Kitsap Sun from Bremerton, Washington • 3

THE SUN WWWKITSAPSUNCOM THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23 2004 A3 High court blocks Nader from Oregon ballot Bush Kerry locked tight in Oregon race SALEM Ore (AP) The Oregon Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that Ralph Nader will not appear on the Oregon presidential ballot reversing a lower court The Supreme Court upheld a ruling by Secretary of State Bill Bradbury who determined that flawed petitions sheets left the independent candidate 218 signatures short of the 15306 needed to put him on the Nov 2 ballot Marion County Judge Paul Lipscomb faulted Bradbury a Democrat for using unwritten rules to decide the validity of the petitions The high court however said Bradbury acted within his authority and concerns not well Though office used some unwritten procedures does not render them the Supreme Court said SALEM Ore (AP) One poll conducted by an East Coast research firm gives Democrat John Kerry a 7-point lead over President Bush in Oregon Another gives Bush a 4-point lead Political observers within the state however see a tightly knotted race in which either side could end up winning seven electoral votes race is somewhere between even and Kerry with a slight lead right said Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts That assessment conflicts with a poll conducted last week by Mason-Dixon Polling Research Inc of Washington that showed Bush leading Kerry 47-44 percent among Oregon voters with 9 percent undecided Yet another survey taken last week this one by Research 2000 of Rockville Md had Kerry leading Bush 51-44 in Oregon with 5 percent undecided believe that George Bush is ahead nor do I believe Kerry has a 7-point Hibbitts said Joel Bloom a research associate at the Oregon Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Oregon said even the best opinion research firms make mistakes at times you have differing poll results from reputable organizations your best bet is to average Bloom said gives you a 15 percentage point lead for Staff photo by Larry Steagall Bainbridge Island Mayor Darlene Kordonowy left smiled as she listened to Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman speak of common issues that Kitsap cities face during a Wednesday meeting at the Red Lion Silver-dale Hotel With her were Poulsbo Mayor Donna Jean Bruce and Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel right City Plans mayors find common ground By Eric Williams Sun Staff The court said the procedures are nothing more than the process by which the secretary of state carried out legal Bradbury spokeswoman Anne Martens said there is no further appeal available and county officials would be told to go ahead with the printing of ballots The ruling came on the day that counties have said was the practical deadline to start printing almost 2 million ballots for the mail election The Supreme Court decision ends a long struggle by Nader to get on the ballot in the state where he drew 5 percent of the vote as the Green Party nominee in 2000 He held two mini-conventions in Portland earlier this year but failed at each to draw the necessary 1000 voter signatures to qualify for the ballot Democrats look strong across ballot OLYMPIA (AP) Democratic candidates for president governor and US Senate all had sizable leads in a new poll published Wednesday by independent pollster Stuart Elway Democratic presidential challenger Sen John Kerry was favored by 52 percent to President 38 percent with the rest undecided or for minor party candidates Two Democratic women also were out in front of their GOP challengers Christine Gregoire the three-term attorney general who is hoping to succeed fellow Democrat Gary Locke in the office had 49 percent to Republican Dino 38 percent Sen Patty Murray D-Wash who seeks a third six-year term was far ahead of her challenger US Rep George Nether-cutt R-Wash 57 percent to 37 percent Elway interviewed 405 registered voters between Sept 17-19 The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent AP photo by Gerald Herbert Republicans on economic issues But he said voting for Kerry in November all about what happened with the Iraq he said in an interview should never have gone there in the first place The UN inspectors find any weapons of mass destruction there and he just pushed anyway else seems tied into the war not happy about the economy and if we had been spending all this money at home on education and health care instead of overseas he (Bush) would be like a god in a mode of Anybody but Kerry been a stellar candidate Schager added should not have gotten tied up in the catfighting over what happened 30 years ago I care about National Guard service or what happened to Kerry in Nancy Clayton 45 of Tumwater a grocery store employee said a strong supporter of the president think done a good job with what he got dealt He came into office after eight years of nonsense and affairs (in the Clinton White House) then 911 happened think done an excellent job He has great morals a nice family very KERRY from Page A1 research firm Ipsos which does polling for The Associated Press in the United States and internationally The poll reflected the views of 406 registered voters The margin of error is 49 percentage points The poll showed that most voters have made up their minds 49 percent saying they planned to vote for the Kerry -Edwards ticket and 41 percent for the Bush-Cheney ticket Each ticket picked up roughly 2 percent more from people who said they lean toward the particular candidate Independent Ralph Nader who took more than 4 percent of the state vote in 2000 when he ran on the Green Party ticket appears to be less of a factor this year He was the choice of 2 percent of the poll respondents with another 1 percent saying they lean his way The poll showed little chance for massive defections from either candidate Just 4 