New faces lead parties

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Changing of guard for GOP and Democrats.

With November’s battle wounds beginning to heal, local Democrats and Republicans have elected new party leadership to begin the fight anew.

The 23rd Legislative District Democrats met last week to elect Remo Barr of Poulsbo as chair and Barry Peters of Bainbridge Island as vice-chair. Sandra Bullock of Poulsbo was elected treasurer while Jim Sharpe of Silverdale and Martha Lynn-Johnson of Bremerton were reelected state committeeman and state committeewoman. All officers will serve two-year terms.

Peters said local Democrats will focus on “fighting back where President Bush is caving to special interests,” in areas such as healthcare, the environment, energy policy and the Iraq war.

“More locally, we also believe in protecting critical areas and supporting public education,” he said.

The 23rd District Democrats plan to boost communication between members and hold more public meetings, including a forum on the president’s efforts to reform Social Security, set for March on Bainbridge Island.

Two islanders – Bob Burkholder and Lou Richard – were elected to the executive board. The 23rd District includes Bainbridge Island, all of North Kitsap, Silverdale and parts of Bremerton.

Kitsap County Democrats also cast ballots for a new leadership. Sharon Peterson was reelected as chair, Steve Olsen was reelected as vice chair and Ginger Sommerhauser took the treasurer spot. Joyce Merkel and David Peterson were selected as state committeewoman and state committeeman.

The Kitsap County Republican Party chose a new leader to helm their local efforts. Matthew Cleverley was elected as the new central committee chair while former chair Shirley Brown assumed the county’s state committeewoman position.

Cleverley, a county commissioner candidate in November, hopes to increase party communication through email updates and website improvements. He also hopes to boost the party’s visibility at local events.

“We want to have a lot more opportunities for people not usually involved in party politics,” he said. “We’ll take a proactive – not reactive – approach.”

Other newly elected county Republican officers include Brenda Petrick as vice chair, James Carander as treasurer and Duane Wadlow as state committeeman.

Washington state law requires political parties to meet every two years to reorganize and elect their executive board. Only elected Precinct Committee Officers are allowed to vote.