San Juan County is one of the most beautiful and spectacular places to live in Washington State. However, the local political scene can sometimes distract from this natural beauty. The recent San Juan County charter review process, monopolized and ruled by disgraced former State Senator Kevin Ranker (see here, here, and here) has, unfortunately, become just another one of these ugly embarrassments. The voters of San Juan County have been served a pile of Ranker’s Rules on which they must vote. Ranker expects everyone to blindly follow. This isn’t a question of partisan politics. The political scene here in the islands has been dominated by Liberals for many years now. Instead, it is a story of one guy trying to force his vision on everyone else.
This November, San Juan County voters will be voting on six proposed charter amendments. These are Kevin Ranker’s rules for the people of San Juan County. In addition to mocking the intelligence of the voters in San Juan County, Kevin Ranker, as chair of the Charter Review Commission (“CRC”), overpromised what he could accomplish and underdelivered with these unnecessary proposals. The voters of San Juan County deserve better and Ranker owes them an apology. The taxpayers of San Juan County certainly deserve a refund.
Let’s dig deeper into the history of Ranker’s Rules and how San Juan County got here:
The Charter Process, and Kevin Ranker
I’ve followed charter review meetings and processes for many years now with friends serving on the King, Clark, Whatcom, Clallam, and Pierce County Charter Review Commissions in recent years. Typically, these are scheduled every ten years and serve as the official opportunity for engaged citizens and ultimately the voters, to make changes to the organizing structure of their local county government. Most of the time these charter reviews require a balanced consensus on basic issues like which officials should be elected vs. appointed by the council, and other serious but mundane questions.
However, San Juan County’s recent charter review process stands alone in producing a batch of rules which seem to combine the worst of all worlds, including being legally questionable.
The San Juan County CRC’s six amendments to the county Charter can be summed up in a couple of sentences. Four of them are a policy wish list that end up creating advisory committees which, rather than putting citizens in more control of local government as is the goal of the Charter, install bureaucratic roadblocks between the people and their representatives. This would not be so pathetic if it were not for the fact that San Juan County already has 70+ unfilled positions on more than 25 advisory boards, and that these amendments make the Charter inconsistent since none of these other “committees” are spelled out in the Charter. Additionally, there are proposals to limit the terms of county councilpersons, and make changes to the initiative system in the county, neither of which addresses any real existing problem within the current Charter. See the minority report linked here.
Are these weak and toothless proposals all the people received for the time and money of San Juan County’s CRC? It is very instructive to go back and review the many hours of Zoom conference meetings that produced this bizarre outcome. I am linking some of these videos below and referencing them throughout this article series. However, one obvious issue stands out – these are Kevin Ranker’s Rules and he was determined to produce something no matter how useless, divisive, or harmful to the people of San Juan County. Based on these meetings and videos, it clearly didn’t matter who he had to step on to get his way.
Kevin Ranker, the Blue Cow, and his casual insult of local voters
If anyone else is willing to take the time to track Kevin Ranker’s voice-time compared to all the other participants on this 18-member board, you will find Ranker dominates the speaking time 60% or more. He can’t refrain from talking about himself, his vast “Olympia” experience (ignoring his #Metoo scandal), his schemes, and his plans for San Juan County. However, the tone was set from the very beginning, and this is how we meet Kevin’s magical “Blue Cow”.
You can watch an early session (linked here). One of the many memorable comments made by Kevin Ranker during these first sessions was when he was discussing the dream of creating a position for a Climate Czar for San Juan County. He said, “I’ve done polling in this community for 20 years, and I can tell you that (it) will pass. We could paint a cow blue and say it’s the climate commissioner and people are going to get excited.” It was obvious that Kevin Ranker saw himself as that Blue Cow. (Go to 46:57 linked here).
There was a repetitive level of arrogance that oozed out of these commission meetings, and this negative casual disdain was typically directed at the voters. The presumption that voters were too stupid, ignorant, or blind think for themselves, and the corresponding belief that these same voters would do whatever these elites (especially Kevin Ranker) told them to do. Unfortunately, this attitude persisted throughout the process and helped craft the final six Ranker’s Rules. These were Ranker’s Blue Cows. He fully expects the community to blindly support his new rules.
