Melvin and Rosezetta Knott, longtime members of East Hill Grange in King County, were recognized with the 2018 Grange Leadership Award. They have been involved with our organization for well over 50 years.

Melvin was a charter member of his Junior Grange in 1947. His Grange experience began as the Gatekeeper in his first year of Junior Grange membership. He graduated into the subordinate Grange at the age of 16 in 1954, making him a 64-year member of the subordinate Grange.

As high school sweethearts, Mel and Rosie were married in 1958. In 1962, after the first two children arrived, Mel and his parents convinced Rosie she needed to join the Grange for some “adult” time away from the kids. He volunteered to stay home with the kids, while she attended her first Grange meeting.

In 1964, Rosie became the leader of their Junior Grange. She has filled that role ever since, oftentimes with Mel serving as her co-leader. In October, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the East Hill Junior Grange and heard from past Junior Grangers of the influence this couple had on them as mentors and role models.

Over the years, they have been named Junior Grange Leaders of the Year and brought National Grange recognition to their Junior Grange having been named “Junior Grange of the Nation” and placing first in the Junior Grange Community Service Contest at the national level.

Their involvement has not stopped at the local level. Between the two of them, they have been instrumental in the Junior Grange Camping Program from serving as camp leaders, nurses, cooks, or whatever role needed to be filled.

Rosie is a past Deputy Master for the State Grange. Together, they served as members of the State Youth Team and advisors to their Pomona Grange Youth Group. Mel coordinates the rest area project for Granges and daily picks up donuts for the USO at the Sea-Tac airport. Rosie is currently on the State Family Living Committee.

Now for the fun “stuff”…

It was reported at one time, he shaved off his beard, to be part of a “tribute” girl group with Terry Abbott and Melody Ickes. Another time, she had her Junior Grangers doing the program at a Pomona meeting. Their daughter slipped in a puddle and cut her leg open. She insisted that kids finished the program first, so she cleaned up the leg in the Grange restroom. The kids sang with a towel wrapped around the injured leg. After that, they went to the hospital where the daughter got 13 stitches.

While never having been elected to an office in the Washington State Grange, Mel and Rosie are the proud parents of one past state officer and one current state officer. They are the grandparents of another past state officer.

Their leadership to the Junior Grangers and the influence they have demonstrated by being mentors and role models to multiple generations of Grangers is second to none in our state. Their dedication to the Grange and our programs are second to none.

Mel and Rosie were joined by daughter Kathy, son David and his wife Kim, and granddaughter Janice McCarty, in receiving the award during the State Grange Convention.

Four officers were elected in the “off-year” election at the 129the Annual Convention of the Washington State Grange, held June 27-30 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon.

Terry Abbott, former State Grange Treasurer, was elected to fill a one-year term as the State Grange Secretary. The Secretary position was open following the resignation of Denise McCartan earlier in the month. Abbott is a member of Mossyrock Grange in Lewis County. She is a retired program manager at the Boeing Company and previously held the offices of Chaplain and Lecturer for the WA State Grange.

With Abbott’s move to the Secretary position, the office of Treasurer became vacant. The delegates selected Pam Figg, a member of Steele Lake Highline Grange and Newcastle Grange in King County, to fill the position State Grange Treasurer for the remainder of the unexpired term. Figg also serves as the King County Pomona Grange Master and has taken minutes at the state session for 21 years.

June Hendrickson was re-elected to a third consecutive 3-year term on the State Grange Executive Committee. Hendrickson, a past State Grange Master, is a member of Steele Lake Highline Grange. Previously, she also served as Overseer, Treasurer, and Flora of the WA State Grange.

Eileen Moebius joins the State Officer Team as the new Director of Family Living. Moebius is a member of Fruitland Grange in Pierce County. She will complete the one-year term following the interim appointment of Cecelia Hamilton, who was appointed following the resignation of Jim Bryant due to illness. Moebius was a District Director for the Family Living Department and previously served as a member of the State Lecturer Team.

A full election of officers will take place at the 2019 State Grange Convention, scheduled for June 26-29 at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds.

