Ordinance Defense
In 1995, the Board of County Commissioners asked this office to draft stringent restrictions on the use of jet skis. The restrictions were based on the unique aspects of an archipelago and jet ski operations. We defended these restrictions in a Court challenge by the industry. The defense was extraordinary due to the limited budget available for the County in contrast to the industry.
The County's defense was aided by more than $18,000 in unsolicited cash donations and hundreds of hours of donated attorney time. In 1998 the Washington State Supreme Court supported the County's appeal and ruled that San Juan County did have the constitutional right to pass an ordinance banning the use of motorized personal watercraft.