by The Children, Parents, Staff and BOard of Children’s House

In 1873, the Territorial Legislation of Washington sent Governor Stevens a bill creating the County of San Juan out of 172 islands in Washington Sound.

Friday Harbor was designated as the County Seat, and three county commissioners were selected. The population then was approximately 554 people, and as of the 2007 census the population was 15,900. Friday Harbor is the only incorporated city in the county, and since 1909, it has had a mayor/council form of government. Eastsound, though not a city, is a village with the second largest population density in the county, and it does NOT have a mayor.

One might argue that Eastsound is unincorporated and therefore does not qualify to have a mayor. Hogwash, I say! If Friday Harbor can have one, then so can we. In addition, on the County Council, we only have two representatives: one representing Orcas West, and one representing Orcas East. Why don’t we have an Orcas North representative? Clearly, Eastsound is not represented as it should be, and because of this egregious oversight, Children’s House has committed itself to rectify this injustice.

How are we going to do this, you ask? Well, we’ll be launching a mayoral campaign on May 30 on the Village Green at 12 p.m. with a campaign rally that will include a band, cheerleaders, an introduction of the candidates (at least some of them), and campaign speeches. Because of our inherent distrust of politicians, and the likelihood of their developing grievous behaviors, we’ve decided that the candidates (all four of them) should exemplify those qualities so lacking in human political counterparts: unconditional love, giving, warmth, and humility (intelligence is not a prerequisite).

Therefore, the candidates are: Mikey, the Golden Retriever, sponsored by The Office Cupboard; April, the cow, sponsored by Smith and Speed Mercantile; Eggitha, the Barred Rock chicken (and my personal favorite) sponsored by Windemere Real Estate; and Dakota, the Great Dane, sponsored by Aesthetica.

The wonderful thing about this campaign is that you can vote as often as you like and for any or all of the candidates. One vote, however, will cost you $1. You can find the ballot boxes at retailers throughout Eastsound, or ballot booths at Island Market on Saturday and Sunday, and at the farmers’ market on Saturdays. Votes will be posted at the Island Market each Saturday, and the campaign will end following the 4th of July parade on the Village Green with the final count and a victory speech by the winner (or his/her campaign manager). All votes (dollars) will go to Children’s House for scholarships for families in need, for completion of our natural playscape, and to become accredited as an early learning center by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Join the fun, vote often, and encourage others to do the same. You can also use Pay-Pal by going to our website: www.oich.org.