Pick Dick
To the editor:
I’m writing in support of Dick Haugen for council. Some two years ago I wrote to the Review a letter it published asking the city of Bainbridge Island to take action and rewrite the much-maligned Shoreline Master Plan as required by state law to make it more reasonable and practical. To date, nothing has been done except to advertise for a consultant to rewrite the plan.
We are reinventing the Comprehensive Plan with a stated goal of maintaining BI’s “rural character.” A recent Review article brought up concerns about continued development on BI, which is a state-mandated law and not something COBI can’t change. The article also mentions the non-motorized transportation’s group call for more sidewalks and bike trails, which will make BI more like any other anonymous suburban city. BI is aging and as an old guy with bypass surgery, I don’t want to jump on my bike at 6 p.m. in the dark and rain in January for a grocery run to Winslow.
We have limited resources and tax dollars available to solve real problems on BI. We need to hire competent staff to run the city and assure we are receiving value for our expenditures and not allowing staff to run with its own agenda as was the case with the person responsible until recently with administrating the SMP.
Another example is the recent wasted money for the bike path to nowhere on Eagle Harbor Drive which was redesigned and rebuilt using in-house staff. A further example is the city redesign of Winslow Way, which reduced parking spaces and does not allow for service vehicles yet employed some 33 design firms. There are many more examples.
I received a mailer from Dick’s opponent in the Nov. 7 election, Councilmember Kirsten Hytopoulos, who will be the longest-serving member of the council if re-elected. It contained nothing more than a bunch of empty promises of values. Dick on his own has been conducting surveys of BI residents to allow for decisions to be made based on real island needs and values. Dick will change how the council does business and its way past due. No more groundhog days; let’s move forward and elect Haugen to the council and start managing our city efficiently and get things done.
David Lindsey
Bainbridge
Goodlin good
To the editor:
With regard to Position 5 for the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks & Recreation District, I plan to vote for Tom Goodlin. I attend most of the park board meetings, often the only member of the public there. Tom is a human who asks thoughtful questions about the decision-making processes, is knowledgeable and willingly engages in open discussions. His education and his prior service on the Land Trust board add to his personal qualities and knowledge, enabling him to be a constructive park board member.
I have seen Tom’s thoughtful engagement. Tom is a swimmer, and he tirelessly raises the issues of the inadequacy of our present pools. I am also a swimmer. I am sympathetic. I play tennis. Tom asked a series of questions during this year’s meetings to work toward a solution to the lack of court space on BI to accommodate pickleball and tennis. Both sports need additional facilities. Tom supports that idea. I also walk the trails on this island. Tom has been a tireless supporter of island trails, as well as engaging in other park activities. He’s a great asset to the board.
Tom believes in this community and its willingness to support a variety of activities. Tom has worked hard to become a knowledgeable board member, and I support him going forward. Anyone who volunteers for public office deserves our thanks, but in this case, my vote is for the current commissioner.
Loanne Harmeling
Bainbridge
What’s right
To the editor:
The more I find out about Dick Haugan the more I believe he is exactly the right person for Bainbridge Island City Council. He is a successful businessman who, like me and others on BI, is frustrated at the lack of progress with our Comprehensive Plan and distressed at some horrible financial decisions like the Harrison police building.
Kirsten Hytopoulos ignored data repeatedly presented on the Harrison issue. Haugan took the personal initiative to conduct a statistically valid survey of what the citizens of Bainbridge really think (www.survey-bainbridge.com). Check it out. Over 600 Bainbridge people responded. The answer is clear. Bainbridge voters are not happy with the current council. We need a change.
A previous letter to the editor implied that Haugan’s collecting and using personal emails was “not right.” On the contrary, all emails were obtained openly from public records and are only restricted from commercial use (no one is selling toothpaste here). I note that I have received several flyers from Hytopoulos but I don’t recall giving her my address.
Every communication that I have received and read from Dick Haugan over the past 10 years has been truthful and backed up by facts – not opinion. He is honest. He listens intently. He has integrity. He is driven by a desire to make city government more efficient and effective. I urge you to vote for Haugan and welcome his business approach.
Doug Hansmann
Bainbridge
Clarification
To the editor:
I’m responding to the Letter to the Editor in the Bainbridge Review from Brian Anderson that is critical about using public records to reach out to the Bainbridge population for an opinion. It is an accepted method of getting a broad opinion of what people are really thinking. I suppose one could not reach out at all and make statements based opinions, not empirical data.
My database and marketing background gave me the tools to develop a tool that will survive this election and help us better consider the democratic majority. The tool is SURVEY BAINBRIDGE™ (registered trademark), which will help this and future councilmembers make better, quicker and more informed solutions.
Dick Haugan
Bainbridge
Vote Saint Clair
To the editor:
The choice is clear: Vote Evan Saint Clair, Bainbridge Island School Board District 4. Appointed last spring, Saint Clair is clear-eyed on the budget challenges and has already created good working relationships with the superintendent and board. Saint Clair supported last spring’s LGBTQ+ student resolution and sits on BISD’s Multicultural Advisory Council and Sustainable Action Committee. As a multiracial business owner with two kids in BISD, Saint Clair understands the issues facing today’s families. Plus, his degree in conflict resolution may come in handy as school boards face pressure to ban books about LGBTQ+ issues and Black history.
Which brings us to Saint Clair’s opponent who, last summer, championed a petition that falsely implied the school board removed parent consent from its sexual health curriculum. It did not. Saint Clair’s opponent also wants to “fix US History in eighth grade,” urging parents to ask, “What was recently added?” (BI Review, Oct 12, 2023). What was added? A book about race in our nation’s history. Finally, at the last board meeting, Saint Clair’s opponent read a list of anti-LGBTQ+ concerns from, he said, a “candidate forum off-island”—namely, Moms for Liberty, the extremist group behind book and curriculum bans.
Contrast that to Saint Clair’s measured, transparent and approachable style. His common refrain is: “Talk with us.” He cares about kids—every kid. If you support BISD’s mission to help all students learn, belong and thrive, we urge you: the choice is Clair.
Janna Cawrse Esarey
Bainbridge
Bad idea
To the editor:
Perhaps I did sign a petition 10 years ago. To be truthful, I don’t recall. What I do know is that I am not supporting Dick Haugen for Bainbridge Island City Council, and I resent having my purported endorsement of an issue of a decade ago used to imply that I do.
Please remove any reference to me from any pro-Haugen materials immediately. This is a dirty pool, and Haugen and his campaign should be ashamed.
Ellin Spenser
Bainbridge
