Councilman Myhr, I deeply resent your highly partisan claim that it is only a “small, vocal group of Republicans” who oppose the influx of vehicles never designed or intended to operate safely on narrow, hilly, rural roads to endanger the safety of all islanders.

That statement is not only disingenuous, but is an outright falsehood.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion on this matter. But to turn this into a politically partisan issue is both dishonest and disgusting.

The partisan political divisiveness which has overtaken both Washington, D.C. and Olympia is painful enough to watch. When the citizens of this county passed the charter, they quite deliberately made the position of council member non-partisan (Section 4.10, if you want to refer to your apparently little used copy of the charter) in order to get away from such divisive and hostile political battles.

That you would now choose to politicize a matter of public safety on which Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Independents and citizens of any other political persuasion have legitimately different views shows that not only are you dismissive of the intentionally non-partisan position to which you have been elected, but that you quite callously seek to infuse the kind of political hatred and bitterness which we see on the national and state levels into what should be a responsible and deliberative island discussion.

There was a time, when you and I worked closely together on behalf of the county, that I had respect for you, Mr. Myhr. I am therefore particularly sad at this example of your trying to drive a political wedge between islanders of honestly differing opinions. You owe all islanders a heartfelt apology and a promise never again to resort to such blatant political hostility.

Christopher Hodgkin
Yacht Haven