Visitors' Bureau hosts Candidate Form
Story by Ralph Hahn
The San Juan County Visitors' Bureau held its annual meeting Thursday, October 7, 2004. Executive Director Deborah Hopkins and her staff updated the attending 70+ attending members on the accomplishments of the Bureau for the first three quarters of 2004.
The second half of the program featured the candidates for County Commissioner for District 1 (Ray Bigler - Republican, Tom Findley - Independent, Kevin Ranker - Democrat, and Ben White - Green) and District 2 (John Evans - Republican and Alan Lichter - Democrat). Each candidate was given three minutes for an opening statement, one minute to answer questions, five questions, and one minute for a closing statement.
Following is a summary of each candidate's opening statement.
Ray Bigler -
- I was the proprietor of Friday Harbor Grocery and am a member of San Juan Eagles, the pilots group that provides free plane transportation to cancer patients.
- I pledge to serve all of the citizens of San Juan County and without any regard to special interests.
- I believe in building consensus, as demonstrated by my 12 years of negotiating labor contracts for Allied Grocers.
- The County's projected $640,000 deficit and shrinking sales tax revenue require someone with extensive business experience to successfully handle.
- I managed several grocery stores with a combined $15 million budget and 200 employees, the kind of experience necessary to run a complex organization like county government.
- If you examine the resumes of the various candidates, you find that I have the best qualifications for the position.
Tom Fenley -
- We need to find ways to bring people together to control economic costs of living and visiting here.
- Encourage people to provide better service.
- Tourists become citizens, start businesses, raise families - we should encourage people to stay and create a community similar to the Amana Colonies.
Kevin Ranker -
- The BOCC must provide leadership, not micro-manage.
- I have a very strong belief that we must strengthen our economy, provide good jobs and economic diversity.
- I support the work of the Visitors' Bureau as long as it promotes respect for the environment and the culture of the community.
- I believe that we should support an innovative, coordinated effort to increase off-season business and activities.
Ben White -
- I am a business owner, not a politician.
- I want to give back to the people one of the Commission positions and institute town hall meetings.
- I will donate 25% of my salary to the schools to make up for their declining income.
- I believe that we should consider using the second 2% hotel/motel tax to support the community equally to promoting tourism, specifically to develop pedestrian/bike paths, create a pedestrian mall on Spring St., create a permanent Farmers' Market, and raise the minimum wage to allow people to live here.
John Evans -
- Thank you to Deborah Hopkins for her outstanding service as Director of the Visitors' Bureau.
- We need tourists and the sales tax benefit they bring to the County budget.
- The County would be lost without the business that construction and tourists bring.
- We do have a difficult County budget issue but we will preserve essential public services and the public will be involved in the budget discussion.
- I want to thank the people who, as the Business Association, lobbied for a Visitors' Bureau - the quality of our life is dependent on tourism.
Alan Lichter -
- I was a visitor in 1960 and camped with my children at Doe Bay.
- I am a good friend to tourism but feel we need to examine it in view of the median age of citizens (47.4 years versus 40 in Nantucket and 38 in Aspen).
- The community is becoming less willing to support tourism and we need to find tourism that is more compatible to our citizens.
Question 1 - The hotel/motel tax is in two parts. The first 2% is used to support community organizations such as historical societies, community theaters, parks. The second 2% ($320,000) is used to promote tourism through the Visitors' Bureau. Is this a sound strategy?
Alan Lichter -
- We need to build tourism in the shoulder seasons.
- The Visitors' Bureau should use local resources to develop its advertising.
- We need to encourage alternative tourism, i.e., Elder Hostel and eco-tourism.
John Evans -
- The hotel/motel tax is not the County's; it belongs to the people.
- I made a promise to spend the tax revenue to promote tourism.
Ben White -
- We need to balance tourism against the interests of citizens and not make tourists a burden.
- I would use some to develop community resources.
Kevin Ranker -
- I favor the present format.
- We should look at expanding the shoulder seasons, encouraging conferences and seminars.
Tom Fenley -
- If we have the money, we should spend it.
- I would like to create the same kind of atmosphere as exists in the Pikes' Market neighborhood, embracing tourism and making it a part of the community.
Ray Bigler -
- Tourism is the backbone of our economy - no jobs without it.
- We need to develop the shoulder season.
Question 2 - Will you continue to support expenditure of the second 2 percent to promote tourism?
Ray Bigler -
Tom Fenley -
- - Yes! Keep the money on the island by using local media specialists to develop ads.
Kevin Ranker -
- Yes! Events like the Eco-Challenge race and the Elder Hostel program have a huge impact, stimulating other parts of the economy, like agriculture.
Ben White -
- Yes! Use the money more broadly to support local infrastructure.
