The Island County Republicans finally have a place to park their elephants.
The GOP headquarters for Island County opened Wednesday in a zeal of red, white and blue banners and yard signs. This will be the long-term home for the party, which until now has been operating out of its members’ homes.
Party Chairman Andy Valrosa said the new office is a welcome addition to the party’s activities in the county.
“If you are invisible, nobody is going to listen to you,” Valrosa said. “We’re trying to grow the Republican party. You can do it much better and much more efficiently at a central location.”
The new office, which is in the log cabin-style Trader’s Village behind GalaxyNet Internet Cafe, will serve as a meeting place for the county’s Republicans. It will also be a place where interested people can gather information about the party and its candidates.
Valrosa said the Island County continent of the party has grown swiftly in the two years he has been chairman. When he was elected, the party had 17 dues-paying members. That number has since risen to approximately 100 people. This does not reflect the Republican population of the county, he said.
“Island county tends to be a bit more than 50 percent Republican,” he said. “The party is growing. It shows the Republican ideology is alive and well in Island County.”
Valrosa said he chose the Oak Harbor location for its centrality to the largest section of the county’s population. He said he also wanted to target the people at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.
The north end of the island also has the largest Republican population, Valrosa said.
“Langley had the lowest Republican turnout for George W. Bush four years ago,” he said.
All the hundreds of signs and stickers that once crowded Valrosa’s home now have a place to go, he said.
The party’s general-purpose volunteer, Brian Peters, said having the new facility will help to strengthen the party’s presence in the county.
“It’s really a thrill,” Peters said. “It’s something we’ve been looking for for a really long time.”
The public is invited to the grand opening of the new GOP headquarters Saturday, Sept. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m.
You can reach News-Times reporter Eric Berto at eberto@whidbeynewstimes.com
