Public Safety Building housing Council Chambers, Yelm

– Mark down November 3, 2015 as the day Yelm “small town politics” was voted out
and this city’s future has now been been brightened!
To quote the campaign of Joe DePinto: “This is OUR town!“


– A new wind is a blowin’ in Yelm as of yesterday,
one that could be felt and experienced at Yelm City Council candidate Joe DePinto’s election night party at the Yelm Prairie Hotel last night. In addition to Joe’s friends, family and supporters in-audience were Council candidates Molly Carmody and Tad Stillwell, along with Nisqually Valley News reporter Steve Wyble, who was clearly enjoying and documenting the significance of the moment when Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall’s results were announced approximately at 8:05pm.

– In the first round of vote counting:
* Joe DePinto was a decisive winner for Yelm City Council position 6 over Yelm Planning Commissioner
Terry Kaminski for vacating, single-term Councilor Ken Garmann.
* Carmody currently leads three-term incumbent Position 2 Councilor Joe Baker with a solid 54% to 45% lead.
* Tad Stillwell closely trails Position 4 incumbent Jenn Littlefield with 46% to her 53%.


– All three candidates declared victory last night in bringing local issues to the forefront,
jubilant in their passion to differentiate themselves from incumbents who pledged to continue the current Council’s status quo. Their issues included yet were not limited to:
* providing for the public interest as their top priority,
* a fresh perspective for managed growth here,
* augmenting public safety,
* support for local businesses, and
* reigning in annual water-rate increases on the backs of Yelm property owners, in light of the recent WA Supreme Court ruling against a more-than-doubling by Ecology of Yelm’s water rights.


– I salute the courage, fortitude and bravery of DePinto, Carmody and Stillwell
in demonstrating will and backbone to stand tall for the public interest against what has been termed by others in Yelm as The Cabal. They have thrown down a gauntlet to bring change to this community!


– For over 10 years, this Blogger is the only one demanding of City of Yelm officials
to follow the process (statutes, ordinances, laws), stop “end-runs” around the public, and have a regular dialogue with constituents through Town Hall Forums.
DePinto, Carmody and Stillwell all ran campaigns supporting these ideals within their candidate platforms.


– Dick Van Dyke’s rendition of this © Disney Mary Poppins video excerpt
sums-up this Blogger’s take-away from last night:
“Winds in the east, there’s a mist comin’ in
Like somethin’ is brewin’ and ’bout to begin.
Can’t put me finger on what lies in store,
But I feel what’s to happen all happened before.”
Click here for the video.


Blogger Klein is a contributor/supporter of the 2015 Yelm City Council campaigns of Molly Carmody, Tad Stillwell and Joe DePinto.