The race for Kitsap County Commission appears to be a war over the word “smart” as it is applied to growth – incumbent Tim Botkin favors “smart” growth, while challenger Patty Lent is anti-smart.

But they also show very different understandings of what the concepts of managed growth might mean.

“Smart growth isn’t about telling people what they can’t do with their property, but it’s about planning ahead,” Botkin said. “We’re trying to build communities, not housing developments.”

Said Lent: “I’m in favor of putting development where it makes sense, but I’m against telling people they can’t build on their land.”

Botkin’s support for so-called “smart growth” has drawn the ire of some Kitsap County property-rights advocates. A group called the “American Dream Coalition,” which has posted signs around the county saying “Dump Bot-King,” calls Smart Growth “an expensive socialist lie” that will “control where you live, how you travel and your shopping environment here in Kitsap County.”

But Botkin said growth policies are merely the latest vehicle of protest for generally conservative groups that have opposed him since his election.

“A couple of years ago, these groups were attacking the salmon-restoration policies,” he said. “Since that has died down, they seem to be focusing in on ‘Smart Growth.’”

Democrat Botkin, a land-use attorney and former county hearing examiner and builder, faces a challenge from Republican Lent, a Bremerton travel agent, for the Kitsap County Commission District 3 seat.

The district covers Central Kitsap – generally the Bremerton and Silverdale areas.

In the September primary, where voting was limited to District 3 residents, Lent outpolled Botkin by a 52-48 percent margin. Voting on the Nov. 5 general ballot will be countywide.

Both favor reducing county spending. Botkin wants to consider consolidating services that can be delivered regionally, while preserving those that should be dealt with on a local basis.

“It might make sense, for example, to have Bainbridge keep its own planning department, but join a regional street department or police department,” he said.

Lent decried overstaffing within the courthouse. If elected, she said, Lent would ask each of the county’s employees to write their job description, as they understand it, and who they work for.

“I think you’d find a lot of duplication,” she said.

Botkin joined Commissioner Chris Endresen in putting a property tax “lid lift” on the November ballot, to preserve some services that will otherwise but cut in 2003.

Lent is convinced enough that substantial savings can be realized that she opposes the lid-lift, saying that the county can operate within its existing funds.

Both tout economic development for the county.

Botkin believes that revitalization of downtown Bremerton is a key, and said he supports moving a number of non-critical county workers to a Bremerton location to help jump-start that process.

Lent said that in her work as a travel consultant, she has dealt mostly with corporations, and knows how to deal with them.

While both would like to see the commission expanded beyond the current three members, and would re-start the charter government process to make that happen, their reasoning differs.

Lent said her principal concern is that the size and complexity of county operations require more than three decision-makers.

Botkin said his concern is to separate the legislative and executive functions now performed by the three commissioners.

“We need to have one deliberative, legislative body and somebody else to put those policies into practice,” Botkin said.

Lent said she has been spending as much time as possible on Bainbridge, and urges voters not to overlook the commissioner’s race, even though the county’s influence on Bainbridge is limited.

“You have a lot more influence on us than we have on you,” she said.