Supporting local farmers is a key component of both a healthy community and a healthy economy. Investing in a local farmers’ market, in the downtown core, is fundamental to this effort. In Friday Harbor, a local farmers’ market in the downtown core will support our local producers, their ability to preserve agricultural land; provide them a direct marketing opportunity; provide consumers fresh, local food; create a local gathering place; provide other businesses an influx of customers, and promote tourism.
When I thought about the experiences and challenges I’d face as your state senator, I didn’t think that in my first year I’d find myself on the front lines of a fight that’s been brewing over the last 40 years. From the Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York, to the protests last year in California over the passage of Proposition 8, to rallies at state capitals this year, same-sex couples have been fighting against discrimination and working toward equality all across America — with limited success.
