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An Economy Locally Grown

By Seth Sjostrom

Today’s economy is tough. That’s no secret. We all find ways to cinch the purse strings and do more with less. But are we doing the most with the dollars that we spend within our communities? One local organization has been created to answer that question.

Buy Vancouver is a collective of small, independent businesses that strives to educate the buying public that where and how they spend their dollars impacts their very community and local economy. The group’s premise is three-fold: locally-owned, independent businesses contribute to the unique character of the community; for every $100 spent, $45 spent with a local business remains in the community versus $15 spent at a chain; local, independent businesses create higher-paying jobs.

Mary Sisson, owner of Vancouver-based Kazoodles toy store and founder of Buy Vancouver firmly believes in the organization’s stance, “I have been promoting ‘shop local’ since we opened in 2006.” Mary developed great depth of experience in cultivating independent businesses through editing the ASTRA (American Specialty Toy Retailing Association) national newsletter.  Pulling together similarly minded business owners like Paper Tiger Coffee Roaster’s Kenny and Sue Fletcher and Vintage Books’ Becky Millner, Buy Vancouver was born.

“Our goal is to raise awareness among local buyers that where they shop makes a difference in their community,” Mary states. Many buyers prefer to buy American when they have the choice; in fact, they are often open to paying a premium for to do so. The same goes for supporting local shop owners, but buyers have to be aware of their options.

Early manifestations include a group effort in a coupon exchange where several businesses hand out the coupons of other local businesses. To further make connections in the minds of Vancouver shoppers, 21 businesses took part in a “Where’s Waldo” scavenger hunt. Each participating store had a hidden Waldo that children and families could seek out in celebration of Where’s Waldo’s 25thanniversary.  Those who submitted entries with a least 16 Waldos found were eligible for a drawing where the winner would receive the complete collection of the famous seek and find books. While not technically a Buy Vancouver event, it represented what the group of businesses could accomplish together.

Buy Vancouver has begun to take shape with fifteen official current members, with more adding on each week. Any Vancouver business that is locally owned, independent to the point where “they could change their name if they wanted to without running it up the corporate chain”, and is not publicly traded is eligible for membership.  A mere $25 fee used to cover marketing costs is the only dues demanded.

Buy Vancouver is looking towards the near term future, sponsoring a booth at Vancouver’s Peace and Justice Fair, September 8th. The booth represents their first public forum to espouse their call buy local message. Kenny Fletcher is impressed with the collaborative effort of the businesses involved so far, “Some groups can tend to be a bit passive. All of the members of Buy Vancouver are very active in the organization, each of us taking on a needed area. Even at the Peace and Justice booth, we are all ready to be involved. We will be bringing coffee for the booth’s staffers, at the very least.”

Beyond the Peace and Justice Fair, the group is in full growth mode, feeling membership is ready to explode as their early efforts are recognized. Putting together a comprehensive list of local independent businesses with a corresponding guide is on the docket for the immediate future as is increasing their presence in the community. A pair of related goals includes supporting calls for tax fairness for online merchants and for manufacturers to enforce minimum pricing – both things issues negatively impacting local independent businesses.

As you are wandering around Vancouver or in town for a shopping trip, take note of the circulating salmon sign in the window of local merchants denoting they are an independent purveyor and member of Buy Vancouver. As Vancouver’s neighbors struggle with the same challenges, there are surely lessons to be gleamed from banding together to support local independent businesses, the building blocks of the American dream.

About the contributor: Seth Sjostrom is a local resident and author. His thriller Blood in the Snow, is currently available and Seth releases his holiday title Finding Christmas in September. For more information on Seth or his books, visit www.wolfprintpublishing.com.
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LDS Church Celebrates Pioneer Legacy

Every third week in July, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates Pioneer Day, which is a commemoration of Mormon ancestors who arrived across the Plains and into the Salt Lake, Utah Valley in 1847.

As the church has grown throughout the years, this celebration has extended to many parts of the world in honor of those church members who left Nauvoo, Illinois, to escape religious persecution.

At the time, Utah was (and still is in many places) a desolate and undesirable place. The displaced Mormon’s took refuge there, and began to build an inspiring and prosperous community.

“They left family and friends,” says the church’s official website, www.lds.org, in reference to the pioneer legacy. “They pulled handcarts across the plains; they grew a city out of a desert. Most important, the pioneers left a legacy of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice.”

So, LDS members across the globe celebrated this past weekend, and in particular, hundreds of Clark County members gathered at Camas High School for a fried chicken lunch, games, craft events, and history lessons to celebrate their history.

 

Whittle
Max Whittle and Andrew Wight participate in a tug-of-war competition.

 

 
Brooks
Dozens of kids participated in candle-making.

 

Hunter Gurney
Stuart Weiss, Hunter Gurney and Andrew Wight get ready for tug-of-war.
 

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1,600 Youth Lend Helping Hands at 14 Service Projects in Southwest Washington

By Ernie Geigenmiller

More than 1,600 youth and adults from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Vancouver over the weekend to aid in 14 service projects that benefitted local communities.

The group used Skyview High School, in Salmon Creek, as their main hub of activity from Thursday afternoon to Saturday night, and spent half of Friday lending a helping hand of service throughout Southwest Washington. They also used the time to fortify their beliefs and aid teens in a fun-filled, but spiritual youth conference.
Nathan Puffer, Colby Allen, and other youth prepare to
landscape the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden in Vancouver.
Weiss
Adam Weiss, forefront, and Daelin Jensen listen to a speaker.
Dozens of teens at each location worked hard for more than four hours pulling weeds, painting, cleaning, planting, landscaping, stocking food, removing debris, removing garbage, etc.

