Voters' Pamphlet
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Pierce County Special Election - Proposition No. 1 - Submitted by Pierce County LOCAL SALES AND USE TAX FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES Ballot Title: The Pierce County Council adopted Ordinance No. 2003-80s2 concerning a local tax for public safety and criminal justice services. This ballot proposition, if approved, will authorize the imposition within Pierce County of a sales and use tax equal to three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) to provide funds to make needed improvements to public safety and criminal justice services, and to provide funds to hire at least 100 new City and County law enforcement officers. Should this proposition be approved or rejected? Explanatory Statement: The Legislature, after finding that local governments face enormous challenges in the areas of criminal justice and public health, recently authorized Pierce County voters to impose an increase in the sales and use tax. If enacted by a simple majority, this Ballot Measure will authorize the countywide imposition of a sales and use tax equal to (0.3%) three-tenths of one percent. Revenue derived from this tax is shared between the county and cities: The county retains sixty percent with forty percent being distributed on a per capita basis to the cities in the county. This revenue may only be used for the purposes set forth in the ballot title. Here, those purposes are improvements to public safety and criminal justice services, and the hiring of at least 100 new city and county law enforcement officers. Funds raised under this tax shall not supplant existing funds used for these purposes. Exempt from the tax imposed under this Ballot Measure are the retail sale or use of motor vehicles, and the lease of motor vehicles for up to the first thirty-six months of the lease. This exemption is in addition to existing exemp- tions generally applicable to the sales and use tax. Statement For: Statement Against: Pierce County has the highest violent crime rate in the Skyrocketing sales taxes will devastate Pierce state. It has the most felony convictions, the most sex County’s sluggish economy and hurt struggling offenders, the most meth-manufacturing labs, and the working families. second most auto thefts. At the same time, Pierce County If voters in Pierce County approve this sales tax ranks 38th out of 39 counties in number of deputies per increase, it will bring much of the county’s tax rate to 9.1 percent – the highest in the entire state. citizens and lacks 24 hour protection in several areas. The lower your income, the more this tax will hurt you! Our law enforcement, courts, and crime prevention Sales taxes are a regressive form of tax. The lowest programs are overwhelmed. For three cents on a $10 income households pay 15.7 percent of their incomes purchase, the sales tax increase will improve our court for total taxes, while the wealthiest families pay only system and increase public safety. It will also add more 4.4 percent of their total income to taxes. than 100 new police officers in the cities and the county. When people stop shopping in local stores, stores Increased funding will provide prompt justice and have to layoff people and jobs are lost. accountability for offenders. It will protect victims with Local businesses are already competing with adjacent domestic violence services and keep kids out of jail with counties for sales. Increasing the sales tax will drive those juvenile crime prevention programs. purchases to King or Thurston counties. This investment will pay us back with lower insurance Vote no and let’s demand that essential services get funded first, not last. rates and the safety our families and communities deserve. Criminal justice is obviously the county’s top priority. Vote no and demand they fund it with current Committee Members Include: Kirk Kirkland, Ron Klein, Ann Eft revenues, not with sales tax increases. Vote no. Our local officials should set priorities for the existing pool Rebuttal of Statement Against: of money and fund only those programs that are The argument that Pierce County businesses will be important and significant. hurt because people will shop elsewhere is absurd. Committee Members Include: Jennie Stephenson, Robin McCoy, Jan Teague Nobody will drive to another county to save 3 cents on Rebuttal of Statement For: a $10 purchase. What’s more, food, medicine and We’re taxed enough. Crushing property taxes, job-killing automobiles are excluded from the increase. business taxes, sky-high utility taxes, hundreds of taxes Well over 75 percent of the county’s general fund and fees on virtually every government service. Pierce already goes to criminal justice. Cutting the 25% that County politicians obviously believe they can tax us into includes the Auditor’s Office and Assessor-Treasurer prosperity. Politicians just don’t get it - we don’t have will only hurt the economy and our quality of life. bottomless wallets! Politicians are manipulating us by putting essential services on the ballot