SNOHOMISH COUNTY — Concerned residents seeking to oust the county’s current hearing examiner were disappointed their cause did not get traction from elected officials.
A few County Council members said they believe hearing examiner Peter Camp is a fair examiner. The council voted 5-0 to reappoint Camp through 2025 last week.
The hearing examiner is an independent county official whose most prominent role is to decide yes or no on building developments. The examiner has the power to reverse County Council decisions or send items back to county planners with directed changes. The examiner makes their decisions based on their interpretation of the planning code.
People looking for changes in what developments are allowed should focus their efforts on getting modifications made to the codebook itself, Councilwoman Megan Dunn said.
Dunn said she would like to improve the process where people have a seat at the table as interested parties of record to comment on projects, and improve how people get public hearing notifications.
On Camp’s re-appointment, Dunn said the hearing examiner position “needs to be neutral, and he has a solid background in being neutral,” Dunn said. Council members Nate Nehring and Sam Low also told the Tribune they see Camp as fair.
Residents who want a new examiner said Camp’s decisions are weighted for
developers and against citizens. Many who spoke out about his reappointment have recently appealed county land use decisions to allow large housing developments in rural areas near Snohomish and Monroe.
Mike Pattison of the area’s Master Builder’s Association called Camp “the kind of outstanding hearing examiner Snohomish County needs.”
Camp is a long-time attorney. He worked as an executive director under county executives Aaron Reardon and John Lovick before applying for and being appointed hearing examiner in 2014.
Camp took over for Gordon Sivley, who took over for Millie Judge.
Prior to them, one of the county’s more recognizable recent hearing examiners was Barbara Dykes Ehrlichman, who was appointed in 2007 and bowed out in 2010.
Dykes’ supporters laud her hearing examiner record as having balanced citizen interests more heavily. Dykes’ record included at least a few denials of development projects, leading to a reputation of being tough. She also denied and remanded the County Council’s approval of constructing the KRKO-AM radio towers in the Snohomish River Valley. The land-use decision ultimately ended up being adjudicated by a court. (Soon after the first towers were destroyed.)
Residents said the seat should be open for job applications at every renewal.
