G.R.I.T. Home

Main Election Page (All Sultan Elections)

Prop. #1 Election (May, 2003)

TALK ABOUT THE CANDIDATES

Read Rowe's comments in the Dutch Cup's Candidate Forum (as a webpage)
(or in Word)

WEBSITE: None. By his own admission, Mayor Rowe is not computer "literate." According to his statements to us, his email is opened by his daughter.

INTERVIEW: Never responded to our two requests for an interview.

CONTACT INFO: Phone: 360-793-7764, email: chrowetrns@aol.com

NEW! OTHER "STUFF" OF INTEREST:

• Rowe properties (that we know about)
• What you WON'T see in the Voter's Pamphlet
• Flyer insert in The Valley Review (vol. I, issue 12, Oct. 3, 2003)

ROWE'S NUMEROUS LAND USE TRANSACTIONS WHILE IN OFFICE (Pay particular attention to the Bureau of Indian Land he purchased and held for many years, which was tax exempt)

Here's just a short list of things about Rowe you should know that you won't find in the voter's pamphlet:

• Rowe owns and has developed numerous properties during his tenure in office, one of them a parcel on tax-exempt Bureau of Indian Affairs land.
• Rowe's purposeful "blind eye" to environmental violations that occurred during construction of the Wagley LID 97-1 sewer was the primary reason for that project's substantial cost overruns. (Wagley LID 97-1 page)
• Rowe's recall attempt (dragged to death through the courts) cost the city $17,000-plus dollars in attorney's fees.
• Rowe was on the council when it approved Willow Run in 1999. Then, when he was mayor, illegally revised the plats in March, 2000-- twice -- without council approval.
• Rowe was aware of the violations occuring to Winter's Creek during construction of the Willow Run development, yet failed to stop it. (We have some dynamite audio from the November, 1999 candidate debate, when a homeowner specified the problems and asked Rowe to comment. We'll try to transcribe, time permitting)
• Rowe allowed additional violations to occur to the Winter Creek buffer in 2000 on property owned by his friend, Ed Boucher.
• Two suspensions of Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser, the first of which was done illegally and for reasons never communicated to Sultan residents, the second time during an investigation of allegations of sexual harassment by Walser, later cleared of all charges. Because of the timing of those charges (immediately before the Prop #1 election) and a suspected personal link between Rowe's daughter and Walser's accuser, it was suspected by many that Rowe played a hand in that accusation.
• Rowe has been involved in more lawsuits than any Sultan mayor. City legal actions concerning Willow Run, Valwork, Ed Boucher's short plat property, LID 97-1, and lawsuits filed by Valwork, former city administrators Bill Trippett and Roy Bysegger, the Falstich wrongful death suit, and Chief Fred Walser, as well as his involvement in our lawsuit against Kenton Coy, and a rumored legal action by East Teak (And these are only the ones we've heard about), have proven him to be a self-induced lightening rod and a public official who seems to care little for the law.
• Although he is puported to give his monthly salary to charity ($500 per month), he makes certain everyone knows of it, along with any other charitable acts. (Check out the Veteran's Memorial, where his name and marble memorial prolaiming him as the chief donor -- stands above all others.)
• In our opinion -- despite the lawsuits and the legal tar baby created by Rowe's inept leadership (causing untold taxpayer expense and city staff time) the very worst thing he's done in office is to flagrantly ignore and abuse the public process, a litany of offenses that are, quite literally, too numerous to list.

There's much, much more, but this will do for a start, I guess.