporation measure fell victim to a prevailing "anti-tax sentiment" exemplified by the November passage of Initiative 695. "The voter common sense came through," he said. "When you add more government, it's going to cost you more money, and right now I don't think people are willing to pay for more government." http://www.thesunlink.com/news/2000/february/0202a1b.html

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), February 02, 2000

Answers

Craig:

Same thing happened in the Spokane Valley 3-4 years ago. Efforts at incorporation in this area, the most heavily populated area outside Spokane itself, were defeated over time in three elections. The reason was similar to that stated in the last several lines of your post: Voters were too skeptical that establishing their own new city government would be any better or cheaper that what Spokane County was doing, and they didn't want more expensive government.

Keep your posts coming to this board.

-- A.C. Johnson (acjohnson@thefuture.net), February 02, 2000.