Editor,
I worked as a building inspector with Angie Homola from 2001 to 2004 in Island County’s planning department. Angie was a dedicated and skilled employee. Her plan reviews and permitted plans were always thorough, which made for fewer complications in the field and smoother projects for builders. She was careful to catch any errors in permit fees and always went the extra mile to assist citizens and builders alike. Angie had good ideas for the department and offered to create code compliant detail handouts for the public, and standardized inspection and plan review check lists for the staff.
She was asked to serve on the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Review Committee and when that group got tired of waiting for a codified set of review standards and threatened to hire outside consultants to get it done, Angie was tasked by the then Department Head Phil Bakke who worked for then Commissioner Mac McDowell to produce the guidelines. When she made progress, she was slammed with a bogus list of trumped up transgressions sent to paper her personnel file in an effort to craft a case for dismissal.
The powers that be believed standards would hinder development in the reserve so they decided to get rid of her. The treatment she and others in the department suffered, including me, was far from professional. Angie was not fired, she negotiated a layoff to end the harassment, and was told her file would be available for her pick up, or destroyed in five years. When she ran for county commissioner five years later against the very party(s) that sabotaged her personnel file, the county changed its policy and decided to keep the records and make them available for cherry picking by the press.
The shenanigans backfired, and Angie took office in 2009. She brought transparency and good government to Island County citizens. She worked even harder as our commissioner. Because of her determination we got an open and public government process including video recorded commissioner meetings, a AA bond rating during the recession, and a long list of fiscally smart decisions. Oh, and Island County now has permit tracking software, standards for plan review, and comprehensive design guidelines for Ebey’s historic reserve. I’ve seen Angie’s work and dedication to our community; she’s got my vote for state senate.
ROBERT JONES JR.
Coupeville
