Local leaders charging up

The Republican and Democratic parties kicked off the new year with a revamped roster of local leaders.

The Kitsap County Republicans chose former county commission candidate Jack Hamilton to helm the group while Democrats largely stuck to the tried and true, including the reelection of chair Remo Barr.

Hamilton, of Central Kitsap, lost to Democrat Josh Brown for a commission seat in November.

Island Republican activist James Olsen is looking to Hamilton to “reinvigorate” the party, which recently suffered heavy losses in federal and state elections.

“Jack will restore the roots within the county of the Kitsap County Republican Party,” he said.

Barr, an island native who now lives in Lemolo, near Poulsbo, said she’ll focus her attention on fundraising for upcoming state and national elections.

“We’re getting ready for the big, national elections in 2008 but, of course, there’s still the legislative people who’re up for reelection in two years,” she said, pointing to state Sen. Phil Rockefeller, Reps. Sherry Appleton and Christine Rolfes, who will face elections in 2008.

Bainbridge resident Jim Rynearson was elected vice-chair of the 23rd Legislative District Democrats.

– Tristan Baurick

Get geared for a great gab

For those keeping an eye on off-island issues comes a second round of the “Great Decisions” discussion series.

Sponsored by the Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council and the Bainbridge Public Library, the series aims to broaden public involvement in foreign policy issues.

The first of eight meetings will kick off with a discussion about “Worldwide Migration” at 1 p.m., Jan. 20 at the library’s large meeting room. The rest of the meetings will take place every other Saturday at 9 a.m.

Future topics include the Middle East, climate change, Mexico, South Africa, war crimes, Central Asia and children.

Great Decisions is a nation-wide, non-partisan program of the Foriegn Policy Association. While enjoying coffee and pastries, participants view a 30-minute Foreign Policy Association DVD on the topic to be discussed. To assist with advance preparation, the relevant pages of the Great Decisions briefing book are posted, along with links to other useful articles, at www.artshum.org. A copy of the briefing book is also available at the library for photocopying or can be purchased from BIAHC for $15.

Following each session, participants vote on the next discussion topic. Anyone with an interest or expertise in a particular topic is welcome to take on the role of moderator or to recommend guest moderators and experts. Contact BIAHC at admin@artshum.org to receive background information and updates on the topic schedule.

Discussion dates are Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 12 and 31, April 14 and 28, and May 12 and 26. For more information call 842-7901.

Honoring island artists

Author David Guterson and garden artists David Lewis and George Little are being honored with Island Treasure Awards by the Bainbridge Island Arts and Humanities Council.

The awards, presented each year to acknowledge significant contributions by islanders to the arts and humanities, will be presented at 5 p.m., Feb. 18 at Island Wood. The event will be preceded by an optional tour of the school, beginning at 4:30. Cost is $55 for nonmembers or $100 for patron level. Seating is limited.

The Island Treasure Award selection process was modeled after the MacArthur Fellows Program. The BIAHC chose this year’s winners from a pool of 10 candidates. To be eligible, candidates must have lived on the island for at least three years and have displayed an ongoing commitment to their chosen field.

In addition to community-wide recognition, winners receive a $3,000 stipend to support their continuing work. The award itself was designed by island artist Kent Van Slyke.

Help your kids GET ahead

Representatives from the state’s nonprofit Guaranteed Education Tuition program are stepping up their efforts in Kitsap County.

The program, which ensures affordable college tuition for families willing to invest early, has seen growing popularity since it began in 1998.

The goal now, said GET Director Betty Everitt Lochner, is to help parents keep up with tuition that’s growing just as fast.

“Most parents think about saving for college,” she said. “But many times they don’t think about it until it’s too late.”

The average family, she said, begins saving when a child is approaching high school. But with tuition rising by 7 percent annually, Lochner said that isn’t early enough.

GET works on a unit system, with 100 GET units equal to one year of resident undergraduatetuition and required state fees at the most expensive Washington public university – usually the University of Washington or Washington State University. The state guarantees that if families buy one year of college tuition today, it will be worth one year of college tuition when it’s time for their child to go to college, regardless of how much tuition has increased over that period.

Students can use their GET accounts at nearly any college, university or vocational school, including those that are out of state. GET accounts grow tax-free and all withdrawals are tax-free when used for tuition, room and board, books or other qualified expenses.

To be eligible, either the student or account owner must live in Washington.

Families can sign up for monthly payment plans. Plans vary, but parents typically pay a couple hundred dollars per month. Accounts can be transferred to other family members if a child chooses not to attend college.

GET now has nearly 70,000 accounts statewide worth $809.5 million. The organization saw a flurry of new accounts following a recent campaign east of the mountains. Lochner is hopeful that a similar push in Kitsap will yield similar results. “Our main problem is that some people don’t know about the program or don’t understand it,” she said. “But deciding to save now is a no-brainer.”

For information, see www.get.wa.gov or call (800) 955-2318.

-Chad Schuster