Wait PSE
To the editor:
There was a Letter to the Editor submitted by Matt Kress, which you included in your Sept. 10 Bainbridge Island Review titled “No to PSE”. It was an informative piece talking about the “…proposed “Missing Link”, a second transmission line to the Winslow substation” and how outages on Bainbridge are more frequent (22 from 2013-17) in the older, built -in-the 1960’s Port Madison — Winslow Tap vs. the two outages on the “much newer” Port Madison — Murden Cove Tap, also a “single transmission line”.
I was glad I had saved this information as we had a sustained power outage on Bainbridge Sept. 18-19, which, in spite of power outages’ inconvenience, has me agreeing with Mr. Kress that PSE could save dollars by waiting until the Winslow Tap is updated before deciding whether or not to build the Missing Link.
Gretchen Garth
Bainbridge Island
Vote Goodlin
To the editor:
I plan to cast my vote for Tom Goodlin for a seat on the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District Board and urge my fellow islanders to do the same.
Tom has a long and distinguished record of public service that will make him a valuable addition to the parks board. He has a unique perspective on parks needs and processes arising from experiences as a consumer of park programs and as an interested party in a significant park acquisition.
As a long-time participant in Masters Swimming, Tom knows how park board decisions impact the public, and how important public participation in those decisions can be. As a youth sports coach, he knows the positive impact a good park program can have on young lives at an important time in their development.
As members of the BI Land Trust board Tom and I worked together in acquiring the Hilltop addition to the Grand Forest. Tom then took the lead in negotiating a conservation easement that was the key element allowing transfer of that property to the park district. In the process, he gained valuable experience and insight into how the park properties are managed, and the role of its board in the administration of the district. Tom culminated his land trust board service as president, a position that I know from experience requires great dedication.
Elect Goodlin to the park board, and he will serve us well.
Val Tollefson
Bainbridge Island
Vote Peltier
To the editor:
I’m voting for Ron Pelter because I know he will stand up for nature. We have a dysfunctional City Council, one willing to make silly compromises on affordable housing that put the character of the island at risk, and we need someone who will call a spade a spade and do the right thing. In Ron’s case, that’s making sure that we don’t lose the fields, forests and shoreline that gives Bainbridge Island its sense of place.
I’ve heard over and over, for many election cycles, “Vote for XXX, and he’ll make the City Council work,” and “Vote for YYY because she is an environmentalist,” only to see those people get in power and act like mean kids. With Ron, what you see is what you get. We’re not electing him as mayor, but simply as someone who will stand for the land. Forget about trying to make city government work; let’s just get someone in there who will keep city government from doing harm.
Rod Stevens
Bainbridge Island
Select Maron
To the editor:
I am excited to endorse David Maron, a longtime friend and teaching colleague, for the position of parks commissioner for Bainbridge Island. I know that David has a deep sense of appreciation for our parks and the myriad ways they bring our community together. As kids, David and I grew up playing in the woods, competing on sports fields and exploring beaches. As adults, we choose to live and teach middle school here because we share a love for the outdoors. From sailing and paddling programs to the always busy Aquatics Center, from sports fields to the winding forest trails and open spaces, from disc golf to concerts and movie nights, from summer camps to arts programs, the parks on Bainbridge are invaluable.
David believes in finding ways to preserve and improve access to existing parks and programs while planning with transparency for a community that continues to grow with youthful excitement and become increasingly active. Two years ago, David began working with the Parks’ Trails Advisory Committee to help provide guidance to the parks district. Through this role, he has developed an even stronger appreciation for how Bainbridge parks act as a crux for our community, nourishing mind and body. This perspective is critical in engaging all our residents. David knows and loves our home, and I am confident that he will continue to infuse his enthusiasm into our parks.
Cooper Rooks
Bainbridge Island
Pick Deets
To the editor:
Joe Deets is the right candidate at the right time for Bainbridge Island City Council.
The decisions our City Council is facing today determine the groundwork for the quality of life for our families in the future. There is an urgency to make sure infrastructure needs are maintained, and that we are also providing housing opportunities for young families to grow here.
We need leaders who can call the community in at a stressful time when we are facing challenges that may divide us. Joe listens inclusively and accrues support from diverse voices, which is key to garner consensus on tough decisions. Joe’s experience working alongside housing, climate, equity and business leaders makes him uniquely qualified to lead now.
The choice is clear. Joe is the right leader now.
Chasity Malatesta
Bainbridge Island
Vote Moriwaki
To the editor:
It has not been easy, lately, to find examples of effective leadership on Bainbridge. It seems that every project, no matter how attractive or necessary, succumbs to vociferous criticism and/or “further study“. Fortunately, I believe one current example of positive leadership is Clarence Moriwaki.