“I think we made a difference,” said Dallin Buck, of Woodland. “I enjoyed working and meeting new people this weekend.”

The youth worked at the following sites:

  • Pacific Park Demonstration Garden
  • Clark County Food Bank
  • Heritage Farm
  • Lacamas Park
  • Lewisville Park
  • Salmon Creek Greenway
  • Frenchman’s Bar Park
  • Second Step Housing
  • Remme Residence
  • DNR Rock Creek Campground
  • DNR Washougal Farm
  • Pioneer Cemetery
  • Share House

“It’s really fun doing this,” said Nathan Puffer, of Camas, one of the group’s volunteers. “It feels good to help the community.”

Buck
Dallin Buck pulls weeds at the Pacific Park Demonstration Garden.

The super activity brought in LDS teens from areas as far north as Longview and Kelso, and as far east as The Dalles, OR. Dozens of local families hosted between 2 and 5 teens in their homes, and shuttled their guests to and from service projects and the youth conference. The conference itself featured several workshops, musical performances, and spiritual discussions.

Pugmire
Rebecca Pugmire dances with friends at Skyview High School in Vancouver.
“It’s been several months in the planning,” said event organizer, Sue Sprague. “And things are turning out great. We have a lot of kids and some very helpful families who have opened up their homes to host these great kids. We’re grateful for the outpouring of support.”

The youth were divided into several large groups that moved into the various classes and workshops throughout the three-day event. They also participated in outdoor games and singing. Friday night concluded with a dance, and Saturday night ended with a musical concert.

“I really enjoyed some of the talks that were given,” said Camas resident Daelin Jensen. “I learned a lot.”

Dude
The youth participated in various outdoor games during the 3-day event.

Jake Murphy, from Kelso, said “I really liked the dance and the music. It was a lot of fun, and there were some cute girls here.”

The LDS Church has a strong focus on the family and encourages its youth to reach out, said Heather Norton, whose family hosted several teen girls.

“It’s important to stay close to our kids and make sure they have what they need,” Norton added. “They need to know they’re loved.”

Sprague said the youth discussed their faith in Jesus Christ and how to apply Christian teachings into their daily lives.  “We wanted to reinforce these sacred beliefs and remind the kids how much they are appreciated,” she added.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or commonly referred to as the Mormon Church, is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. Local church leaders have held major events like this in recent years. In 2010, they put together a major Dance Festival for local residents.
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Spartans Invade Washougal

By Seth Sjostrom

More than 4,000 participants tested their physical and mental toughness Saturday at the Pacific Northwest’s first Spartan Race held in Washougal. The Washougal Motocross track formed the ideal setting for the mud-obstacle course with its hilly landscape and winding trails.
The Spartan Race crew set up a course encompassing four arduous miles, twenty muscle ripping obstacles, and gobs of thick mud. Sound like fun? As a participant, I can tell you it was!

A strange thing happened as I arrived at the park. A feeling washed over me reminiscent of stepping on the baseball field before the first pitch (a long, long time ago) – my chest felt tight, a pit welled up in my stomach, a mild anxiety took root through my veins. For whatever reason, I was nervous. To be clear, I wasn’t entirely sure why. A fellow racer nearby echoed the sentiment. As did another.

When the DJ tossed out the smoke bomb and a staffer dressed in full Spartan garb took the mic, we knew it was time, nervous or not we were about to launch. “Who are you?” the Spartan asked. The racers chorused the response “I am Spartan!” No looking back, we were off.

The first ¼ mile of the race was a long, winding ascent. As more of a hiker than a runner, I endured a string of fleet-footed racers streaking by me. Working our way up the course, I was actually glad to see the first obstacle – a rib-high wall to vault over – we were entering the meat of the course.

Another wall and uphill climb later, we faced our second challenge. A series of heavy cement blocks were strung through pulleys. One by one, the Spartans hoisted the blocks in the air. As mine hovered at the peak of its line, a drill-sergeantesque voice called out, “If you drop my weight, you’ll owe me thirty burpees!” I gingerly let my block lower to the ground, it actually lifting me momentarily off my feet. A burpee, the Spartan Race penalty for a failed task, is a military derived exercise involving a squat which lays into a push-up and ends in a jump-squat (more or less). On this trail, you did not want to exhaust yourself with burpees.

The next challenge had us climbing up and over a high wall, slipping under a wall with a small gap at the bottom and through a windowed wall. This would be repeated three times before we were sent on our way to face another challenge. A pile of sandbags stacked at the ready, we were to hoist the 40lbs over our shoulders and march them up a circuit and back. At this point, the challenges seemed to regulate the athletes. While I am sure a few studs (and studettes) continued their dominance, most of the group I had started with seemed to be generally clustered. Pure speed was not the answer, neither was strength, or endurance. Somehow, the mix that the Spartan race had unfolded tested the whole of the participant and it began to become clear that it was so much more about digging deep and soldiering on than its pure physical elements.
While there had been sections of mud to either run or crawl through, the series of mud pools we encountered next added an entirely different muddy component to the course. I found the neck-deep pools to be quite refreshing after the sandbag exercise, though I did find I had to stop and squeeze empty a pocket full of water an – unusual feature of my hiking trousers.

Sufficiently introduced to the mud, we met a section that would up the ante considerably. A seemingly endless line of undulating hills were completely laced with barbed-wire hovering a scarce ten inches off of the ground. On our bellies, we slithered through the mud army-crawl style through the sea of hills. Adding to our enjoyment was a pair of the Spartan crew spraying us and the course sadistically with a fire hose. With the crest of each hill, I would hear fellow participants groan as they were met with yet more wire-covered knolls. Elbows and knees dug in, they would set back to work, determined to drive their way through to completion.

