Daddle for Commissioner
Back when Island County had 3 commissioners from Whidbey Island and Zero from Camano, I ran my alter ego, Skeeter Daddle, for commissioner. The Stanwoodopolis newspaper’s editor John Dean even ran my campaign poster showing a disoriented character propped, legs out, against a 1950 Chevy panel truck carcass in the weeds. STOP OUTSOURCING OUR COMMISSIONERS, it read, followed by THIS AIN’T IRAQ, HOW ABOUT A LITTLE DEMOCRACY?
The next week I penned a letter to the same editor, who ironically enough, would be our commissioner 5 years later, ranting how Mr. Daddle was totally unfit for public office. John could see where this was headed and he asked if I would cease and desist before reality became hopelessly skewed for his readership, at least the ones not brainwashed by Fox ‘News’. A wise decision, I told him, and essentially withdrew my battered hat from the political ring.
A year or so later one of the Democratic politicos from Whidbey approached me at some function or other, looking for a dark horse candidate, and asked if I were Skeeter Daddle? I am, I said, mostly amused, at least until she asked if I would reconsider running for Island County Commissioner. I suppose in these faith based times where e-mails are forwarded as position papers for the wildest of extreme beliefs, where a sizeable portion of the voting population believes the president is a Muslim, a foreigner, a Socialist and a terrorist, running a fictional character for county office would raise not one eyebrow.
I’m not sure what Skeeter’s platform might’ve been. Probably nothing too tectonic other than moving the county seat to our South End, digging a canal at Elger Bay to Port Susan with drawbridges and tolling stations and possibly declaring Camano an Eco-sensitive zone with full moratoriums on future residential and commercial development. Nothing really radical. Nevertheless, Skeeter said if nominated, he would not run; if elected, he would not serve — although if paid, he would cash the checks. John Dean did run, but lost to a Tea Party candidate on the run to a second term who sued her own county and John for enforcing the law requiring her to get a building permit for her illegal addition. John blamed a write-in campaign for Skeeter for confusing an already wobbly electorate and losing him that re-election. Although … he seems much happier driving shuttle bus at the State Park. Pay isn’t great but his passengers don’t yell at him.
Skeeter couldn’t have scripted a comedy half as hilarious as this. Even if it’s not really funny….
Hits: 64