A few years ago I participated in the annual workday at the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. A few dozen of us swept, washed and weeded to prepare the site for the annual Day of Remembrance, March 30. Prominent among those volunteers was Mr. Moriwaki, then president of BIJAEMA, the memorial’s support organization. While I daintily extracted grass from gravel, Clarence donned waders, plunged into the stormwater pond and tackled the invasive reeds clogging the outfall. He did not rest until all of them were hauled away. It took all day. I know this only because, pricked by my conscience, I remained to help him haul long after everyone had left. He was the last one standing.
Clarence’s example of positive leadership: of choosing the difficult but necessary task, setting a goal and seeing it through to completion, is one of the reasons I will be voting to elect him to City Council in November. His integrity and demonstrated commitment to the community are two others. I hope many of you will join me. It is time for a change.
Elise Wright
Bainbridge Island
Letter wrong
To the editor:
I’m a busy farmer but must take the time to defend my friend, Polly Longworth, against false statements made against her in a recent letter to the editor by a Joe Deets’ supporter. In the letter about Ron Peltier, it claims: “His wife leveraged his position on the council to have truckloads of city wood chips delivered to their private property for mulch — using city resources that should have gone to our parks.”
That statement is false and a continuation of a malicious and unfair whisper campaign conducted against Polly and her husband, Ron Peltier. What really happened with the wood chips is well-documented in an independent report submitted to COBI on 3/12/19 (available through public records request).
Polly saw a city crew chipping up a tree next to her driveway. She asked if they would deliver it to an existing pile of chips from various tree service companies, and that’s what happened. Just one load of chips was added by the city crew. According to the report, the city workers were not even aware Polly was married to a member of the City Council.
It’s disheartening for me as a longtime resident to see our community spreading lies about good and honest people. Polly Longworth deserves both a retraction and an apology.
Betsey Wittick
Bainbridge Island
Pick Goodlin
To the editor:
I am writing to strongly support the candidacy of Tom Goodlin for Bainbridge parks commissioner. Tom has all the background, experience and strength this job requires. A lot of communities in Western Washington have fallen behind in protecting open space in the face of population growth. Here the parks district, land trust and parks foundation have made certain we have avoided that outcome. They have all stepped up to make certain special places are protected and stewarded. As a result, islanders have extraordinary access to the land. That has emerged because Tom Goodlin and scores of others have committed themselves to that outcome and have done the work that is necessary.
The commitment that Tom has demonstrated makes him an ideal candidate for parks commissioner. He can help us face the complex challenges of the future, understanding that protecting the island’s natural environment and promoting its use are works in progress. Tom is also a veteran user of the aquatic facility as well, so we can count on him to make sure those programs keep up with the needs of islanders.
In the more than 15 years I have worked with him, Tom has always been a good listener. He has asked hard questions, shown tenacity and good humor, and worked well with people expressing multiple viewpoints. The parks district is a hugely valuable island resource. Tom will help make sure that remains the case.
David Harrison
Bainbridge Island
Comments bitter
To the editor:
It’s painful when old wounds are reopened. One of mine was last weekend by a letter to the editor. How do we fight misinformation?
In a letter printed last Friday, the writer tried to explain away voters concerns about City Council candidate Ron Peltier. Though she claimed to be disputing false information about Mr. Peltier, the writer made a wildly inaccurate claim, saying: “Here is the record-supported truth: … 2) it is undisputed that the Eagle Harbor Inn owner’s claims against Ron [Peltier] were untrue…”
You can’t change history by denying the truth, and I dispute that assertion. Mr. Peltier used his position on City Council to disparage and harass me repeatedly and over many months. He denigrated me from the dais and in hundreds of letters to citizens, public officials and my colleagues. The Ethics Board took a strong stand against Mr. Peltier’s defamatory diatribes — that is on the record. City Council supported my claims and those of others he harassed — that is on the record.
Ron Peltier’s bitter comments about me were so appalling that they still cause me to blush. I withdrew my second complaint (that is on the record) and interrupted my personal defamation lawsuit against Ron Peltier (also on the record) when he announced that he wouldn’t run for re-election. Ron changed his mind but I haven’t changed mine.
Here is what is undisputed: 1) the vindictive harm inflicted by Ron Peltier, and 2) my thanks and support for Councilmember Joe Deets.
Bonnie McBryan
Bainbridge Island
No need
To the editor:
Here’s hoping that the writer who “is waiting for a decision, action or discussion” from a city official or the Bainbridge Island City Council regarding an alleged romance between two council members —never has to quit waiting.
Kudos to the city for showing decency and good sense.
Marilyn McLauchlan
Bainbridge Island