Pushing beyond the barbed wire sea, we found ourselves confronted by a series of 9 foot walls. Some had enough room to offer a running start; a few were at the very top of a hill, thwarting any such launching opportunities. Here is where I fully realized another key about the Spartan Race. Along with the physical and mental test to oneself was the camaraderie and common goal of your fellow Spartans. To be honest, when I was first told of the race, I envisioned a testosterone-fueled ego fest. What I found, instead, was a community of encouragement. The race was one of completion, for you and those around you. Time trials and ego were nowhere in mind, replaced by the joy of the test and supporting those that chose to be tested alongside you. Who knew that while climbing over a wall and stopping to help others over that same wall, while entirely caked with mud and sweat, I would find a message endearing and profound.

Pushing on with renewed vigor, I tackled the next weighty challenge. Our task was to drag a heavy cement block tethered to a steel chain around an uphill circuit and back. As I was lugging my shackle up the slope, I felt for some of my fellow Spartans. This was one of the more physically demanding tasks that the course was to offer. As I and a few of my fellow Spartans returned to the pen which housed the blocks, we drug them a little further to set up the next Spartan so that they didn’t have to fight the weight over the edge of the corral.

We were warned about the next piece. “We are opposed to broken necks!” the MC declared before we had started. As we crested a hill, found ourselves at the precipice of a giant slip and slide fed by large fire hoses. With one well-timed leap, I was hurtling down the slope. I think most Spartans sat carefully down on the slide, I reasoned this as the crew member monitoring the section laughed hysterically at my abrupt landing and lightning-paced descent into the murky pool below. Bruised backside aside, I made impressive time!
Spartans
Saturday’s Spartan Race at the Washougal Motocross track.

 

Seth

 

Races

As we rounded the next bend, we were met by the most impressive obstacle yet – a daunting hill climb latticed in barbed wire. Once more in the army crawl position, we pushed along on our bellies fighting a deep layer of mud, gravity and thousands of barbs tearing at our backs. This ascent coaxed the most groans, stalls and contemplation from racers to bail out and accept the punishment of burpees. If any voiced their concern, a steward would promptly warn the penalty had raised to sixty burpees. Stacked tight under the daunting barbed wire, we urged each other on. If someone faltered and began to slide, we would catch their foot or grab a hand and pull them along or stabilize them. Gutting it out, the procession pushed ahead. As we reached the final stretch, the slope steepened. Mud soaked ropes lined the bank offering our exit strategy. Hand over hand, we made our way to the top.

The final push had us traversing monkey bars, our slick hands fighting for grip. Giant tractor tires became a strength-testing game of ring toss. Sliding into a pool, we were asked to climb ropes high into the air to ring a bell, signaling we had reached the pinnacle – if not – more burpees. I felt strong as my right hand stretched out and gave the bell a hearty thwack.

My elation was tempered as I watched Spartan after Spartan fail to stick a spear into a hay bale mounted high on a pole. “Aim high,” one fellow Spartan offered as I took his spot. I did, hitting the target square in the center! I watched as the spear sailed through the air, finding its mark. I slumped as the weapon turned sideways and fell harmlessly to the ground. My first set of burpees.

The next two obstacles were more to my liking. A wooden climbing wall with challenging hand and foot holds to traverse. I scurried along, pounding the bell signaling I reached the end. Scampering, I launched myself up and over a giant cargo net. The finish was near.

I raced towards the final obstacles. An innocent looking line of posts dotted the trail. Leaping on one of them, I teetered as I found the posts were loose in the ground. Holding my balance I centered myself. Carefully, I made another step. Balance. Another step. My pulse quickened, I was going to make it. Another step. My knobby mud shoes fought for grip on the wooden post. Step….down. More burpees.

As I completed my second set, squat, push-up, jump, I endured racers wooshing past, heading for the finish. Landing my final burpee, I sprinted for the home stretch. Surprised I still had gas in the tank, I overtook fellow Spartans. Ahead of me, a blaze of logs and coals stretched across the entirety of the trail, launching myself forward, I cleared the hurdle and raced for the finish. Seeing the end, I was confronted with the final impediment – a cadre of ruthless Spartan crew armed with battle batons, pushing and pummeling at us, daring us to progress forward. Leaping, I dodged one attacker, enduring a fierce blow from another and dashed across the finish line!

Attendants were immediately at my side, honoring me with a Spartan badge, providing me with much needed water and a banana. I made my way to my son who grinned as I crossed the finish. I threw my arms out, but was met with resistance. Hayden eyed me suspiciously, noting the thorough coating of mud, he was not taken to my offer for a hug. Relenting, he leaned into me, his now Spartan dad.

Prior to the race, I questioned my toughness. I was uncertain to the spirit of the contest. I found the call “I am Spartan” to be a bit goofy. On my triumphant walk to the vehicle with my son, I was pleased with the performance of my 40 year old body. I embraced the mission of the race, not as a contest, but rather a building of community, a collection and triumph of human spirit. I was proud to announce with my fellow racers “I am Spartan!”

Pleased with my accomplishment and the overall experience of the Spartan, I am left with one final question, how can I build one of these in my backyard?

The Spartan Race returns to the Pacific Northwest in August 2013. In addition to the adult race, there are children’s versions accommodating two different age groups. For more information, visit www.spartanrace.com.
About the contributor: Seth Sjostrom is a local resident and author. His first release, Blood in the Snow, is now available. For more information on Seth or his books, visit wolfprintpublishing.com.
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BREAKING NEWS: Camas Senior Drafted by Mets

Camas High School Senior, catcher Austin Barr, who is Stanford-bound, was just drafted by the New York Mets today. Barr has made known his intentions to go to Stanford, but that hasn’t stopped the Major Leagues from making an effort. He’s that good!