percent of the backers said they might change their mind and only 7 percent of said they could switch allegiance The national polling shows a bit more fluidity A new poll released Wednesday by independent pollster Stuart Elway gave Kerry a broader lead 52 percent to 38 percent Elway interviewed 405 registered voters Sept 17-19 Margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points Elway Democratic presidential candidate Sen John Kerry D-Mass spoke Wednesday in West Palm Beach Fla said that Kerry has gained in each of his recent polls and that Washington should no longer be seen as a battleground state But Republican state Chairman Chris Vance was circulating a new poll by GOP pollster Bob Moore that showed a virtual tie: Kerry at 48 percent and Bush at 46 percent Moore interviewed 600 likely voters Sept 19-20: margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points sit here and predict victory but I know it is very very Vance said in an interview Other recent polls have put Kerry up by between 6 and 8 percentage points in Washington Both candidates have made repeat visits to Washington hired organizers and blanketed the airwaves with commercials this summer Vern Schager 51 a Bainbridge Island engineer who took part in the Ipsos poll said an independent who often agrees with Orchard will need a planning director to guide that Abel said one of the main reasons I wanted to reorganize is I want to look into putting a priority on growth management Bainbridge Island Mayor Darlene Kordonowy expressed concern about her direction problem in thinking about Bainbridge Island was she said do I tell you what we are focused on? Because I know if focused on anything a lot of things happening on Bainbridge However Kordonowy listed several short-term and longterm projects currently in the works on Bainbridge including infrastructure upgrades creation of new parks and the protection of precious open space on the island Also a group called Winslow Tomorrow is looking at how to develop downtown near the ferry terminal while preserving the smalltown character Kordonowy said been encouraged by the social service agencies taking a more active role in her city think the linkage between the county and Bainbridge Island is growing stronger each she said particular social services have really come into play from the county and how they can better serve Bainbridge Island Poulsbo Mayor Donna Jean Bruce agreed with other mayors that budget funding issues and infrastructure are continuing struggles for most cities has basically the same problems that every other city is Bruce said all holding our own as far as money goes We all want to improve infrastructure and we are struggling to find money to do She talked about her city's implementation of an efficiency study this year which has helped address some of those concerns She said city departments are now doing more with less and Poulsbo now contracts its court administration work to Bainbridge Island further reducing employee costs And she pointed to the continued successful growth of her city including the 250-acre Olhava development home of a controversial Wal-Mart and several housing developments in the works Overall Catharine Ahl a member of the group left impressed was good to here from them personally going on their she said the differences and the Consider it a gathering of similar minds faced with the same tough choices in the next few years Mayors from all four of Kitsap incorporated cities met Wednesday at the League of Voters of Kitsap County luncheon to discuss major issues affecting their prospective towns The mayors spoke about issues concerning the future of the four cities which represent about one third of the population During their 15-minute talks the mayors seem to hit on two main themes encouraging economic development and generating an increased tax base to pay for growing infrastructure costs to handle future population growth Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman led off the discussion honing in on the shifting focus of what core services local governments should provide to its constituents Bozeman said that in the future cities cannot afford to continue to fund services like parks because of a dwindling tax base created by voter-approved initiatives that limit tax collections Because of those limits on revenue Bozeman said cities need to figure out priorities for services and increase its tax base through economic development to fund thoke services reality is you go backward unless you grow your Bozeman said philosophy when I came to Bremerton is we have to grow the economy So the light at the end of the tunnel is economic While Bremerton is in the midst of revitalizing its downtown core both Port Orchard and Bainbridge Island are planning strategies to redevelop their downtowns Recently elected Port Orchard Mayor Kim Abel described the changes going on inside her city government including the creation of a planning department and the hiring of a new planning director Abel said annexation in the potentially commercial-rich urban growth area is a priority and a strategy that can help Port Orchard create more tax revenue Further Abel said that plans to expand its sewer facility and improve other utilities will help handle that growth which she said could expand the 7900-population South Kitsap city to 20000 people if the city annexed all of its urban growth area lot of the things I want to see accomplished in Port Tennis 323 GteeSB October 2nd FEES 75 OFF Spaghetti Dinner $750 Adults Kids Special Events All Day Silent Auction and Raffle 692-8075 1909 NE John Carlson Rd Bremerton Handyman umple 10th Anniversary Sale Thurs Fri Sat Sept 2 3'd 24lk 25" Ever Wish ALL Your Home Repair Improvement Work (No Matter How Small a Job) Could Be Done By One Skilled Experienced Honest Uniformed And Professional Person? 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