Randy Gaylord and Kevin Ranker battle over Ranker’s Rules
One of the weirdest parts of this whole San Juan County Charter process was the many strange turns taken by Kevin Ranker as he led the CRC into one dead end after another. I am grudgingly forced to agree with San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord when he was obligated, on many occasions, to confront Kevin Ranker repeatedly as Ranker’s Rules were either illegal or just flat-out unworkable.
What was particularly odd about the repeated Gaylord/Ranker fights was the fact that Ranker was arguing about the law on some fundamental aspects of these proposed rules, and Gaylord appeared to be the only adult in the room. Gaylord was even forced to intercede when Ranker attempted to hire outside counsel (Kyle Loring – former Friends of the San Juans attorney and husband to San Juan Superior Court Judge Katie Loring). Ranker did this behind Gaylord’s back. Even going so far as to assign Loring an email at the county (which was promptly rescinded). I never imagined I’d find myself siding with Gaylord on anything, but in this case, Gaylord was right and Ranker was seriously out of touch and completely out of control.
All the fighting about Ranker’s rules so far has been Ranker and a few of his followers against a variety of other Democrats on the island. This wasn’t about partisan politics, but it was about the politics of power, and Ranker with his checkered past and years of dubious “experience,” obviously believes he runs the zoo show.
Ranker might very well believe San Juan County voters are stupid enough to vote for any blue cow tossed their way. His “20 years of polling experience” in the islands has convinced him the voters will do whatever he wants them to do. I’m not so convinced. Sure, they might vote for whatever Democratic Party candidate is on the ballot, but that does not mean they will accept whatever policy cow is shoveled their way – no matter how much blue paint is slopped on it. It is not a foregone conclusion that Ranker’s Rules can be forced on anyone else.
(Please note, these Zoom video meetings are such a treasure trove of quotes and Kevin Ranker is such a spectacle that this is only Part I of this series…)
OUR CONSTITUTION BEGINS WITH THE PHRASE “WE THE PEOPLE.” IT WAS THE FOUNDERS’ INTENT THAT GOVERNMENT BE CREATED BY THE PEOPLE, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE. IT WASN’T THEIR INTENTION FOR THE PEOPLE TO SERVE THE GOVERNMENT. IT WAS ALWAYS INTENDED THAT GOVERNMENT WHICH FAILED TO SERVE THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE “ALTERED OR ABOLISHED.” UNTIL WE RETURN TO THE FOUNDER’S INTENT, WE REMAIN WE THE GOVERNED…
Background articles and links:
Democrat Senator Kevin Ranker resigns in disgrace, multiple investigations continue
Senator Ranker commits felony and tax fraud, based on court documents
Seattle Times – “Washington Senator Kevin Ranker resigns amid misconduct allegations”
Final Report on Kevin Ranker’s harassment investigation – January 18, 2019
Northwest Public Broadcasting – Former legislator Kevin Ranker violated harassment policy – report finds.
San Juan County county government website
San Juan County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord official website
San Juan County Charter Review Commission
San Juan County Charter Review Commission – Minority Report (in opposition to Ranker’s Rules)
March 9, 2021 – CRC meeting – “Blue Cow” comment at 46:57
King County Charter Review Commission
Pierce County Charter Review Commission
Whatcom County Charter Review Commission
Hey Glen,
Isn’t Ranker the …guy… that gave the UW emeritus Professor Estatbroke {2014} such a hard time during said professor’s information disclosure conference in Oly on the inaccuracy of “global warming” ? Estabrook was “calling out “climate change based on real science and ranker was holding to that big international ngo, NCC can’t remember the rest of the acronym “models”. Ranker advocating for the carbon tax and everything else “global warming” . A terrific vid of his rude behavior is out there somewhere on one of my old computers…I can’t find the video or anything out there about Estabrook, including correct spelling or first name…do u remember this ?
I would have to go back and verify, but that sounds like something Ranker would have done. He is exceptionally arrogant, and he likes to be the bully…
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