LD 26 Democrats Unanimously Endorse the Peninsula School Bond
——FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE——-
LD 26 Democrats Unanimously Endorse the Peninsula School Bond
Gig Harbor, Washington December 15, 2018 – At their General Meeting December 6, the 26th Legislative District Democrats unanimously endorsed the Peninsula School Bond on the ballot in February and voted to make a significant financial contribution to the school bond campaign. The school bond will fund the construction of two additional elementary schools, one on the Harbor Hills North site and a second on a site to be determined. It will also cover the cost of replacing the current structures for two existing schools, Evergreen, located on the Key Peninsula, and Artondale, located in Gig Harbor.
“This bond is critical to the Peninsula School District,” stated newly elected 26th LD Chair, Luellen Lucid. “The schools have reached maximum capacity. No new schools have been built for 26 years. It is clearly time to build new schools to accommodate this area’s growth in population as well as to rebuild and modernize two of our oldest elementary schools.”
The bond requires a 60% supermajority to pass. The last bond was on the ballot in April 2018 and fell short by only 1%, despite a strong bipartisan campaign effort organized by Stand Up for Peninsula Schools (SUP).
“Many members of the Democratic Party in this district will be actively involved in talking to district residents through a door-to-door campaign, phone calling, and postcard writing,” Lucid commented. “I am calling on all PSD residents – Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – to support this bond. It is also my hope that all our local legislators will actively support this bond measure. Senator-Elect Emily Randall (D) was a strong advocate for our schools throughout her campaign and is already supporting the bond.”
Press contact:
Luellen Lucid – Chair, 26th LD Democrats
John Patrick Kelly Removed From Chair Position
——–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE——-
Port Orchard, Washington November 1, 2018
JOHN KELLY REMOVED FROM CHAIR POSITION OF 26TH LD DEMOCRATS AT SPECIAL MEETING
John Patrick Kelly was removed from the position of Chair of the 26th LD Democrats tonight at a special meeting called for this purpose. A vote was taken by signed ballot of Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs), elected and appointed, who reside in their precinct. A majority of all eligible PCOs is required to remove a District Chair. The vote tonight was unanimous, with 70% of eligible PCOs attending the meeting.
Kelly was censured at the LD 26 Democrats meeting in October, citing “behavior perceived to be harassing, abusive or disrespectful” and his “failure to avoid profane, prejudicial, exclusionary, abusive or sexualized language.” The censure noted that Mr. Kelly had repeatedly reverted to “disruptive behavior” in the face of several months of advice, coaching and counseling by party leaders and colleagues. Kelly was also censured for threatening to endorse a Republican opponent.
During a presentation of charges made at the beginning of tonight’s meeting, evidence was presented of Kelly’s endorsement of a Republican legislative opponent through mailers and television advertisements. Kelly was provided an opportunity to respond to the charges. However, he left after the presentation of charges.
“26th District Democrats continue to support our three Democratic candidates for the Legislature,” stated District Vice Chair Luellen Lucid. “Connie FitzPatrick, Joy Stanford, and Emily Randall will provide strong, ethical leadership for our community, our state, and our democracy.”
Acting per local bylaws and state Democratic Party rules, the District’s Executive Board has been leading the district party’s activities and will continue to do so until December, when district party organizations across the state reorganize and elect new leadership.
The Executive Board has communicated to Kelly his removal from office and revocation of membership and notified him that he cannot use the title of Chair in any future public communications, including advertisements and mailers for an opposition candidate.
Background info: 26th Legislative district runs “bridge to bridge” – from the Narrows bridge up to the Warren Avenue bridge in Bremerton. The district includes the Gig Harbor, Fox Island, and Key Peninsula communities in Pierce County and the Olalla, South Kitsap, Port Orchard, McCormick Woods, and downtown Bremerton communities in Kitsap County.
Press contact:
Luellen Lucid – 26th Legislative District, Vice Chair
818-259-0461
Local Party Leader Censured for Personal Misconduct
26th Legislative District Democrats, Washington State
PO Box 1693 Port Orchard, WA 98366
——–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE——-
Gig Harbor, Washington October 14, 2018
LOCAL PARTY LEADER CENSURED FOR PERSONAL MISCONDUCT
Voting in a recent meeting, the general membership of the 26th Legislative District Democrats have censured their chairman, John Patrick Kelly.
