I had a chance to talk with Pierce County Auditor Jan Shabro last night and ask her about her reelection campaign this year.

Shabro's opponent, Tacoma City Councilwoman and Deputy Mayor Julie Anderson, has accused Shabro of running the Auditor's office in a partisan fashion.  Shabro previously served as a Republican on the Pierce County Council and as a state representative.  Shabro vehemently denies this.  She says that she has made needed changes at the Auditor's office, and proudly points to her endorsement by Local 120 of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the union that represents the workers at the Pierce County Auditor's office as proof of this.

Shabro feels that she has been targeted by the Democrats in revenge for her being named Auditor by the Republican-dominated Pierce County Council back in January to replace current Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy.  Before voters made the Auditor position non-partisan in 2007, McCarthy would have been replaced by another Democrat under state law.  Democrats have dominated the Pierce County Auditor office for decades.

Much has been made of Shabro hiring former Pierce County Republicans chair Deryl McCarty as Deputy Auditor.  Shabro told me that her decision had nothing to do with politics, but with the fact she knew and trusted McCarty, a retired Air Force colonel whose experience in managing personnel and contracts was what she needed.  Shabro said that the Audtor's office in the past has been run emphasizing elections, but there is much more to it than that.  Marriage, business, and vehicle licensing, as well as the recording of public documents and hadling public disclosure requests are important aspects of her job.

And Anderson can hardly be considered "non-partisan."  She is a rising star in the Pierce County Democratic Party.  Anderson has raised twice as much money as Shabro, with much of her campaign contributions coming from state Democratic Party groups and elected officials and labor unions.  Anderson has moved around quite a bit in her career, most recently working as a senior policy adviser in Chris Gregoire's Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (specializing in "green" jobs.)  There is widespread speculation that Anderson will use the Auditor's position as a springboard for higher office, such as Pierce County Executive or in the statehouse.

Then there is the issue of Julie Anderson's reputation of bluntness and holding a grudge.  Shabro told me that in her previous race for state representative and two races for county council she has never before experienced such negative campaigning as she has this year.  Anderson also has made some enemies in Tacoma for her stance on mandatory dog neutering  and her role in the controversial proposed berm in downtown Tacoma as a member of the Sound Transit Board of Directors.

Lastly, I asked Shabro about a comment I overheard Sunday night at the Washington State Republican Party Fall Dinner.  Someone said that "Pierce County now dominates the state Republican Party."  I asked Jan if she agreed with this statement, and if so, why.  She said that Pierce County was now a Republican stronghold and is the key for Republicans in any statewide election.  She credited this to the growth of Pierce County's suburbs such as Bonney Lake, Buckley, and Orting.  Shabro also credited the influence of active duty and retired military personnel at Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base.  There is no question that a lot of rising stars in the Washington State Republican Party such as Dick Muri and Hans Zeiger to name a few, are coming out of Pierce County.

The choice is obvious.  Shabro's experience in elected office and her skill at managing budget cuts without layoffs earn a shot at a full four-year term as Pierce County Auditor.  Pierce County voters need to mark Jan Shabro as their #1 choice for Auditor today and ONLY Jan Shabro.  Your ballot will still count if you don't rank all three candidates.

On The Web:  www.janshabro.com