My name is Ken Coffman and I live in rural Skagit County.

The first thing folks want to know is whether I'm in favor of the Charter Government process. It is my intention to vote against the Charter Government proposal. I have an open mind on the issue, but I am not convinced that the charter process will lead to a better county government. I just don't believe that a more parlimentary governing body guarantees more efficient governing. In my professional career, I've seen management by committee and I can imagine what governing by committee will look like.

As Freeholder, I would weigh the cost/benefit ratio of proposals. In general, if a proposal increases liberty and decreases taxes, then I'm for it. Otherwise, in me, you will have a Freeholder who votes no.

If you care to divide people into those who believe good primarily comes from the power of the marketplace and people who believe good comes primarily from the power of government, then I fall in the former category. Free markets and hard work created the wealth of our country.

I believe a core competancy of government is converting a dollar's worth of tax revenue into 10 cents worth of benefit to the public. That said, realistically, I don't think there is anything we can do to stop the growth and reduce the scope of government. The best we can do is keep a watchful eye.

For this reason, I am a single-issue candidate. I believe any charter government proposal should include the elected position of County Ombudsman; a single point resource where citizens can report waste and fraud. This position should be granted the power to review records and report to the public. It would also be important to assure funding and a long term for the Ombudsman, so the political class cannot render the position impotent.

Thank you