The 129th Annual Conven-tion of the Washington State Grange is now history! We experienced another outstanding convention, filled with both work and excitement. We debated 46 new resolutions, a few older resolutions, and 10 committee reports. Officers were elected and installed. Contests were held and awards presented. There certainly was something for everyone to enjoy at this year’s convention.

There are many, many Grange members who contributed to the success of this year’s convention:

• The Convention Steer-ing Committee, chaired by Steve Hall with Scott Hackett as the vice chair, and all of the other host committees… you did a fine job of meeting the needs of the delegates. I know you had a difficult time getting preparations started as you hadn’t hosted a convention in your district for eight years. It will only be four short years and you will be hosting again!

• To those who com-pleted each of the details necessary for our success, including Progress Room Workers, deputies, officers, directors, and others, thank you for your part to make this a memorable convention.

• To the National Grange Representatives, Phil and Maureen Prelli, thank you for your words of wisdom and guidance to the delegates. We know you had a long flight home and hope you will remember your time spent with us.

• To the delegates and committee chairs, congrat-ulations on discussing each aspect of every resolution and recommendation. Most committees completed their work by the end of the first day.

• To the office staff, each of whom brings their own special talent and skill level to their job, your long hours and dedication to your jobs is truly remarkable.

• To the youth and juniors, who bring a lively can-do attitude that reminds many of us of our not too distant past.

Now that convention is over, we quickly turned our focus to the Grange Camping Program. One more week and that will be over as well. Fair season is here and for many of you, it will involve countless hours of designing and constructing your fair display. For others, it may mean spending your time cooking hamburgers in the food concession or waiting on customers. Regardless, enjoy your time, promote your Grange, and complete your tasks to the best of your ability. We have set sail and our bright future is just ahead of us!

You may want to make plans now to attend the 130th Annual State Grange Convention. The convention will at the Okanogan County Fairgrounds, located between Okanogan and Omak, and will be held June 26-29, 2019!

By Heather Hansen

Legislative Lobbyist

I enjoyed getting to know (or reconnect) with many of you at the recent State Grange Convention. I am a big believer in grassroots. I like to encourage people to get involved in politics. Remember, every legislator is someone’s neighbor and most of them like to hear from constituents. If you have a good idea, share it. Let your legislators know what is important to you – funding for fairs, your Senior Citizen’s Center, a road safety issue. Remember, they can’t help if they don’t know what you care about.

Feel free to reach out to me for information about an issue. The more informed members are, the more likely I hope you are to engage during the legislative session.

By the time you read this, you may already have your ballot for the primary election. Before you vote, get to know the candidates and the issues. Before you received your ballot, you should have received a voter’s guide in the mail. That’s a great place to start. Every candidate also has a website. Most candidates have a Facebook page. In addition to reading about a candidate’s background and priorities, looking to see who has endorsed them can be insightful.

Citizen’s initiatives will not be on the ballot until the general election in November but very soon, you will begin receiving mailers and seeing ads on TV. Although signatures have not yet been certified, the following three initiatives are likely to be on the ballot.

Initiative 1631 – Implementing a carbon fee

This initiative would impose a fee on fossil fuels to raise money for clean energy projects. The fee of $15 per metric ton of carbon emitted would begin in 2020 and increase by $2, plus the rate of inflation, each year. It is expected to add an estimated 14 cents to the cost of a gallon of gasoline. Consumers will also see higher energy bills. It is projected to raise $1 billion annually. These funds would be spent by an independent board.

What is the difference between a fee and a tax? Under state law, money from a fee can only be used for something connected to the source of the money, so a fee on polluting substances could be used to clean up pollution but not for a general state program. A tax can be used for unrelated programs.

Initiative 1634 – Prohibiting new grocery taxes

This initiative would prohibit local governments (cities, towns, counties) from imposing any new tax, fee, or other assessment on grocery items. (Alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and marijuana products do not qualify as grocery items and would not be protected from new taxes.) Local governments are looking for ways to raise revenue. Under current law, cities can add taxes any time they like. New taxes on soda and other sugary drinks and bottled water have been considered. In other states, taxes have been proposed on candy and meat. New taxes may affect jobs.

Initiative 1639 – Gun control

This initiative would raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles to 21 from 18 and require enhanced background checks. It would also require that gun owners secure firearms kept in their homes.