Details to come ….
Austin Barr
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Ponderosa Garage Doors & Repair

If you’re in need of a garage door repair or installation, Ponderosa is who you need to call. Check out their newest video!

 

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Clark GOP Convention, Part III: Delegate Challenge

 

By Ernie Geigenmiller

Editor’s Note: This is the third article following the results of the March 30 Clark County GOP Convention held at the Vancouver Hilton. The event itself has been laden with charges of incompetence, vote tampering, political shenanigans, and fraud.

On Thursday, April 19, GOP Delegate Nathan Mellor, from Precinct 925, filed a legal challenge to the results of 18th Legislative District (LD) caucus election of delegates and alternates to the Washington State GOP Convention.

According to Mellor, the basis of his challenge is “simple – the 18th LD caucus election was fraudulent, violated the rules of the Washington State Republican Party, and should be set aside, because significantly more ballots were cast than the number of eligible voters (credentialed delegates) present at the caucus.”

Mellor is referring to events on the afternoon of March 30. The credentials committee representative Margie Ferris declared, prior to voting on delegates for the state convention, that 213 delegates were credentialed to vote.

After the first round of voting, 284 votes were cast, and that cast doubt on the entire process, which was beset with a confusing registration process and numerous delays.

Mellor contends in his challenge that there are only two possible explanations for the outcome.

“Either a significant number of people who voted who were not properly credentialed,” Mellor says. “Or else credentialed delegates cast multiple ballots.”

 

GOP
Legislative District 18 in a caucus breakout session gathered
on March 30 to vote on 32 delegates to send to the Washington
State GOP Convention in May.
He’s also upset that caucus leadership permitted the results of the election to stand.
Mellor claims Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) rules were violated. He cites rules 14, 15, 24 and 29. In rule 24, he says “rules are obviously designed to ensure that only qualified votes are allowed to vote in the election of delegates to the state convention.”
He says the 18th LD violated both the letter and spirit of the WSRP rules.
“The fraudulent results of this caucus must be struck as void, and the delegates and alternates elected from the 18th LD should not be seated at the state convention,” Mellor stated.
The proceedings were filled with confusion and delays. Several delegates were concerned that caucus leadership did not sufficiently control access to ballots. It was also clear that non-credentialed individuals were allowed to mix with delegates in the room. Daniel Rupp was seen carrying four ballots. It was later explained he was voting for his father, and that teller security officers closely monitored the process. An explanation for the other two ballots is less clear, but party officials state two ballots were destroyed.
“I smelled a rat from the beginning,” said Delegate Susie Huckvale, who witnessed the proceedings as they happened. “The whole day was chaotic.”
Delegate Craig Rollins, who was also witnessed the proceedings, said “I saw very well-meaning people overwhelmed and unprepared for the details of the day.”

“I really don’t know what happened with regard to credentialing,” Graham said. “But I felt from the aspect of running our district caucus we did the best we could. We had to give everyone time for nominations and speeches and that took a long time, but those are the rules.”

She said when Ferris provided her report to the district “she looked horrible, like something bad happened to her – and that’s not her, she’s usually very upbeat and happy.”

