To the editor:
Michael Pollock has a scientist’s perspective of a sustainable island.
If you want Bainbridge Island to look and feel like Mercer Island with development shore-to-shore, Michael Pollock is not your candidate for city council.
If, on the other hand, you want Bainbridge to retain its semi-rural roots and charm by carefully controlling growth, Michael is your candidate. As a NOAA scientist, he knows we’re close to unsustainable overdevelopment here. Unlike his opponent, he’ll do something about that.
First, Michael is a doer. On the council in the early 2000s, he initiated many ordinances such as one to limit “light trespass” by bright lights, and he initiated and supported important land-use regulations. His opponent, Sarah Blossom, now the longest-serving council member, has a record of responding to others’ ideas but initiating few of her own. Her major accomplishment? Resurrecting the proposal for the bridge-to-nowhere after it was voted down.
Second, Michael fully supports our Comprehensive Plan. He’ll say “No!” to backdoor zoning changes and to covertly expanding the Winslow core. His opponent, by contrast, recently voted to cram a high-density, 100-unit housing project into a vital greenspace that’s outside the Winslow core. This will harm the environment, set a precedent for more high-density development outside the core, cost taxpayers $7 million, and add traffic to our clogged roads.
Third, Michael puts sustainability at the center of his platform. He wants safe road shoulders for pedestrians, bicycles, and other low-impact transportation modes. He proposes a range of affordable housing options at densities consistent with our zoning. He supports an aquifer-management plan so our wells won’t run dry like Mercer Island’s did 50 years ago. His opponent, on the other hand, has built-in conflicts of interest — a history of a family owned water system plus extensive land holdings that are ripe for development. Is it any wonder she’s not concerned about overdevelopment?
MARK HOFFMAN
Bainbridge Island
