League of Women Voters – County Charter

The League of Women Voters of Thurston County general meeting topic for January 2015 will be County Charter. The meeting will be held on January 22nd, at Tradition’s Café in Olympia. There will be a 6 pm social with the speaker at 6:30 pm.

We are fortunate to have Steve Lundin, retired after nearly 30 years as the Senior Council for Washington State House of Representatives, as our speaker. He staffed the House Local Government Committee during most of these years. In 2007, Lundin wrote the authoritative reference book on local government in Washington State, entitled The Closest Governments to the People. He’s presently publishing again, this time his book explores the Yukon gold rush, From Cheechako to Sourdough.

Lundin’s knowledge of the procedure for adopting county charters gives him a unique ability to provide both the pros and the cons of the process. He will focus on the most likely way a county charter will begin here in Thurston County: with a petition of the people. The process has been brought before a vote of the people in the past and has failed. Some suspect it was lack of voter understanding of what are the implications of home rule. So Lundin will answer the question, What is County Home Rule, how does it happen and what might be the consequences if the voters approve Home Rule and elect freeholders in 2016.

Please join us!