Graham said there were problems all over the place and was worried because there was no Sergeant-At-Arms. Graham is also addressing fraud allegations from delegates who claim there were alternates in the room than necessary – and that they came in before being credentialed.
“I’m looking closely at caucus paperwork and matching those names to registration records,” she said. “We are taking an exhaustive look at everything.”
Delegates from Precinct 966 felt disenfranchised because six delegates were voted in at caucus but the County GOP turned three away. What happened?
“The precinct representation shrunk over time,” Graham said. “Why? Because their voting habits show a decrease in voting, so they were cut in half. We flipped a coin to see which three would have to be turned away.”
Other precincts have reported their full delegation was in attendance and saw alternates mingling and voting at the convention.
“Those alternates should not have been there,” said delegate Rick Russell. “Our entire delegation was there and there were alternates from our precinct walking around and voting. I want that investigated.”
Graham says they continue to look into the matter and are checking registration records. And therein lies the problem – registration was chaotic.
Brent Boger, a GOP rules official said “it was a train wreck and I could see it coming.”
Boger said simply a lot of people were not properly checked in, so chaos ensued.
“It was clear there were alternates that should not have been there,” Boger said. “The convention showed problems within the party apparatus. There are many things that need to be fixed. I also wanted more rules to be transparent in the official book, but I was limited to two pages. I really wanted people to have all the rules in front of them, but I wasn’t allowed to do that.”
He also places blame at Ron Paul supporters.
“They like to cause chaos and delay and get their opponents worn out so they go home early,” Boger said. “We have lives, the Ron Paul people don’t.”
Regarding this challenge, Boger believes it would be embarrassing to have no representation from the 18th LD, but “to have no Romney delegates from a district that went overwhelmingly to Romney is simply wrong.”
If this challenge holds up, Boger says, the 18th LD results from March 30 would be null and void.
Mellor thinks the problems from March 30 stem from “a lack of planning for a group of this size.”
Mellor believes a good reform is to abolish the caucus system and reinstate a binding primary again for Washington state.
Brian Kashas, a Ron Paul supporter, disagrees. He says “our founders wanted a representative democracy and the caucus system does that.”
Kashas says the results of the convention were raw politics, but legal. But he agreed the process was disorganized and confusing, and invited tampering. He wasn’t pleased with the process and the delays.
Mellor also calls for an investigation on why the credentials report was so inaccurate.
 “Individuals who had not been credentialed were permitted to mix with delegates on the floor and ballots were distributed without verifying credentials,” Mellor said in his legal challenge. “These individuals could have been alternate delegates, they could have come from other counties, or they may even not have been registered voters or Washington voters.”
He says democracy was turned upside down and that the only way to protect voter rights is to not seat the 32 delegates because “they were elected by fraud.”
He says this will send a strong message to people who try to commit fraud and shenanigans.
So where is the problem?
An anonymous source within the County GOP thinks the party needs to purge the Ron Paul supporters from two leadership posts.
“They say one thing and then do another and then scream the loudest!” the source says. “They cause confusion and want to abolish everything. Sometimes I think they’re really radical Democrats, other times I think they’re anarchists. Either way, they really don’t belong in the Republican Party. They’re not our friends.”
Boger agreed with the anonymous source. “Ron Paul supporters don’t back down and have very strong opinions that are more in line with the Libertarian Party and that’s where they should be,” he added.
Huckvale questions Ron Paul supporter’s motives.
“I question whether they really support GOP principles or are just trying to make noise,” Huckvale said. “In the end will they really support the GOP nominee?”
The anonymous source also points blame directly at Katja and Mike Delavar. “They play right into the Ron Paul playbook which is delay, confuse, delay, confuse and then try to be the stand-up’s in the room. When the 284 count was announced Katja was the first to cry foul and then started yelling. They did this before and they’ll do it again. Katja stood up many times during the proceedings to interrupt and throw everyone off track. They just try to tire everyone else out so they go home before voting is complete. It pads their numbers.”
Dirk Bunker thinks Ron Paul supporters are “really Democrats trying to screw up the Republicans – and it’s working.”
“Katja acted like she knew what was going on,” said Rollins. “But we’re not so sure.”
The anonymous source also thinks long-time GOP activist Mike Gaston needs to go. For the record, Gaston is not a Ron Paul supporter.
“He has served the GOP well,” said the source. “But it’s time for him to go. He hasn’t kept up with technology and is very disorganized. We all end up following his lead – to our detriment. His heart is in the right place, but it’s just time he leave.”
The WSRP provided a letter from Chairman Kirby Wilbur, indicating they were in receipt of Mellor’s challenge.
In the letter, Wilbur states “I will refer these materials to the Credentials Committee of our Republican State Convention for their consideration. The Credentials Committee will review the challenge, and make a determination of how to proceed. WSRP staff does not evaluate the materials upon which credentials challenges are based or where the challenge complies with the convention rules. Those decisions are made by the convention’s Credentials Committee.”
There are several outcome scenarios. One outcome is that the entire 32-seat delegation will not be seated, citing irregularities and rule-breaking as the basis. Another outcome is to change nothing. Still, a third outcome, says Boger, is to re-do the 18th LD elections – but that’s unlikely.
The WSRP Credentials Committee will make a decision in May.
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Clark County GOP Convention, Part II: Some Questions Answered; More Questions of Fraud, Ballot Control; And Vote Tampering Linger

By Ernie Geigenmiller
Days after last weekend’s confusing and emotional Clark County GOP Convention, new answers shed light on the event while persistent questions linger that could put the county’s state delgation into jeopardy. 
The issues at hand include fraud, disorganization, violation of state and GOP party rules, irregularities, vote tampering, and disenfranchisement.
Numerous questions linger within several precincts in the 18th District, and several are crying fraud. Some of these complaints stem from delegates being denied participation on multiple occasions and through multiple mediums. Charges of vote tampering run rampant. One delegate received notice in the mail that his delegate status was denied. Another, Steve Gillespie, was elected, but never received any type of verification or confirmation from party officials.
GOP
An accurate and legal vote count is at the heart of
the Clark County GOP Convention controversy.
 
“I thought that was strange,” he said. “And when I saw the results from the convention, I thought it was strange given how the county had given Romney bigger numbers from the caucus.”

Another delegate, Mike Convey, was elected a delegate at the March 3 Caucus and participated in a pre-convention organization meeting. A few days prior to the convention, he too received a notice that his services as a delegate were no longer needed.

“The letter stated the local GOP had made a mistake in the number of delegates – that they went from 8 to 3 for our precinct,” said Convey. “It was odd. I had already gone to one meeting and they said I would receive notice about a second meeting, and then I got that letter, so I didn’t attend the convention.”

Romney supporter Susie Huckvale said, however, she saw Convey’s name on the caucus verification ballot/list while trying to register at Saturday’s convention. “Mike Convey’s name was on the list,” she said. “I saw it with my own two eyes. I know he was elected as delegate and now someone has disenfranchised him. He’s a good man and he was denied this opportunity. It’s fraud.”

Delegate Spencer May said on Monday he plans to file a challenge to the state GOP over a motion that was made to extend Saturday’s convention from 6 to 8 p.m. His claim is that because the rule was changed any votes after that hour should be null and void. He said the motion wasn’t properly debated. His motion could put the county’s state convention delegation into jeopardy.

Of the 75 delegates elected, Clark County GOP state committeeman Ryan Hart said Monday that 37 are for Ron Paul, 30 are for Santorum, six are for Romney and two are for Newt Gingrich.
Delegate Rick Russell is also upset that several alternates from his precinct were voting. “Our delegation was there,” he said. “So there was no place for our precinct’s alternates. They shouldn’t have been in the room, and they definitely should not have been voting. They’re all Ron Paul people.”
Disorganization issues included hundreds waiting in line for hours, confusion at registration, lack of proper credentialing, and lack of ID verification, among others.
 