Citing “behavior perceived to be harassing, abusive or disrespectful” and his “failure to avoid profane, prejudicial, exclusionary, abusive or sexualized language,” the October 4th censure noted that Mr. Kelly had repeatedly reverted to “disruptive behavior” in the face of several months of advice, coaching and counseling by party leaders and colleagues.
Among the several concerns leading to the censure action was Mr. Kelly’s history of responding to counseling by threatening to support Republican candidates opposing his own Democratic candidates running for the Legislature. It now appears that he had begun active cooperation with one of the Republican campaigns well before the censure action.
“26th District Democrats continue to support our three Democratic candidates for the Legislature,” stated District Vice Chair Luellen Lucid. “Connie FitzPatrick, Joy Stanford, and Emily Randall are ready now with strong, ethical leadership for our community, our state, and our democracy.”
Acting per local bylaws and state Democratic Party rules, the District’s Executive Board will lead the local party’s activities through the election. Following state law, local party organizations across the state reorganize and elect new leadership in December.
“Ballots arrive this weekend,” reminded Ms. Lucid. “We urge voters to mark their ballots and mail them back right away – no postage needed. Voters can put the ballot in the mail.”
Background info: 26th Legislative district runs “bridge to bridge” – from the Narrows bridge up to the Warren Avenue bridge in Bremerton. The district includes the Gig Harbor, Fox Island, and Key Peninsula communities in Pierce County and the Olalla, South Kitsap, Port Orchard, McCormick Woods, and downtown Bremerton communities in Kitsap County.
Press contact:
Luellen Lucid – 26th Legislative District, Vice Chair
818-259-0461
26thDemocrats@gmail.com
Strong Bipartisan Support for Peninsula School Bond Undermined by Pierce County Republican Party
——–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE——-
Strong Bipartisan Support for Peninsula School District Bond Undermined by Pierce County Republican Party
Gig Harbor, Washington April 25, 2018 – The Peninsula School District bond election result – 58.8% voted for the bond – shows strong bipartisan support for this crucial measure, reflecting support from Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. The bond measure is badly needed to restore our school facilities to an acceptable level and address crowded conditions resulting from state mandates for smaller class sizes. So how did the measure fall short of the super-majority vote (over 60%) to pass?
The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the Pierce County Republican Party, which funded and mailed a flyer just before the election opposing the bond measure and providing erroneous and misleading information. The 26th Legislative District Democrats (Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, Bremerton) went on record early supporting the bond measure and provided many volunteer hours as well as dollars to support the bond. All the Democratic candidates running for office in November from this district – Derek Young for County Council, Emily Randall for State Senate, and Connie FitzPatrick and Joy Stanford for the two State Representative seats – endorsed and actively supported the bond measure. In contrast, Gig Harbor Republican Randy Boss organized the “No” campaign and actively opposed the bond. None of the legislative representatives from this district, all Republicans – Jan Angel, Jesse Young, and Michelle Caldier – endorsed or supported the bond. This is a disgrace and does not reflect the views of the electorate here, regardless of party affiliation.
The bond campaign epitomized democracy at its best – with people from all parties and backgrounds working together on behalf of our schools. Those who voted for this bond should consider their vote carefully in November and support candidates who are aligned with the interests of this district. The Republican incumbents need to be turned out so that the state legislators reflect the will of the district.
The bond measure was a result of a year-long effort by the School Board and parents collaborating to look at all the options and develop a bond measure with bipartisan appeal. The campaign to pass the bond reflected a strong grass roots effort led and organized by Stand Up for Peninsula Schools (SUP), a parent volunteer organization. Many volunteers worked countless hours every weekend for the past several months going door to door to talk to citizens and explain the bond measure. In addition, the Peninsula Schools Superintendent gave many presentations throughout the district to present the facts of why this bond measure was so crucial and answer questions. It was a well-executed campaign.
The 26th Legislative District Democrats will continue to support efforts to pass a bond measure in the Peninsula School District as well as in the South Kitsap School District.
Press contact:
Luellen Lucid – 26th Legislative District, Vice Chair – Pierce County
26thDemocrats@gmail.com