An island woman dropped by our office the other day to talk about how the recent terrorist attacks had affected her.
She is by trade a pet caretaker – a dog-walker. What she said was that in the wake of the attacks, a lot of islanders are cancelling their vacations.
No dogs to walk, no business for the lady.
There has been a lot of that going on. While we haven’t done any systematic study, nor do we know anyone who has, we’ve been hearing anecdotal evidence about the impact of the attacks on the island economy.

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Mukilteo fraternity-watch salesman Tim Eyman’s third try at reforming government in Washington would cause pain to local government, but the impact wouldn’t be immediate.
Initiative 747, which will be on the November ballot, would limit the growth in property-tax revenue to a maximum of 1 percent annually without voter approval.
Both the city and the Bainbridge Island Fire District say constraints of that magnitude would show up first in capital budgets for new projects, rather than day-to-day operational budgets.
“We’re going to make our best guess on the conservative side and budget as though 747 passes,” Mayor Dwight Sutton said.
Presently, growth in property-tax revenue is limited to 6 percent annually. If property valuations increase more than 6 percent, the taxing district must lower the tax rate to stay within the revenue limitation.
The revenue-growth limitation does not include valuation increases caused by new construction and improvements, which are calculated separately and taxed at the same rate as the pre-existing valuation base. So overall, revenue can grow by more than 6 percent.
Initiative 747 changes the so-called “limit factor” to 1 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.

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We concede the point: Mayoral candidate Darlene Kordonowy knows the Bainbridge Island Comprehensive Plan line by line. Her opponent, Chris Llewellyn, understands it less in detail, more in concept. Anyone disagree? Then perhaps we can get on with the process of selecting a mayor, based on what the mayor actually does.
These thoughts are occasioned by last Wednesday’s mayoral debate before Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce members, in which the two hopefuls cited their accomplishments and pedigrees – and in one embarrassing instance, tried to trap the other into misstatements over the specifics of the comp-plan. It looked like Gore vs. “W” redux, the wonk versus the teddy bear.

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Legislative redistricting in the wake of the 2000 census should mean almost no changes for Bainbridge Island voters – and no division of the island – according to draft plans released this week by the four redistricting commissioners.
The commissioners – one appointed by each of the four state legislative caucuses – each released their own maps showing how they would re-divide Washington’s nine federal congressional districts and 49 state legislative districts.
The mandate is to re-equalize district populations, to account for the 1 million additional residents Washington gained between 1990 and 2000.

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Voters in Bainbridge Island’s central district gave a green light in the city council primary election to two political newcomers.
Bill Knobloch and Deborah Vann, two neighborhood activists who stake out environmentally oriented positions, ran well ahead of two candidates linked to the building industry.
With an estimated 35 percent voter turnout in the mail-only election, Azalea Avenue activist Bill Knobloch, a leader in the effort to stop the Wing Point Country Club’s plans to build a driving range, was leading local builder Bill Nelson by a margin of 1,476 votes to 933, a 56-35 percent margin.

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“Agreeing that a vital downtown core is a critical element of the island’s quality of life, two mayoral candidates tried to persuade Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce members that they know what the city must do to enhance local business.The business community has been somewhat neglected, and we need to bring them into more participation, mayoral candidate Chris Llewellyn said in a face-off before chamber members Thursday.Her opponent, Darlene Kordonowy, said that many of the issues facing the business community call for decisions from a source other than the mayor’s office.The mayor doesn’t make a lot of the decisions (that impact business), Kordonowy said, but the mayor can set priorities, say downtown business is important and we need to pay close attention. “

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If there’s one thing a boater can count on, it’s that things will break.
And there’s at least a strong possibility that wherever the boat is, the replacement part isn’t.
That situation, Hal Cook thought, was begging for a hi-tech solution. So he created Go2Marine, a Bainbridge-based on-line parts store that can get almost anything almost anywhere, and can go it overnight if you really need it.
“There is a huge need to get the right part fast for boats of 100 feet or less,” Cook said. “Supply stores in local markets will have some things, but we have a lot of additional stuff that people need.”

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Although Dewey Palooza is a benefit for a family in need, the evening of music and food planned for Sept. 29 may feel more like a big party.
All the performers are friends of the family – musicians who have sung with Larry Dewey for years, showcased by him at Seabold Second Saturday events.
“Pat and Larry Dewey have contributed so much to our community,” Bruce Haedt says, “teaching our children, organizing arts events, being our friends.
“We want to give them a gift of celebration and joy.”

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Agreeing that a vital downtown core is a critical element of the island’s quality of life, two mayoral candidates tried to persuade Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce members that they know what the city must do to enhance local business.The business community has been somewhat neglected, and we need to bring them into more participation, mayoral candidate Chris Llewellyn said in a face-off before chamber members Thursday.Her opponent, Darlene Kordonowy, said that many of the issues facing the business community call for decisions from a source other than the mayor’s office.The mayor doesn’t make a lot of the decisions (that impact business), Kordonowy said, but the mayor can set priorities, say downtown business is important and we need to pay close attention.

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To Doug and Kathy Hartley, the blackberry-choked property on the east side of Madison Avenue at New Brooklyn Road looked like an ideal new site for their First Years Daycare operation.
It offered a central location, on the way to the ferry. And the new buildings going up nearby looked like they could add to their customer base.
“Some of the people who will be moving into those (Sakai Village) townhouses will have kids,” Kathy Hartley said. “We thought it was a great spot.”
So they made a deal for the land, designed a 4,600-square-foot building with three outdoor play areas and 17 surface parking spots.

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