He’s also “concerned with the Ron Paul cowboy guy who we all saw carrying around four ballots … he said he was voting for others that had already left.”
Delegates, alternates and observers felt organizers were overwhelmed, said Cynthia Haddock. “It was like they didn’t plan but they had to know how many people were coming.
The March 3 Caucus provided clear paperwork on how many delegates and alternates would be coming. That paperwork was in the possession of the Clark County GOP organizers.
They were overwhelmed, said GOP Rules official, Brent Boger, who is asking people to put the event in perspective.
“Were things screwed up?” said Boger. “Yes, absolutely. These are good, hard-working volunteers who simply didn’t prepare for an event of this size.”
Boger said GOP leaders called him a week ahead of the convention to ask for his help with the rules. Boger has been a long-time GOP activist who once served on the party’s state rules committee and understands how rules are supposed to work.
“I saw the train wreck coming,” he said. “There were no checks, no balances, and no ID’s were checked in the 18th Legislative District meeting. Because of that we had to try to verify by precinct and saw slots and openings and realized the credentials list was inaccurate. It was a mess.”
He said the local party was simply “unprepared,” and that he spoke with Brandon Vick, the County GOP Chairman about the consequences before the convention started.
The Romney people also talked with local leaders about having more check-in tables, but were ignored.
The Clark County GOP hasn’t yet issued a statement on the matter, but Lacamas Magazine is expecting a response. Phone calls were returned.
On history, Boger said once the state legislature denied Washington a primary, he recommended that the state GOP set up a caucus system that would mirror a primary as much as possible.
“The state committee disagreed,” he said. “And now we have this mess. They didn’t learn from what the Ron Paul people did in 2008, and I warned them and we all now realize the caucus system is absurd – it’s time to end it.”
As a solution, Boger says any GOP member can submit a rule change with the state committee, who would have to adopt said rule. It’s not an easy thing to do, but it is possible.
He recommends the state provide a primary only, and that delegates be apportioned according to the primary results. He says the party should bypass the state committee and simply allow the campaigns to pick the delegates.
“This is one reform,” said Boger, “and it’s not too hard to do. It’s a mail-in ballot. We all like those.”
Another reform is to elect state convention delegates at the caucus level and bypass the county convention. Boger recommends caucus goers vote on a slate, which he believes would save time, money and headaches.
As previously reported the 18th Legislative District had the most problems, the largest of which was ballot discrepancy. At the onset of voting, party officials announced that 213 delegates were certified to vote at the convention. When ballots were cast and tallied, the total was 284, and the worn out, exhausted crowd was aghast. It sent confusion and anger throughout the room.
Boger believes the disorganization and irregularities at check-in were the cause.
“A lot of people simply were not checked in,” he said. “There were alternates that should have not been in there. We all know that. It’s likely that there were people voting that should not have been voting.”
Boger also sheds light on technology and ballots.
“We’re using a machine that works but is very, very old,” he said. “And we simply don’t have enough ballots to fill the machines, so they didn’t have enough placard ballots and the 17th District was using recycled ballots – they were using pre-punched ballots!”
The convention lacked ballot control.
“People were passing out ballots without checking ID or credentials,” said Russell. “Anybody off the street could come in and vote and that’s why we have this disaster. We spent 12 hours trying to do our jobs in a system frought with fraud and lack of ballot controls. It’s ridiculous.”
Liz Pike, who is running for the 18th Legislative seat was witness to the events at the convention and understands why people are discouraged.
“It was my honor to meet many of you for the first time at last Saturday’s GOP convention, and it was a pleasure to see long-time friends again too,” she said. “If you attended the convention, thank you for giving up your day to be part of the solution to get our county, state and nation back on the right track. Please do not be discouraged. Volunteers and party officials worked hard on Saturday. The convention undoubtedly had its challenges but it is time to put that behind us. Although we may not all agree on who should be our Presidential nominee, we are united in our enthusiasm for conservative values and preservation of founding principles that make America great.”
GOP
Delegates in the 18th Legislative District Meeting vote at Saturday’s meeting.
Boger understands why Romney supporters are upset. He said many are participating for the first time and they see the caucus straw poll with Romney at 37 percent and then the convention gives him seven percent.
“It’s a mess, for sure, and it’s wrong,” Boger said. “But to the Romney people, realize this is Ron Paul’s high water mark – I don’t think we’re leaving the UN or going onto the gold standard anytime soon.”
As to the Unity Slate and the Open Slate controversy, Boger says the problem is “this is Santorum’s method of operation … he says one thing and then does another … and this is why he shouldn’t be president.”
The Unity Slate was an agreement by the Romney, Santorum and Gingrich people to elect delegates that would vote for the eventual nominee. It was designed to minimize the impact of the Ron Paul delegation. The Santorum people backed out of the agreement and forged a temporary coalition with the Ron Paul delegation, which enabled them to shut out the Romney delegation from the 18th District.
“It turned the will of the people upside down,” said delegate Don Thurston. “It’s just not right. Romney got the most votes on March 3 and now we’re sending no Romney delegates from the 18th District.
And that’s where this story continues, as there is growing evidence that more people voted than were credentialed, which puts the convention results into question.
More to come.
  
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Clark County GOP Convention Rocked by Delays, Chaos, Confusion, and Charges of Fraud; Irregularities

VANCOUVER, WA — More than 1,000 Clark County Republicans gathered on Saturday in an emotionally charged convention at the Vancouver Hilton to elect delegates to represent various legislative districts at the GOP State Convention in late May.

