Fred Chang’s Newsclips

Experience a factor between two Port Orchard politicians
Paige Richmond
of the Gateway
Published: 04:01PM July 30th, 2008
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For Gig Harbor voters, one race in the upcoming election marks a serious change in the past decade of local politics.

State Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Gig Harbor, served as a member of the House for 12 years before announcing her retirement in March. The 26th District might stretch all the way to Port Orchard and Bremerton, but having a legislator in this neighborhood put Gig Harbor’s issues — such as Lantz’s focus on education and taxes — on the state radar.

Democrat Kim Abel and Republican Jan Angel want voters to know local attention won’t change, even if the voters don’t know that yet.

Although they both live in Port Orchard, the two politicians say the issues facing the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas still matter to them, and they each believe they have the chops to face those issues head-on.

Abel, who was mayor of Port Orchard from 2004-07, said she plans to keep an eye on the needs of all the different communities within the legislative district.

“Places like Olalla and the Key Peninsula have different concerns about maintaining their rural character,” she said. “Others, like Bremerton and Port Orchard, are concerned about preserving their downtowns.”

Angel, a Kitsap County Commissioner for the past eight years, feels she’s been doing her best to get to know people in this area, including speaking at a Key Peninsula Lions event last month.

“I’ve always served people,” Angel said. “And that’s (who) I believe I’m cut out to serve.”

Some voters in Gig Harbor don’t know yet what the politicians stand for. Helen Nagy, who has lived in the city since the 1970s, donated $50 to Abel’s campaign, but she said her support is based mostly on Lantz’s endorsement of her.

As one of the Women in Black — a political group that makes silent demonstrations on a Gig Harbor street corner — social issues are a defining factor for Nagy when choosing a candidate. Nagy’s not sure where Abel stands on social issues, but she still believes Abel can “follow in Lantz’s footsteps.”

One issue Abel does take a strong stance on is education. She is driven by her volunteer work years ago, in her sons’ elementary schools within the South Kitsap School District.

“We need good education for the community, to make sure our younger population will stay on this side of the bridge, so that more jobs can be generated,” she said.

Ray Garrido lives in Olalla, which is located just within Kitsap County limits, and he said he’s witnessed Abel’s devotion to educational issues.

Garrido, a Democrat, said Abel has “a good understanding that the way we need to fund education should be improved.”

Although Garrido wouldn’t speak about his feelings toward Angel — the commissioner for District 2 of Kitsap County, which includes Olalla — he said his wife, Charlotte, is running for her seat this year.

Angel has held that seat for four terms, beating out Charlotte Garrido in the 2004 election.

That record of receiving bi-partisan support as a Republican candidate, plus her experience as a Kitsap County Commissioner, are two qualities that Angel thinks makes her more qualified for the state Legislature than her opponent.

“That has really helped lay a foundation,” Angel said about the 1,200 employees she oversees and the $330 million budget she manages annually in her position.

Lowering property taxes and growing small businesses are two issues Angel hopes to tackle — something she’s had experience with in Kitsap County as both a commissioner and longtime business owner.

“She has experience on local levels,” said David James, one of Angel’s Gig Harbor supporters, adding that he looks for a candidate who is “conservative and responsible fiscally.”

Both candidates have local government experience, but Angel points out that she managed a larger jurisdiction— 240,000 people in the county as opposed to 8,000 in Port Orchard — and dealt with more in-depth issues than Abel.

Fred Chang thinks differently. He was elected to the Port Orchard City Council in 2005, not long after Abel won the mayor’s election by beating out a 20-year incumbent for the seat.

Chang recalls Abel as the sort of leader who “was always informed and always collaborative” and implemented incremental, effective change that the citizens and council support.

One of Angel’s fellow Kitsap County Commissioners, Josh Brown, worked with both Abel and Angel. He said that while county commissioners are “some of the hardest-working politicians around,” holding that position doesn’t make someone a good candidate for state office.

When Abel was still the Mayor of Port Orchard, Brown, a Democrat, coordinated with her on a higher education working group associated with Olympic College. Brown said Abel was an “instrumental leader in securing money for education” who “has the experience” for a state representative position.

He feels differently about his time spent working with Angel.

“Commissioner Angel’s record during her eight years has been one of deficit spending,” Brown said. “She’s had no leadership when it came to higher education. And she’s been unable to deliver on big transportation projects,” like corridors in Port Orchard.

The bottom line for choosing a candidate, Brown said, isn’t just about the amount of terms served in office — it’s the work done in those terms.

“Experience is important,” he said. “But your record is even more important.”

Campaign information

Kim Abel, a Democrat and former mayor of Port Orchard, is running against Jan Angel, a Republican and current Kitsap County Commissioner, for the state’s 26th Legislative District Representative Pos. 1.

For more information on their respective campaigns, visit www.kimabel.com or www.janangel.com.
Reach Reporter and Columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.

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