Help me help Whatcom county taxpayers – send a forceful email to county council members and tell them “PUT THE PROPERTY TAX INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT!”

Tues, July 23, 2024

To: Our thousands of supporters across the state

From: Tim Eyman
Fighting for Taxpayers for 27 years

The Whatcom County Council is voting tonight on whether or not to put a Lower Property Taxes Initiative on the November ballot.

Heroic local citizens collected and turned in more than enough signatures to qualify their initiative for the November ballot.

But some politicians on the county council want to block the people from voting on it.

Why?

Because they know it’s gonna pass overwhelmingly because property taxes are SKYROCKETING and the people need relief.

I’m signed in to testify on it.

And what’ll REALLY HELP amplify my voice is for EVERYONE to send all those county council members a forceful email.

I MAKE IT REALLY EASY.

In the To line, copy and paste this:

council@co.whatcom.wa.us; kgallowa@co.whatcom.wa.us; tdonovan@co.whatcom.wa.us; jscanlon@co.whatcom.wa.us; ssidhu@co.whatcom.wa.us; timdeyman@gmail.com

In the Subject line, copy and paste:

PUT THE PROPERTY TAX INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT!

In the body of the email, copy & paste this (or use your own words — tell ’em how you feel):

PUT THE PROPERTY TAX INITIATIVE ON THE NOVEMBER 2024 BALLOT.

Heroic local citizens collected and turned in more than enough signatures to qualify. There’s no excuse to block the people from voting on it.

Initiatives — not just referendums — are allowed to repeal past ordinances and statutes — it happens ALL THE TIME. It is ridiculous to block the people from voting by saying only a referendum can repeal a past ordinance or statute — it doesn’t work that way.

Initiatives are brought forward BY THE PEOPLE and they can create new laws and/or repeal past laws.

The state supreme court has consistently rejected blocking the people from voting on a qualified initiative. A unanimous decision by the state supreme court in 2005 rejected an effort to block a vote on an initiative that qualified — the 9-0 decision read: 

“The initiative is the first power reserved by the people in the Washington Constitution. Adopted in 1911, the right of initiative is nearly as old as our constitution itself, deeply ingrained in our state’s history, and widely revered as a powerful check and balance on the other branches of government.

Accordingly, this potent vestige of our progressive era past must be vigilantly protected by our courts. … Because ballot measures are often used to express popular will and to send a message to elected representatives (regardless of potential subsequent invalidation of the measure), substantive preelection review may also unduly infringe on free speech values.” Coppernol v Reed. 

Another unanimous decision by the state supreme court in 2007 said same thing. 

“Preelection review of initiative measures is highly disfavored. The fundamental reason is that the right of initiative is nearly as old as our constitution itself, deeply ingrained in our state’s history, and widely revered as a powerful check and balance on the other branches of government.

Given the preeminence of the initiative right, preelection challenges to the substantive validity of initiatives are particularly disallowed. Such review, if engaged in, would involve the court in rendering advisory opinions, would violate ripeness requirements, would undermine the policy of avoiding unnecessary constitutional questions, and would constitute unwarranted judicial meddling with the legislative process.

Thus, preelection substantive challenges are not justiciable. Further, substantive preelection review could unduly infringe on the citizens’ right to freely express their views to their elected representatives. Futurewise v Reed.

Do not block the people from voting.

Washingtonians for a Sound Economy — local citizens in Whatcom County — collected and turned in more than enough signatures to qualify their initiative for a public vote in November.

PUT THE PROPERTY TAX INITIATIVE ON THE BALLOT! 

— END —

Thanks for helping on this.

Is it any wonder why Bob Ferguson is trying so hard to impose a lifetime ban on all my future political activity?

With the brilliant legal assistance of Richard Sanders, I am appealing the AG’s ridiculously unconstitutional ruling because it’s so absurd:

* I’m no longer a person, I’m forever designated a ‘continuing political committee’?
* $5.5 million?
* Prohibiting me from earning money for the rest of my life?

BONUS: As long as I’m appealing, it’s not a precedent that this AG (or any future AG) can use to target others. And I cannot — I WILL NOT — let that happen.

I urge you to help me fight back against the AG’s abuse of power by donating to the Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund RIGHT NOW!

Mail your check to:
Tim Eyman Legal Defense Fund
17404 Meridian Ave E #F PMB 176
Puyallup, WA, 98375

Or donate online:
By GiveSendGo (credit/debit card)
By Paypal (donate using PayPal or using a credit/debit card)

With your help, I will keep fighting for the people across our nation with initiatives, lawsuits, lobbying, and helping elect more freedom-loving elected officials.

I love you all.

Onward!

Tim Eyman

You can call or text me anytime: 509-991-5295

You can email me anytime: Tim@TimDefense.com
(I can’t access any of my other email addresses — grrr!)

For more details on this, go to: TimDefense.com