Delegates at the State Convention will vote on national delegates to represent Washington state at the GOP National Convention this coming August.
Saturday’s event was to finish business that began on March 3 at the local caucus events, which sent a majority of Romney delegates to the County Convention. Party organizers were again overwhelmed by the turnout, which resulted in hundreds of people waiting in line for hours and a delay to convene the proceedings.
Irregularities began before the event even started, said Romney delegate Rick Russell.
“Some lines are checking ID, while others don’t,” he said. “It seems like anyone can get in here if they get in the right line. They let some people in ahead of others. Some delegates are complaining because their name isn’t on the approved list, and they get turned away. They aren’t checking people in correctly. It’s a total train wreck.”
Dozens of people walked around unsure of where to go and what line to wait in. Emotions were running high before 9 am, and that was before the opening gavel.
 
The story continues after the jump (just below the photos):

GOP Convention
GOP delegates gathered at the Clark County GOP Convention
at the Vancouver Hilton.

 

GOP Convention
Delegates spent nearly 12 hours at the convention, which
was beset with delays and rule confusion.
Once started, GOP candidates or surrogates from every level spoke on themes of party unity, limited government, taxes, health care, beating the opposition and taking back the White House in November.
U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera spoke on party unity and “how debates are good.”
In her speech, the Congresswoman criticized President Obama’s spending and took him to task on increasing debts. She believes the current debates between factions of the party will eventually make the party stronger and are essential to a free society.
Earlier in the week, organizers from the Romney, Santorum and Gingrich campaigns had agreed on a “Unity Slate” that included 18thDistrict delegates who pledged to vote for the eventual party nominee. That Unity Slate plan was put on ice by an official Santorum representative, who said the campaign was not part of this agreement.  He instead asked supporters to unite behind an Open Convention Slate.
Tensions started to rise at that moment.
Camas resident Susie Huckvale was worried that when the convention divided into individual districts that the Unity Slate plan would fail.
“I don’t feel good about this,” she said. “I smell a rat. The Santorum people are up to something. I think they’re colluding with the Ron Paul people, and double-crossing the Romney delegation.”
When the convention broke into legislative districts, Lacamas Magazine covered the 18th District’s proceedings. The convention was already 90 minutes late and confusion reigned as Mary Graham, the 18th District Legislative Caucus Chair, convened her district’s meeting.
The district meeting’s primary job was to elect 32 delegates to represent the 18th district at the State Convention. Initially, 134 delegates were slated but that soon ballooned to more than 170 as people could nominate themselves.
Katja Delavar, a Ron Paul supporter, consistently interrupted the proceedings by challenging rules and motions, much to the exasperation of many around her. One delegate asked to stop talking and emotions ran high. She and her husband, Mike, a former Washougal city councilman, left their seats and went to the back of the large room.
“I find that woman to be very disruptive and annoying,” said Huckvale.
Once nominations were closed, it was a requirement to allow the delegates 30 seconds to make a personal statement. Delegates attempted to amend this rule and allow no time for personal statements. Again, emotions ran high. The rule stood and the audience listened to the delegates make their case.
Delavar challenged nearly every motion or rule by speaking up or going to the district board at the front of the room.
“Who is this person?” said Huckvale. “She’s all over the place and she’s delaying everything – and look how wrong she is most of the time.”
One member of Precinct 960 is going to investigate why a lower numbered alternate from the caucus was in attendance as a delegate.
“Our entire delegation was here,” he said. “And he wasn’t on our list. Something fishy is going on.”
He plans to take photos of the alternate on Monday to the Clark County GOP and show them evidence of fraud.
The proceedings were delayed another hour as delegates waited on alternate voting to fill in delegate absences. Once that was done, the voting could begin.
The credentials representative reported that 213 delegates from the 18th District were credentialed and allowed to vote.
Instructions were vague and sometimes contradictory as ballots were handed out, and several delegates noted there were no safeguards.
“Nobody is watching how many ballots each delegates receives,” said Cynthia Haddock. “People could take more than one ballot and nobody would notice.”
Santorum and Romney delegates kept raising concerns to officials, only to continue to get brushed off.
“It’s not a perfect system,” said official Brent Boger, multiple times to multiple delegates. “We’re doing the best we can.”
One responded: “This whole thing is flawed. You’re not getting away with this.”
One anonymous delegate reported she received two ballots that were stuck together.
“It was hard to punch through the chads and then I noticed two were stuck together, so I returned one,” she said. “A dishonest person can easily commit fraud.”
Whispers of concern ran rampant as voting for 32 state delegates began. Charges of fraud were audible as one Ron Paul supporter wearing a cowboy hat was seen and videotaped holding four ballots.
It wasn’t a pretty sight.
Votes were counted using a voting machine and party official Mike Gaston announced the first round was complete. “We have 12 winners out of 284 ballots cast,” Gaston said.
Chaos ensued.
Seventy-one ballots were in question. Delavar immediately ran around the convention hallway claiming a break down of the system. “How can that be?” she yelled out. “We only credentialed 213.”
She then returned to her supporters.
Delegates were aghast and concerned about time limits as it neared 4:30 pm. The event was supposed to adjourn at 6 pm and the voting was nowhere near completion.
“We had a credentials report that said there were 213 credentialed voting delegates from the 18th Legislative District,” said Boger.  “We think the 284 number is correct … but we cannot verify that, so we’re going to count everyone in the room … and if we are fairly close to 284 we can just accept that number.”
A worn down and exhausted delegation agreed to the proposal, but once again questioned the integrity of the entire process. Most kept looking at their watches wondering if there was enough time to complete the voting.
Once a manual count of delegates was completed, the original numbers stood, but that left 20 open slots, since nominees were required to receive 50 percent plus one in order to be seated at the State Convention. The first round of elected delegates were Santorum supporters.
“It looks likes the Santorum delegates betrayed the Romney people and colluded with Ron Paul supporters,” said Haddock. “I feel disillusioned.”
A second round of voting began but had to be scrapped because GOP rules require delegates with less than 10 percent in the first round to be dropped from voting in the second round.
Tension and frustration filled the hall.
Romney delegates were shut out completely in the second round as Paul delegates ran away with it. After the third round, Romney delegates realized they had been double-crossed by the Santorum people.
“It’s clear what happened,” said Doug Thurston. “The two other campaigns combined forces to shut the Romney people out.”
He said the disproportion of Ron Paul supporters to the Romney delegates didn’t make sense given the way the caucus turned out.
“Romney clearly won on caucus day,” Thurston said. “And there weren’t this many Ron Paul people that won. Something bad happened.”
Huckvale thinks fraud was rampant all day long.
“The Santorum people double-crossed us,” she said. “And the number of delegates compared to what was credentialed wreaks of fraud. Romney won the caucus and had a clear majority of delegates from the county to win this!”
In the end, only Santorum and Paul delegates were elected from the 18th District.
Delegate Kristy Wasson was saddened by anti-Mormon remarks by Ron Paul supporters. She said one delegate was making fun of Mormons, and then said he was only joking. Another reported several Ron Paul supporters make anti-Mormon comments. Mitt Romney is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“I am at peace tonight,” said Delavar to her Ron Paul supporters. “I can happily lay my head on my pillow tonight for what we did. We wiped out the Romney people and our voice was heard.”
One of the supporters said they wouldn’t support Mitt Romney if he got the nomination. He said they hoped for a brokered convention and would embrace presidential candidate Gary Johnson.
Observers were dismayed by the day’s proceedings.
“There was a 30 percent discrepancy between the credentialed delegates and the number of people voting – that’s significant,” said Thurston. “Ballots were handed out and nobody was double checking – one guy had four ballots in his hand. There were no checks and balances in this system.”
Officials were overwhelmed by the process and kept brushing off complaints.
“The system today has been flawed,” said Romney delegate Joseph Burt. “Today we have had a lot of discrepancy, a lot of problems, complete disorganization. The chairman did not have the agenda until this morning. This has been a flawed system and I’m certain there will be challenges.”
Most delegates spent nearly 12 hours at the Hilton, and by 6 pm at least a dozen gave up and went home. The event ended just after 8 pm.
“That’s what the Ron Paul people do,” said Burt. “They delay, delay, delay, cause panic, cause confusion and get people to leave early so they can inflate their numbers. And today, it worked.”
A video component of this story is being produced and will also be at www.LacamasMagazine.com
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Mitt Romney wins Camas GOP caucus

