Jefferson County voters gave a loud “no” last Tuesday to Proposition 1, a levy proposal to create and preserve affordable housing.

There’s no getting around the fact that the 68 percent “no” vote was a victory for the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee.

The GOP financed the “no” campaign and fought the proposal from start to finish by bringing up property taxes and land-use issues involving both Jefferson County and the City of Port Townsend.

Confusion about the future of an apartment complex on Cherry Street, started last spring by the City of Port Townsend, coupled with taxes announced in the summer to support the McCleary decision, surely helped the GOP’s anti-tax, anti-government message.

GOP members dominated the conversation, so much so that Proposition 1 proponents failed to get out their message and failed to convince voters that a tax was the right solutions to the problem. The “no” campaign had a far simpler message: No taxes. No rent increases. No.

And where were the supporters for affordable housing?

Even people who wrote in support of the need for affordable housing were betting the property tax levy would fail and engaging in a plan B effort. And the Jefferson County Democratic Party did not appear all that interested in helping the Homes Now! campaign.

There are 39 precincts in Jefferson County. Proposition 1 failed in all but two precincts, both in liberal Port Townsend.

It’s going to take some time to digest it all, but here’s a first reaction: The Proposition 1 vote was the local GOP’s biggest win in a decade. With this win under its belt, the GOP likely will be looking to unseat county commissioner Kathleen Kler, a Democrat whose term is up in 2018. There hasn’t been a GOP county commissioner for more than a decade; 2018 could be the GOP’s year.

In the meantime, what about that affordable housing emergency the county commissioners declared in Jefferson County? Nothing much has changed. Winter has made some rentals available.

But the post-election reality is that there still is a lack of affordable housing in Jefferson County, not just for the poor, but for working people like teachers, police officers and caregivers.

So, what’s the answer to that? It’s likely that county commissioners will be asked to look hard at land-use issues, the sewer plans in the Tri-Area, as well as building regulations. A community conversation about the housing issues that includes people who voted “no” needs to happen, and soon.

“No” was an easy answer to Proposition 1 to the majority of voters. The question of what to do about the lack of affordable housing is a hard question that still isn’t answered.

– Allison Arthur