We are aware of some who say the Independent Advisory Association has politicized the Sequim City Council. That’s obviously silly – the Sequim City Council, being an elected body, is inherently political.

Perhaps however, if we are attempting to “politicize” the city council, it is fair to ask us about our politics. In short, we are a small group dedicated to empowering citizen candidates.

We strongly believe that greater participation in the political process by ordinary citizens will lead to a more open government, leading in turn to greater citizen participation and more common-sense solutions to the benefit of the widest majority of the community.

Our leanings may best be summed up in our mission statement:

“We seek to bring back government that empowers the people to promote prosperity and resolve societal harms by harnessing public funds in a limited, responsible manner in concert with a robust private sector without favoritism or by restricting the liberties of legally unencumbered citizens while protecting society’s most vulnerable through common sense public policies sustaining the rule of law under the Washington and Federal Constitutions with full transparency and accountability in all public interactions.”

We should note that we are not a political party. We do not demand adherence to this mission statement. We are not a PAC; we neither bankroll nor solicit funding on behalf of individual candidates. We ask for no payment for our services and will refuse money if offered. Any assistance we provide is on a no cost basis and carries no market value for reporting purposes

It may be interesting to point out what we look for in citizens we assist in candidature:

• Independence: In our candidates we look for a first commitment of loyalty to the voters of the jurisdiction to which they seek office, not to party nor ideology, not even their own biases or political norms.

• Commitment to transparency and accountability: Our candidates should be and are open books. Skulduggery is not required to find out where they spent their summer vacation or what web sites they have been examining.

• Strength of character: Independence and transparency count for little if the citizen – as either a candidate, or later as an elected official – can not stand up for his or her judgments and decisions.

Those with an authoritarian bent might find us to be a threat. Good. We seek to empower the community and dis-empower the elites. Every complaint about us brought before the City Council is an affirmation of our work.

For more information on what we do and our candidates, the reader is invited to visit our website at www.restoreclallam.com.

The Independent Advisory Association is a non-commercial, independent volunteer organization which assists citizen candidature for local elected office. Founding principals are Jim McEntire and Donnie Hall.

Editor’s note: Hall and McEntire live outside of Sequim city limits.