More than 700 people crammed into the Commons area at Camas High School on Saturday to vote in this year’s Republican caucus where presidential candidate Mitt Romney handily won the event’s straw poll.

The event was representative of all 23 Camas precincts and a total of 616 votes were cast for the four remaining GOP presidential candidates: Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich.Here’s how the votes tallied:

  • Mitt Romney:  275 votes; 44.65%
  • Ron Paul: 146 votes; 23.7%
  • Rick Santorum: 132 votes; 21.4%
  • Newt Gingrich: 63 votes; 10.2%

The turnout was much larger than expected and pressured party organizers to move the proceedings to the main Commons area at the center of the school. This caused about an hour delay, and kept voters waiting outside for long periods of time until the registration and precinct tables could be re-positioned.

Upon entrance voters registered their names, addresses, contact information and presidential preference.

GOP Caucus
Caroline Cummings, left, and Scott Duer review and discuss
aspects of the caucus rules. Duer was elected as a delegate
from Precinct 960 to head to the Clark County GOP Convention.

Once settled into the new area, the precincts gather separately and reviewed party caucus rules. Each precinct voter acknowledged their presidential preference and whether they would want to be delegates to the county convention held on March 31.

The precincts voted on a pre-determined number of delegates, which were apportioned by the population of their respective precincts. For example, Precinct 960 voted on seven delegates and seven alternates. Of those seven delegates, four are Romney supporters, while three are Santorum supporters.

“I’m here to support Newt Gingrich,” said Caroline Cummings. “This is my first caucus event and there’s a lot happening here. I think Gingrich knows how to balance a budget and that’s one reason I support him.”

Ron Paul supporters appeared to dominate the caucus by wearing Paul hats, pins, and shirts – they were clearly very organized and very vocal. They had the Romney people worried.

“I support Ron Paul because he’s the most consistent,” said Brian Kashas. “And he can’t be bought.”

GOP Caucus
Brian Kashas, center with glasses, came to caucus for Ron Paul.
Karen Mumford, center, awaits instructions from party organizers.

 

Scott Duer, a Santorum supporter, experienced his first caucus event. “There’s a lot to this,” he said. “I support Rick Santorum because I like that he’s a social conservative.”

Duer was elected as a delegate from Precinct 960 to move forward to the county convention. The county will vote on March 31 on which delegates to represent specific candidates at the state convention, which then choose the delegates to represent Washington at the GOP National Convention this summer in Florida.

Romney supporters won the day for the former Massachusetts governor.

“I like Romney because he’s a conservative, and has a proven record of fixing problems,” said Ben Yung. “I think he’s the only one that can beat Obama, and we have to beat Obama.”

It was just reported from Clark County GOP officials that Mitt Romney won the county’s straw poll with 37 percent of the vote. Ron Paul came in second, with 28.5 percent; Rick Santorum with 22.5 percent, and Newt Gingrich with 10.1 percent. Exact totals will likely be released on March 4.

 

Derrick Huckvale gets ready to sign in. 
Final votes from Precinct 960.

 

Anna Miller is assisted with the final vote tallies.
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