I’m hoping that changes can be made in this election that will help us address several problems miring down our current County Council — our tendency toward paralysis by analysis, a risk aversion that has precluded timely forward movement on vital public projects (Solid Waste!) and a lack of egalitarian respect for the priorities of the public (Brickworks and undermining the Land Bank) and advisory boards.
As a career manager, I recognize the importance of careful fact-finding and analysis, but I also know that successful action requires respect for the input of the team and a willingness to move forward. Not every member of the council seems to have this characteristic and we are all paying the price.
I have therefore decided to vote for Laura Jo Severson for District 2 San Juan County Council, at least in part, because I feel she has the intelligence and mettle to move us off the dime and make the hard decisions. She gets things done — well and efficiently — and is far more “steel” than “magnolia.”
Joanruth Baumann
San Juan Island
