Denny Hamilton wants to preserve what’s good about Mason County–including its forests, air quality, waters, bays, and estuaries. He’s running to be elected as Mason County Commissioner in Dist. 1. He has lived in the Belfair area (Tiger Lake) with his wife since approximately 1996. He’s a professional facilitator, good listener, well traveled (80 countries) internationally experienced (after years of working for the U.N. and having joined the Peace Corps in 1978) Fire Dist. 2 commissioner actively involved with his community. His delightful personality and ability to bring factions together led to his neighbors asking him to run for Mason County Commissioner.
Except for Mr. Hamilton’s elected position in his fire district, he has not held elected office previously. But he has held many public posts in his career. He holds a 4 year college degree (Central WA. University), was raised on a farm in eastern Washington, and sounds well informed/educated. He hopes to help fashion a unifying vision for the County’s future–what residents want it to be. He’d like Mason to be a charter County, were it eligible (which it isn’t, due to insufficient population).
Hamilton does not renounce the concept of hiring a County Manager (ala Herb Baze!) though he argues the salary for one should be paid for out of that which the County Commissioners receive. Some voters may recall the previous County manager, hired on Herb Baze’s watch as Commissioner, was terminated when Tim Sheldon took office. Although Baze held creating the position was one of his major accomplishments as Commissioner, it contributed to his defeat by Sheldon. A mass mailing ridiculed Baze and his fellow Commissioners for their salary received while delegating their elected responsibilities to a hireling originally invited to move here by Mary Jo Cady (a previous Commissioner). Denny likes the concept of having an *elected* County manager. Somehow, it’s dubious the other Commissioners would voluntarily reduce their own salaries to fully pay for such a position.
Mr. Hamilton’s other planks in his electoral platform are as follows:
Improving the Job Situation: Getting more people back to work and facilitating the creation of more jobs and small businesses.
Protecting the Environment: Maintaining and protecting our salt water, fresh water, forest, mountain and tidal environments.
Working Together: Facilitating and encouraging dialogue among our businesses, community groups, government agencies and community organizations.
Enhancing Emergency Preparedness: Helping our community prepare for, respond to and recover from potential emergencies.
Norm Dicks (U.S. Congressman), Kathy Haigh (State Rep, 35th), Fred Finn (State Rep, 35th), Bill Eickmeyer (former 35th rep), Jeff Davis (Olympia Port Commissioner), Jean Farmer (Port of Allyn Commissioner), Mark Biggs, Mason Co. Democrats, N. Mason Education Assoc., SEIU Local 775, and Terri Thompson (among others) have all endorsed Denny Hamilton for County Commissioner.
Other supporters include:
Andrea Abruzzo
Thomas Armstrong
Adrienne Amar
George Anthony D’Angelo
Linda Archambeau
Cathi Bailey-Bright
Mark Biggs
Stacia Bilsland
Ann Blaker
Ken Boad
Laura Boad
Dale Bright
Mary Brooner
Allan Brotche
Chris Brotche
Irmgard E Bruser
Lewis Bruser
Ann Cacciari
John A. Campbell
Judy Canahuati
Claudia Chang
Bob Chilton
Mary Chilton
Lynn M Coffman
Mel R. Coffman
Barbara Coombs
Sunny M. Cotey
Cynthia K Cruver
Ina Culberson
Jefferson Davis
Judith Davis
Warren C. Dawes
Norm Dicks
Anne Dowhie
Wilson Durhan
William Eickmeyer
Donald M Emmons
Beth Enos
Jean Farmer
Tom Farmer
Clint Ferrara
Paula Ferrara
Larry Fox-Burr
Jo Fox-Burr
Frederick W. Finn
Barbara W Finn
Ross Gallagher
Cathy Gallagher
Paul J. Giannone
Jeff Gislason
Barbara J. Goodell
Daniel L Goodell
Susan Gunn
Wendell Gunn
Mary Gunn
Kelly Gunn
Margaret Hager
Robert W. Hager
Katherine Haigh
Lavada Hamilton
John Hannah
Mendy Harlow
Paul T. Harmon
Nancy Z. Hartung
Monna Haugen
David Haugen
Carol Hepburn
Jennifer Hendrickson
Mr. Robert L. Herr
Karri Hohmann
William Hoke
Laura Holder
Nancy Hopkins
Joy E. Hulbert
Rose L. Hunter-Valentine
Constance Ibsen
Tamra A. Ingwaldson
Debra Jamerson
Ron Jamerson
Randy James
Matthew Johnson
Bert Johnson
Martha Lynn Johnson
Gilbert Johnston
Sharon Johnston
Ivan Jones
Sally Jones
Vivien Junkin
Judith H Katz
Colleen Koeski
Raymond L. Kronquist
Jennifer Landreth
Dustin Lambro
Joseph Lendvai
Sharon Lendvai
Robert Lewis
Andrea Love
Patti L Lowery
Fay Marley-Clark
Virginia B. McKinney
William Marquez
Judith W. Matchett
William H. Matchett
Candace McGuire
Frank Merrill
Rebecca Merrill
Mary Minnis
Joe Monten
Mary Monten
Michael D. Mosbarger
Bob Moyer
Fran Moyer
Laurel Nelson-King
Jill Neumeister
Vaughn Neumeister
Michael N. O’Day
Arthur D. O’Neal
Diane G. O’Neal
Brandon Palmer
Barbara Parsloe
Thomas Parsloe
Scott Peterson
John Piety
Katherine A. Price
Patricia Proulx
Brooke L. Quigley
Jo Reasons
Roslynne Reed
Clyde R. Roberts
Roy Rocchi
George Roush
Michael Rowloff
Dan Roy
Vern Rutter
Flavia Ruykosky
Douglas Sayan
Marilyn Sayan
Elin Schilling
Joan R. Schwarz
Michael Siptroth
Cassie M Smith
Janice Snoey
Joe L. Snyder
Daniel K. Staley Jr.
Sheri V Staley
Gene D. Stevens
Danny Stusser
Daniel Teisan
Elizabeth Teisan
Jerry Teisan
Gregory Teisan
Sally Theder
Linda Thomson
Mark Thompson
Terri Thompson
Paul Vandehay
Pat Vandehay
Guyla Vann
Patricia Vincent
Joseph Vincent
Mary Walden
Conley Watson
Mandy Wendell
Bruce G. Weniger
Rebecca Westby
Mike Westermann
Betty Wing
Paul Wing
Debbie Wing
Timothy H. Wing
Phil Wolff
Rossaline Y. Woodhouse
Bruce Woolman
Bill Wright