New Candidate for the Sedro-Woolley City Council, Ward 2

Given her long ties to her community, Germaine Kornegay is anxious to direct Sedro-Woolley toward a bright future.  This election she is campaigning for City Council from Ward 2.   As a mother, grandmother and a small business owner for many years,  Germaine’s major concerns are local businesses, education and public safety.

Because Sedro-Woolley  has many young families,  Germaine also advocates maintaining funds for vocational education and public parks.

Germaine Kornegay stands in an area along Reed Street
 that she will support as a public park.

She believes the city's students should continue to be educated by Skagit Valley College, SWHS,  Job Corp and local industries for future jobs in aerospace, computer technology, healthcare, alternative energy and finance.

Germaine proposes that the city council proactively solicit the type of businesses most needed by the community such as a movie theater, grocery and a sports facility to host events such as roller derby.  Roller derby is a growing sport and the facility she is promoting is the only one between the border and Seattle specific for the popular sport.

She also envisions an active downtown made possible  by renovating the empty spaces in the buildings above current businesses for offices and apartments.  Germaine will seek grants to preserve Sedro-Woolley’s historic heritage and renovate the downtown area to attract tourism and serve residents. Sedro-Woolley could use a local Historical Society to uphold our theme and history. There is not one currently.  

Essential to the development of the city’s future is public safety.  Currently the city’s 14 officers have kept the city safe. But this is not at all practical and especially hard on the Sedro-Woolley Police Department. During certain times of the day, there is just one officer on duty. Its neighbors,  Mt Vernon has 44 officers and Burlington 25. As Sedro-Woolley’s business community grows Germaine wants the city government to anticipate and prepare for the growing demand of its police department.

Overall, the residents of Sedro-Woolley are happy and love living there. Few things are of immediate concern to them. Germaine has talked to most of the residents in her ward to find that not one person was unhappy living in Sedro-Woolley. They do however have some concerns about the rate of growth and crime. Germaine feels this is a great foundation to build from. Her goal is to fully involve residents in the process by empowering them to create the future of Sedro-Woolley that they wish to see (and seem to agree with).

WA State Insurance Commission Rescues Citizen from Malpractice.

    by Bonnie Chisum

I used to buy insurance online.   It was fast and cheap compared to buying traditional insurance from an agent.  The internet insurance coverage was fine for several years until I had to file a claim.   The nightmare began when my apartment was robbed.

“Instant Online Claims Processing!” the web advertisement had boasted.  I quickly filled out the forms online and forwarded the police reports and documentation to the insurance company.  Then everything got strange.  My phone rang.  An insurance claims adjuster from Florida wanted to confirm the details of my claim.  She asked me so many redundant questions that I had to ask: “Did you get the information from my claim form online?” The answer was “no.”

The stalling tactics began. The claim required multiple letters, phone calls and emails. When the requested information was submitted there was no response for three months.   Finally on the advice of Sue Jarvis at   State Farm Insurance in Stanwood - I filed a   complaint with the Washington State Insurance Commissioner. The company was cited by the Commission for failure to respond to the regulatory investigation!  After being cited the online Florida company finally settled my claim.

The excellent speed and efficiency in which the WSC processed the complaint contradicted the stereotype of government red tape.  In this example, the protection of a government regulatory board prevented me from experiencing a devastating financial loss.