Candidate Endorsements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 21, 2016
Mason County Realtors endorse Neatherlin and Shutty for county commissioner seats, Griffey for state House
SHELTON, Wash. - The Mason County Association of Realtors®, one of the county’s largest business organizations, has endorsed Randy Neatherlin for re-election as Mason County commissioner, District 1 and Kevin Shutty for Mason County commissioner, District 2. The Realtors have also endorsed Rep. Dan Griffey in his race to retain his seat in the Washington State House, Position 1 of the 35th District.
The endorsement decisions followed comprehensive candidate interviews held on July 7, 2016 with the local organization’s 5-member interview panel in Shelton. The interview questions posed to the candidates in the commissioner races involved issues that impact the real estate industry, home and business ownership and the quality of life in Mason County communities. Rep. Griffey was endorsed by the group without an interview by the panel, after extensive consideration of his voting record.
The organization had previously announced their early endorsement of Rep. Drew MacEwen in his bid for re-election to the 35th District Washington House, Position 2. MacEwen has held the office since he was elected in 2012.
Richard Bell, 2016 President of the Mason County Association of Realtors®, encourages local residents to take note of the Realtors’ endorsements when considering their votes in this year’s elections.
“The candidates we chose to endorse are truly concerned about the quality of life of our communities, something that affects everything we do and say as Realtors here,” says Bell. “Because of the nature of our service to so many households in Mason County, Realtors have a true read on how the decisions by our leaders in government play out in reality on our homes, our jobs and our lives.”
The endorsements result not only in votes and campaign volunteers, but also the financial support of what is now the state’s largest political action committee. The REALTOR® Political Action Committee (RPAC) is bi-partisan and endorses candidates who share the organization’s concerns for issues that affect residential and commercial real estate, property owners, and communities in Mason County. This year, RPAC rose to the top of the list of the state’s largest PACs with more than $1 million in local and state contributions.
The Mason County Association of Realtors®* is organized for the benefit of the business interests of its membership, to promote and preserve private property rights, and to uphold the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. Realtors are the leading advocates for hundreds of area home buyers, sellers and current homeowners each year throughout Mason County.