Okanogan County Watch honored with Key Award

OKANOGAN – A few years ago, Twisp resident Isabelle Spohn began monitoring meetings of the Okanogan County Commissioners and posting weekly email notes of the proceedings out of her concern over the delay in the official agendas and minutes appearing on the county’s website.
On Tuesday, April 10, that proactive citizen involvement that has since grown into Okanogan County Watch (OCW), a group of volunteers who post notes and videos of commissioner meetings on the website www.countywatch.org, was recognized by the Washington Coalition for Open Government (WCOG) with its Key Award.
Spohn began her one-person campaign in early 2014.  By the fall of 2015 Spohn’s initiative had expanded to become Represent Okanogan County (ROC), a group that promoted better transparency and accountability from the commissioners. One notable result of that early monitoring involved a proposal to relocate juvenile offenders from the Okanogan detention facility to Medical Lake near Spokane. ROC’s prompt disclosure of those discussions prompted swift opposition from county residents.
By mid-2017 more than a dozen volunteers were involved as meeting monitors with five who emerged to provide regular coverage. That core group launched Okanogan County Watch earlier this year with its own website and Facebook presence. Along with Spohn OCW members include George Thornton of Oroville, Gina McCoy and Emily Sisson of Winthrop, Katie Haven of Methow, and support staffers Jan Young of Pine Forest, and Rick Gillespie of Chesaw.
Haven, who serves at the OCW webmaster said her motive for joining the OCW team was prompted by a decision to bet more involved in local affairs.
“I saw many people involved on the state and legislative level,” said Haven, “but the county is so personal where decisions really affect our daily life.”
Haven, who retired from a career as a merchant seaman and marine engineer for the Alaska State Ferry system, joined OCW early last year and took on the task of running its website.
“I just posted my first video on YouTube,” said Haven, who explained that she switched from Facebook postings to YouTube as an archive resource because videos remain on the latter site for an indefinite period.”
Haven takes time away from her sheep ranch and custom wool business at McFarland Creek Lamb Ranch (www.thelambranch.com) to volunteer one day a month with OCW.
“There isn’t really anyone else doing this,” Haven said of monitoring the commissioners’ weekday meetings.
Newly elected Okanogan County Commissioners Andy Hover (District 3) and Chris Branch (District 1) join Jim DeTro (District 2) on the current board and OCW reports significant improvements in county government transparency and responsiveness.
In accepting the Key Award, OCW issued the following statement: “We are honored to receive the Key Award and to join an impressive list of citizens of all political persuasions who have been willing to act in defense of RCW 42.30.10: “The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know.”
WCOG was founded in 2002 to promote greater public access to open government. The Key Award debuted in 2007 and since then fewer than a dozen has been awarded annually. A form for Key Award nominees is available on WCOG’s website at (https://washingtoncog.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=25995e8441cc933cc0ded560d&id=aee03bbfbf&e=aff5c71fce).
For more information about WCOG contact Washington Coalition for Open Government, 6351 Seaview Avenue N.W., Seattle, WA 98107-2664, call 206-782-0393 or visit www.washingtoncog.org online.