Back Peltier
To the editor:
When deciding who deserves your vote for Bainbridge Island City Council consider these issues: Climate change, fiscal responsibility and transparency regarding financial conflicts of interest.
In the wake of COBI’s 250,000 gallons of untreated sewage dumped into Eagle Harbor and the destruction of wetland habitats to build housing projects for millionaires, I posed a question to incumbent Joe Deets: How does the declining natural environment contribute to global heating and climate change?
Joe responded: “Dear Mr. Halbrook. Thank you for reaching out. Sorry but your question is unclear. I am a City Councilmember and am quite happy to discuss with you anything city related. I would be grateful if you can rephrase your question to something that is connected to my responsibilities.”
Joe attends Climate Change Advisory Committee meetings, but even so he wrote that the effects of climate change are not “connected to my responsibilities.”
City Council candidate Ron Peltier understands the threat climate change poses to our community. As a City Councilmember from 2015-2019 Ron advocated for greater emphasis on sustainability in the Comprehensive Plan, and protecting city-owned farmland and the Suzuki forest from development. In 2021 Ron still advocates for environmentally sustainable policies including resisting overdevelopment, protecting limited groundwater and upgrading the city sewage system to avoid future damaging spills into Puget Sound.
Ron also understands that the city must address the increasing risk of wildfires in a changing climate through improved forest management. He is the only candidate with the vision to push this issue.
Jim Halbrook
Bainbridge Island
Support Deets
To the editor:
I fully support Joe Deets for the Bainbridge Island City Council. I have known Joe for 10 years as I participated with him on the City Hall solar roof project, which has been a great success. Joe stepped up and showed how a community-based solar project with local investors could provide renewal energy for City Hall.
As a city councilman, Joe has been very busy supporting the 2019 subdivision land-use ordinance that protects island tree canopy and limits clear cutting. He supported development of the “Design for Bainbridge” standards for future development. As a member of the Design Review Board I can say that this book has become an essential tool in guiding development. Joe’s support for D4B has raised the bar for sustainable housing and ensures a vibrant downtown for island residents.
Joe definitely has a long-term vision for our island, and his concern for a sustainable future guides his efforts in supporting, shaping and implementing a Climate Action Plan for the city. Lastly and perhaps most importantly; Joe has shown through four years as a councilman that he is not a disrupter, but a team player who believes policies, ideas and listening to others form the basis of good leadership. We do not need any more disrupters on the City Council. We need true leaders who listen to island citizens. Please vote for Deets in the upcoming election.
Joseph C. Dunstan
Bainbridge Island