John Evans -
- Yes! I will never vote to use the tax revenue for anything else.
- The second 2 percent is what brings in the first 2 percent which directly benefits our community.
Alan Lichter -
- - Yes! The Farm Festival was an event that the Elder Hostel tourists participated in and was a stimulus to agriculture - that should be a model for us to replicate.
Question 3 - The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in British Columbia. San Juan County has done nothing to date to prepare to take advantage of the influx of tourists that the Olympics will bring. What will you do to eliminate this deficit? What will you do to get the Ferry System to assist us to take advantage of event?
Alan Lichter -
- We need to begin lobbying in Olympia immediately to encourage the Ferry System to support the islands with additional service during this time.
John Evans -
- We should begin planning for it now.
- The ferry system is complicated and includes a lot of competition from down-Sound communities.
Ben White -
- Don't wait for government to solve our problem - we need to develop and encourage our local opportunities and people.
Kevin Ranker -
- There are two local water taxi services.
- I have 10 years experience working at the policy level with state and federal agencies.
- There is a statewide ferry service task force in place planning for the Winter Olympics. San Juan County is not part of that task force - we need to join it immediately.
Tom Fenley -
- We need a community greeter to make these visitors feel welcome and want to come back.
Ray Bigler -
- We should consider encouraging the Victoria Clipper to expand service.
- We should talk to the Ferry Service about keeping and using the ferries designated to be replaced over the next 6 years.
Question 4 - What is your opinion of partnering with Anacortes in a state-of-the-art visitors' center?
Ray Bigler -
Tom Fenley -
- I would like us to increase hospitality for visitors and increase wages for citizens.
Kevin Ranker -
- I like the idea but would not want to spend local dollars on it.
- I would like us to develop a "destination attraction" like the Monterrey Aquarium but not on that scale.
- I would like us to develop some type of marine/research institute.
Ben White -
- The second 2 percent tax revenue is not the private property of the hotel/motel industry.
- I would like to see Spring St. converted into a walking mall.
- I would like this to topic to be the subject of a Town Hall meeting.
John Evans -
- I like the possibility for a partnership with Anacortes, with whom we have had a record of cooperation.
Alan Lichter -
- It is an interesting idea but Anacortes has traditionally been more interested in the Sidney run.
- I want us to build the shoulder season.
Question 5 - A lot of discussion has occurred about examples of communities which have suffered the loss of identity from tourism (i.e., Aspen and Nantucket). How about looking to communities which have managed tourism for the benefits it brings and still retained their community identity (i.e., Ashland). Would you consider using the hotel/motel tax to promote more cultural tourism like Ashland?
Alan Lichter -
- I support the concept - it's good for our local citizens and businesses.
John Evans -
- The Ashland story is a good one to emulate; it would allow us to retain our sense of community.
- I will not micro-manage the Visitors' Bureau.
Ben White -
- I believe that we should purchase the Browne property and use it to support local business.
Kevin Ranker -
- Stage Left moved from Ashland to San Juan Island - why not build on them.
- Our environment ought to be the basis for promoting tourism.
- I would like to see a permanent Farmers' Market.
Tom Fenley -
- My primary interest is to provide for the safety and welfare of County workers - I would like to expand the Courthouse for the law and justice workers health and safety.
Ray Bigler -
- I would like to see us promote the arts.
- San Juan County is a pathway for migratory birds - why can't we capitalize on this opportunity with bird watcher.
- I support the Visitors' Bureau finding ways to capitalize on the opportunity and the Commissioners' not micro-managing.
Finally, the candidate's had one minute for a concluding statement.
Ray Bigler - As citizens, you have a responsibility to research the candidates. I don't think that has been done well in the recent past. I believe that, if you examine my resume and the resumes of the other candidates, you will find me to be the best qualified candidate.
Tom Fenley -I believe that Darcie Nielson has done a responsible job as County Commissioner. My varied job experiences make me a good bridge between left and right. I will fight for what is right.
Kevin Ranker - I believe in civility and stopping law suits. I believe that if we are civil to each other we can establish a positive working environment in County government and end employee turnover. Employee turnover is inefficient and costs taxpayers. I will provide leadership, build participation, and create economic diversity.
Ben White - I am committed to this community; I have placed my land in a conservation trust as evidence of my commitment. I am committed to finding ways to ensure that we can all continue to live here.
John Evans - Thank you for hosting this forum. I want to continue to serve you as County Commissioner. I have the experience, knowledge and commonsense necessary for the job. I have been the minority member on the Commission for the last four years and look forward to the opportunity of serving you for the next four years.
Alan Lichter - I want what citizens in other small communities want: music and art experiences, small B & Bs and inns, kayaking, a good place for friends and family to visit, tourists who respect the environment and community.
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