I attended the recent candidates’ forum on Orcas Island and was impressed with Sheriff Ron Krebs and municipal court judge candidate Carolyn Jewett. I’m grateful for their opponents’ desire to serve and believe both are capable of performing the basic duties of those elected offices. However, Krebs’ and Jewett’s experience and temperament clearly make them exceptional choices for those respective positions.

Unfortunately, I can’t extend the same to Nick Power, who is running against our prosecuting attorney Randy Gaylord. Full disclosure: I am a longtime friend of the Gaylords and their extended family. I have closely followed Randy’s career, and while I have occasionally challenged him on certain positions, I know him to be a highly ethical man, a well-respected manager and an enormously accomplished prosecutor. We are truly blessed to have him.

Power, on the other hand, appears to be the embodiment of the cynicism and insincerity in politics that so many of us have come to disdain.

A review of his background turned up case after case that Power lost or had dismissed outright for being “frivolous,” having “improper motives” or failing to meet basic “factual and legal requirements.” One case was so ridiculous that the judge fined Power and his client $10,000 for wasting the court’s time: Power has yet to pay up.

So when Power announced at the debate that he wants to bring “transparency” to the prosecutor’s office, I literally laughed out loud. He has yet to tell people all of the conflicts and cases we taxpayers would have to pay other attorneys to do the job of the elected prosecutor.

I encourage you do to your own research and see for yourself. You’ll surely be stumped by this fact alone: Power has clients with claims against San Juan County, the very county he now wishes to serve and defend, that exceed $10 million.

TEN MILLION DOLLARS.

If that wasn’t so twisted, I’d laugh out loud again.

Re-elect Randy Gaylord!

Andy Wickstrand

Eastsound