On Feb. 14, the Peninsula School District is holding a levy vote for a significant portion of school district operations. The replacement levy will provide the necessary funding to keep our schools running at the current levels.

For more than 60 years, the Peninsula Athletic Association, a nonprofit recreation program, has flourished from a partnership with the Peninsula School District. The use of the district facilities has been a vital part of the success of our athletic programs, clinics and classes for both children and adults.

We are aware of the staff and resources it takes to keep the gyms …

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What does it mean when a candidate or issue is “endorsed” by someone? It means that the candidate or issue’s point of view is supported by the endorser.

Based on that we could probably safely say that Initiative 1183 is supported by retail businesses and consumers and opposed by public employees and liquor distributors. These positions are understandable since consumers and retailers will pay less for liquor while liquor distributors and public employees both stand to lose money.

This is true with every candidate or issue, especially when it comes to endorsements by public employees. They profess it’s for the …

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We are in the middle a very important time: the election season. Our government was constituted for the purpose of providing the services and regulations necessary to ensure that we can live comfortably and safely and so that we can “pursue happiness.”

Democracy cannot and will not survive without an informed citizenry. The individuals who have decided to run for office and those who have developed initiatives have given of their time and resources in an attempt to improve our situation. It is our responsibility to read newspapers and the voters’ pamphlet, attend debates and meet the candidates.

Please take …

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Is anyone else besides me upset by the amount of money spent on campaign ads? It takes me a good four years to prepare for the agonizing, painful and repetitious onslaught of ads wanting us to vote for this and against that, over and over and over! And in what was supposed to be an off election year, Costco has spent more than $22 million on ads to convince voters to allow them to sell liquor. Really?

In this economy, $22 million would go a long way to feed the hungry, educate our children and fix our potholes.

My wife, …

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All this rubbish about the buying of elections that seems to swirl around some initiatives relies on one bad assumption: that the electorate can be “bought.” That we lack the integrity to resist. Besides, nobody has offered me a dime.

While this assumption decries huge donations to initiative campaign war chests, it ignores the fact that those same interests fund every elected officials campaign (except maybe Jesse Ventura’s), and stalk the halls of governing bodies everywhere. So let’s not get into a twist over the liquor initiative that is nothing more than business as usual.

Let’s just stop this votes-for-purchase …

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As four sitting Gig Harbor City Council members and a candidate for City Council, we fully endorse Jill Guernsey for Gig Harbor City Council, Position No. 4.

Guernsey has been an extraordinary public servant serving as a land use attorney in the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, on the Peninsula School Board (several of those years as president of the board) and as a planning commissioner for the city.

Guernsey and her fellow planning commissioners just concluded a year-and-a-half-long study and development of our Shoreline Master Program. It was an extensive, balanced effort where property rights were protected, as well as …

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I truly hope as people sit down and cast their votes for the Puyallup School Board that they reflect on the credentials of the candidates seeking office. That is why Therese Pasquier has my vote for the Puyallup School Board. I have served with her on Puyallup School District and PTA committees and have seen her at every Puyallup School District rally I have attended. She is always up-front and center encouraging parents to get involved and help make a difference for our kids. She has spent an enormous amount of time and energy working to improve the lives of …

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Evidently, the story about Pierce County misprinting the amount of the proposed tax to pay for South Sound 911 was important enough to put on the front page of the printed paper. This should be on every billboard in Pierce County.

Doug Vanscoy says, “It’s not materially misleading to the voters.” Yes, it is. Even if the language specifies that the proposed tax is “one-tenth of one percent,” anyone with the slightest amount of sophistication knows that the misprint of 0.01 will confuse and/or mislead plenty of voters.

Thanks for the “‘voter advisory.’” Go figure. If you can’t win an argument …

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