An Hour with Jon Russell
Posted by MFScooter on July 27th, 2010BY: MICHAEL SCOOTER
Please note this opinion was originally written Nov 4, 2009, when Jon was still running for the 3rd Congressional District. Jon refocused his efforts on Olympia in January of 2010. The story bears repeating, as the facts haven’t changed…and it is time to choose the next Representative for Washington’s 18th District. It is unfortunate and frankly distasteful that there are some who are spreading innuendos and lies about Jon for their own reasons. This is what I discovered for myself last year as I did my own due diligence; I’d like to share it again.
Jon Russell is running in 2010 for Washington State’s 3rd Congressional District. [he is now running for Washington's 18th District -7/28/10]. He graciously spent an hour with me recently, and let me ask him some pointed questions. As I’m sure some folks from here in Southwest Washington State are aware, Jon is a City Council member of Washougal, a small city of 13,000 souls. The Mayor of Washougal is currently under special investigation by our State Auditor for financial ‘irregularities’.
Jon is willing to answer some tough…and fair…questions with regard to his qualifications to represent us in the US House. There are people who say that he is too young or too inexperienced to function as a congressional representative and that this apparent fraud happening within his own city proves it. There also exists an allegation that he was on the City Council for years while these misdeeds by the Mayor and others were going on…and that he was either too naïve or too cowed by authority to address the problem at the appropriate time…as it was happening. Jon was able to put a timeline on what he did, and when he did it, when speaking with me. It is worth a listen, because it reveals the character of the man.
Jon was appointed to the City Council in late 2006, and won the seat by election in late 2007. Over the course of six to nine months, as he settled into his new role, a few things became clear to him. The first thing was the realization that the Mayor and the rest of the council had a very Progressive, very Liberal mindset. By the summer of 2007, he had already opposed an aggressive domestic partnership agenda, and also made it clear that he would not provide the unanimous Council vote the Mayor was pressing him for, with regards to flagrant anti-American apologist language in the “Mayors’ Climate Resolution”. There were other issues as well. Exploring what Jon did in response to these issues makes a characterization of him as a perennial “Yes Man” completely non-credible. This is important for us voting types to know, because we need somebody in DC that won’t be cowed by Speaker Pelosi.
The second thing that became rapidly apparent to him was that the city had money management issues. Even though the Council had a Finance Committee, it really wasn’t intended to do anything. The way things were run, city officials (including the Mayor) could simply grab any Council Member to sign off on any expense, ad-hoc. There was no accountability, no itemization. Jon has a background as a successful businessman; he had no trouble at all realizing that this was not an acceptable practice. We need folks with actual business experience in DC. I next asked Jon a fair question…”what did you do about it – and when?”
The way the Washougal city government is structured gives the Mayor a great deal of control over procedures. She did, in fact, direct that Council Members were not permitted to ask anything of City Department Heads. Wow! These same city managers were directed by the Mayor to refuse to answer any questions that did not go though her first. Double-wow! Jon has a several year history (almost as long as he’s been part of the Council) of being verbally reprimanded by the Mayor for asking direct questions to city managers, in violation of that ridiculous edict…and he takes pride in that. We need this kind of honest and open questioning of authority and policy in DC.
In the spring of 2008, Jon became very concerned about possible misallocation of city funds regarding a local event called WashougalFest. By this time, Jon was actively working towards fixing the city’s accounting system. This included repeated periodic public calls for the Mayor’s office to produce a Profit and Loss statement (about every two or three months). While understanding he still had to work with the other members of the Council, he wasn’t shy about vocally advocating fiscal common sense.
Jon also reflects, however, that the tenor of City government was of fiscal irresponsibility and avoidance of personal accountability…typical defects in the thinking of Progressive politicians. Instead of turning himself into some sort of iconoclast, he has taken the approach of working very hard to get more fiscally conservative people elected to City Council. In 2007, Jon was the lone voice for fiscal common sense on the Council; today, there are three. Jon expresses a desire to be part of the solution on the national level, as well.
Jon states that the experience the City of Washougal is now going through gives him extra perspective and motivation, to do what must be done in the US House. He has, in fact, demonstrated the ability to recognize fiscal problems in government, and apply his business sense and experience to vigorously address them. It is important to look at Jon’s side of the ‘Washougal Scandal Story’…because it does not reveal a callow, inexperienced local politician. Rather, it reveals that he is and has been part of the solution. It allowed him to demonstrate true character and fortitude in standing up to and working through a Progressive-dominated government entity. He feels strongly that he can do the same, representing us… our values, our interests, in Washington DC.
You can learn more about Jon Russell, and learn what a Republican Constitutionalist is all about, at:
http://www.jonrussell.us/aboutjon.html
As Always, we credit our Contributors with having a Brain. Their Opinions (and Endorsements) are their Own.
Tags: 18th district, 3rd district, ann rivers, baird, brian baird, candidate, dennis kampe, election, freedom, gadsden, house of representatives, jon haugen, jon russell, lew waters, politics, richard carson, striking gadsden, town hall, washington, washington 18th district, washington election, washington primary, washington state, washougal