and playing a game of chicken with voters. Let’s demand current revenues be used instead. We’re taxed enough – Vote No. Committee Members Include: Kirk Kirkland, Ron Klein, Ann Eft Committee Members Include: Jennie Stephenson, Robin McCoy, Jan Teague General Election 2003 14 Pierce County Council, District No. 6 One Year Unexpired Term Education: Master’s in Public Administration, Bachelor of Science in Environ- mental Health Occupation: Parent, Steilacoom School Board, Wrestling Coach, Community Volunteer Professional Qualifications: USAF 22 years, Lieutenant Colonel, Operations Officer, Director of state and national award-winning McChord AFB Quality Management Systems 1993-1997 Personal Information: Married to Mary (formerly Mary Burns of Lakes 1975) for 24 years, four children. Community Involvement: Kiwanis Club, youth sports volunteer coach, veterans associations, Saint John Bosco Church, SHMA volunteer. Richard “Dick” Muri Personal Views: Public safety will be funded first and not used as an excuse Republican for another sales tax increase. Property taxes are growing faster than in- 116 Lila St comes, and any proposed increases must be approved by the voters. It’s time Steilacoom, WA 98388 the county, state and city make the health of Lake Steilacoom a priority. My (253) 581-5609 college education degree in environmental health will help ensure legislation [email protected] is based on valid science. For effective oversight, Fort Steilacoom Park re- quires local control and management. District 6 represents both McChord and Fort Lewis. 40 to 60% of our Pierce County economy is from our military installations. As a veteran with 14 years of service at McChord and Fort Lewis, I have the expertise to enhance and cement our communities’ relation- ships with them and facilitate “win-win” partnerships. I ask for your vote on November 4th! THE ABOVE STATEMENTS WERE WRITTEN BY THE CANDIDATES, GeneralGeneral ElectionElection 20032003 WHO ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE Primary Election 2003 14 FOR THE CONTENTS THEREIN. Superior Court Judge, Department No. 17 One Year Unexpired Term Education: UW, 1971; UPS Law School, 1978 (top 3%). Occupation: Lawyer. Professional Qualifications: See http://www.JudgeDoug.org. Integrity, cour- age, intelligence, open-mindedness, and common sense. Uncommonly prin- cipled, Doug tackles problems that others choose to ignore. In 1995, he chal- lenged abusive local judicial guardianship practices, prompting statewide reforms. In 1996, he reported corrupt local Superior Court Judge Grant Ander- son, finally removed in 1999 – but never disbarred. Personal Information: Age 54, with three adult sons. Divorced after 25-year marriage. Enjoys learning and active outdoor recreation. Works long hours. Doug Schafer Community Involvement: Board officer of New Phoebe House Emergency PO Box 1134 shelter for women with young children. Been member and leader in American Tacoma, WA 98401 Red Cross local chapter, Crystal Mt. Ski Patrol, Kiwanis, and Mountaineers. (253) 431-5156 Served on committees for public schools and utilities. Participated in neigh- [email protected] borhood crime patrol and coached youth athletics. Personal Views: Citizens should speak out about the problems in our legal- judicial system. Professionals should report corrupt and unfit colleagues, but for doing so Doug’s law license was suspended for six months. Judges and lawyers say Doug violated his client’s privilege to pay off Judge Anderson with a Cadillac. Doug says clients have no right to bribe or pay off judges and that integrity in our legal-judicial system is absolutely essential. Voters, speak out. Judge Doug. Education: Judge Culpepper graduated from the University of Washington, magna cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in history and a juris doctor degree from the University of Washington Law School. Occupation: Superior Court Judge Professional Qualifications: Judge Culpepper began legal practice in 1976, served Pierce County District Court as Commissioner and Judge for 15 years, and was appointed to Superior Court last January. Personal Information: Judge Culpepper and his wife of 23 years, Wendy, have two children, Kristina, 15, and Stephen, 13. Community Involvement: Judge Culpepper has been active in community Ronald E. Culpepper affairs, including the boards of Eastside Boys & Girls Club, Allied Arts of PO Box 64606 Tacoma, the Pierce County Film Society (president), Cub Scout Pack 218 Tacoma, WA 98464 (Packmaster), and as an assistant baseball coach. (253) 566-4162 Personal Views: A judge must have many qualities: a knowledge of the law, [email protected] an ability to listen, a sense of responsibility, a commitment to fairness and courtesy, a willingness to work hard, and an ability to make and enforce difficult decisions. Judge Culpepper’s fifteen years of judicial experience, including hundreds of jury trials, have uniquely qualified him for continued service on the Pierce County Superior Court. He is committed to holding offenders accountable and respecting rights of victims of crime.