The Evergreen State College (TESC) biology department has discovered how to clone politicians. Meet Terri Jeffreys, a TESC graduate who interned w/Tim Sheldon and became his protege before heading the local Chamber of Commerce down the primrose path in support of the Adage proposal in the face of heated community opposition.
Endorsed Adage w/o Chamber members’/community approval
Jeffreys condones/endorses the EDC in her interviews and blog for this important public office. Though she fails to say so, the EDC (Economic Development Council) is a private corporation which engages in taking public taxpayer dollars from government agencies such as Mason County, City of Shelton, Port of Shelton, Port of Allen, etc. No bidding or accountability for the graft is necessary as under State law, ‘services’ (unlike bridges, roads, schools, etc.) aren’t required to undergo this process…hence the crony capitalism that has a stranglehold on Mason County through the auspices of Tim Sheldon, Jay Hupp, and their oligarchs. Jeffreys’ track record gives every appearance of having signed onto this Faustian platform.
The ‘close’ working relationship she envisions working with these plutocrats can be seen on the board of directors for the EDC (many are/were the same politicians receiving campaign donations from EDC agents/employees after having funneled public moneys to it) and Island Enterprises, a Squaxin Island Tribal corporation involved in its casino, alcohol, and tobacco operations. Although Tim Sheldon is not a native American, he is on that corporation’s board. He receives over 90% of his campaign contributions from corporations (or their officers) according to Washington’s Public Disclosure Commission.
When asked what her priorities for Mason County would be, Jeffreys intoned, “Jobs, jobs, jobs!” This is the same mantra citizens heard during the Adage debacle when the County Commissioners refused to even consider allowing citizens to lodge their vote in an advisory ballot entirely paid for by one local activist. While ‘jobs’ are important in any community, Mason County does not sell its children–at least not yet. Any parent would rather struggle for their child’s next meal than watch that child struggle for its next breath. Shelton has become the gateway to industrial blight at the behest of robber barons and their political lackeys.
Jeffreys has a thousand watt smile and sounds alarmingly affable. But follow the money! Judge this candidate by what she does, not what she says. It belies her words. Her support does not come from those concerned about the quality of life and health of families in our community. It comes from special interests–the ones with the money.
If you like the corruption, crony capitalism, and oligarchy in Mason County, if you want to cast a vote for business as usual instead of change, then elect Tim Sheldon and his hand maiden, Terri Jeffreys. But don’t expect your kids to thank you.
UPDATE:
Ms. Jeffreys responded to a number of the above assertions during a follow up fact checking interview as follows:
1) She did not ‘select’ Tim Sheldon for her TESC internship, nor did he ‘select’ her. That process, according to Jeffreys, was due to a random selection process in the State Senate.
2) Her work with Sheldon as an intern was insufficiently challenging and he did not actually need her services…leading to an early termination of her internship with him.
3) Jeffreys denies she has ever been Tim’s ‘protoge’, claiming he has been civil/cordial, but has not gone out of his way to offer her special/exceptional opportunities/protection.
4) Jeffreys was not aware Simpson is responsible for the extremely high level of Dioxin contamination in Oakland Bay.
5) Ms. Jeffreys explained a Chamber of Commerce committee decided to endorse the Adage proposal after hearing from Professor Helms and his wife’s opposition to it followed by the company’s paid PR agents testifying for it. But she went on to argue that having met the industry friendly laws and regulations regarding destruction of the environment or our quality of life/vital resources, citizens had no legitimate right/grievance to protest against the permitting of the same.
Terri Jeffreys seemed bright, educated, capable of critical thinking, alert, imminently affable/cordial, but poorly informed as well as too heavily influenced/in league with special interest groups at odds with the interests/sentiments of local residents. Her theory of government seemed to lack a core of equity based on consent of the governed for ordinary citizens attempting to bring their dissolute tin-eared ill informed elected officials to heel.
The downside to this critique after plumbing her depths is she may be deserving of faint praise due to the relatively dim light shed by the alternative candidates. The jury is still out on that one.
