On one hand, we think we might have been too tough on Friday Harbor Mayor Carrie Lacher last week. In our editorial, “Continue to move forward — together,” we said the mayor “should have been aware of the state of her fire department and the sense of urgency regarding the need for an agreement” with Fire District 3 for fire protection services. District 3 commissioners deserved a proportionate share of noogie. It’s clear commissioners didn’t understand how town government works, with its established processes and its multiple issues of concern. Two of three commissioners tried to force their issue — a proposed contract for fire protection services — with tough talk and threats of not responding to fires in town. They could have gone to a Town Council meeting the next day and expressed their concerns, but chose not to. Whatever happened to just picking up the phone?
This editorial was written before the Friday Harbor Town Council voted Nov. 9 on an agreement that essentially hires Fire District 3 to provide “administrative, training and operational services for fire protection” within the town limits. In short, the agreement ensures fire protection service within the town limits, overseen by Fire District 3, until consolidation of the town and district fire departments is decided. It also provides for compensation for Fire District 3 for providing those services.
County Councilman Rich Peterson has had a formidable challenger in Laura Jo Severson. But his experience gives him the edge in this election. The council is in the middle of a lot of work on solid waste, the Critical Areas Ordinance update, and balancing the budget. This is a critical time. Peterson should be reelected.
The San Juan Islands are fortunate to have two very qualified candidates for sheriff. Each is a good, solid, experienced cop. Deputy Rob Nou and Lead Detective Brent Johnson have had similar career experiences — Nou in an rural environment, Johnson in an urban environment — and both are involved in the community. Nou is 51 with 29 years of law enforcement experience; Johnson is 55 with 35 years of experience. Both have undergraduate degrees in law enforcement-related fields. Both have been administrative sergeants who led special assignments and details. But Nou has more advanced education and relevant management experience — as an FBI National Academy graduate, as a de-facto police chief in two communities that contracted for sheriff’s services, as a municipal chief of police, and as director of a 911 center serving one of the largest counties geographically in the U.S.
Nou would bring fresh leadership and a fresh perspective to a job that has been held by the same occupant for 24 years. We urge islanders to vote for him on Nov. 2.
The prospect of a Subway food franchise locating in Friday Harbor has sparked a vigorous debate over the impact such an enterprise would have on island culture. As the Friday Harbor Town Council learned when it updated its sign ordinance, you can’t keep a business from locating at a site if it meets applicable laws. To not allow a business to locate here for no other reason than we don’t like that kind of business ownership model is discriminatory. But this can be legislated: A community can influence what a business looks like; Leavenworth is an example. A community can prevent Golden Arches from being erected by writing a sign ordinance. A community can control litter commonly associated with a certain business by adopting an anti-litter law.
Friday Harbor Fire Chief Vern Long has been on medical leave since Aug. 18. He reportedly told town officials he expected to be back on the job Sept. 20, but as of this posting is still out. Meanwhile, the town has hired a Seattle law firm to investigate concerns about Long’s leadership, raised in a letter of no confidence filed by a firefighter and four fire officers who resigned.
The mud and the water have always been a source of food. But when we start to see shorelines and rivers not as places where we get our food, but where we can make money developing property for the best views and highest value, we dishonor the importance of our surroundings. When pollution has gotten so bad that we can’t fish or harvest shellfish from our home waters, we start depending on food from other sources, sometimes thousands of miles away. Folks down on the Gulf Coast are going through that right now.
Come January 2011, the only transfer station in the San Juans could be on Orcas Island. That cannot be the only solution to county’s Solid Waste Division’s financial woes. The $5 recycling fee is one step (it will raise some $240,000 in 15 months, offsetting some $300,000 in annual recycling expenses). Working with Friday Harbor to get the town back into the system is another (the town paid $662,584 into the system in 2008-09).
Brent Johnson and Rob Nou want to be the next sheriff of San Juan County — the first new sheriff in 24 years. In their own words, the sheriff is the face and voice of the Sheriff’s Office. Nou: The sheriff articulates the philosophy of the office, the vision of that office, sets the tone for what that service looks like. The sheriff interfaces with the County Council, Town Council, builds and develops relationships with agencies in the region, provides overall guidance of the office. Johnson: The sheriff gives the department direction, is a good role model, writes the budget, interacts with elected officials. The sheriff oversees emergency management and 911. The sheriff’s office is a soapbox from which the sheriff can help different activities that affect island life. Learn more about these candidates at upcoming forums. Ask them about their priorities, and how they will manage the law enforcement and budgetary challenges of the next four years.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, fear has been the main engine of change in the United States. Who would have thought that across the U.S., where people boast that it is the home of the free and the land of the brave, people would gladly surrender their freedom and liberty because they so fear terrorism? Who would have thought that the U.S. would allow, much less pay for, the National Security Agency to intercept and store 1.7 billion emails, phone calls and other communications — every single day — and pay for 30,000 people to listen in on phone conversations in the name of fighting the fear of terrorism?
We likely all know by now that family farmers on our ferry-dependent islands provide us with “food security”. They produce meat, poultry, eggs and dairy, from well-fed healthy animals. They grow grains, fruits and vegetables using safe methods which also build our soils and make them more and more productive as the years go by. In addition, they provide jobs for local people, and they strengthen our economy.
San Juan County children returned to school Sept. 1. With youngsters going to and from school on our local streets, it’s a good idea to be extra cautious when driving. And parents, make sure your children know the safety rules for traveling by bicycle, bus and foot to and from school. The San Juan County Fire Marshal shares these safety tips from FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
It’s raining hard today — Sept. 1 — the first heavy rain we’ve seen in a while, and it makes me feel good. The air is clean, the fish are moving up the rivers and the dust of summer is being washed away. The end of summer is a good time to look back at what we’ve accomplished recently in restoring and protecting salmon and their habitat here in western Washington. I believe we are on the road to success. The milestones are adding up.