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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
October 27, 2016     Shelton Mason County Journal
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October 27, 2016
 
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Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 KOMEN COMMENT Save McNeil Island for peo- ple, not sex predators. It is an astonishing waste and misuse of this pre- cious Puget Sound jewel that it remains a penal colony. McNeil Island's use as a prison to hold a few dozen sex-crime convicts is an insult to the park-loving, law- abiding people of the state. "That lovely isle in the heart of the South Sound." So went the poetic description by Bill Barker of Shelton. That was a year ago By JOHN in a letter he wrote to KOMEN a Tacoma newspaper. And still nothing has changed. McNeil Island remains a prison island, and so it has been used and abused for more than a century. Here are 4,409 acres of open space and 12 miles of pris- tine shoreline right in the center of populous Puget Sound. And the public is denied access. Promises to preserve McNeil Island as a park for the enjoy- ment of the millions jammed into the crowded I-5 corridor have never been kept. Each year the Washington Legislature is reminded of its abysmal failure to add the island to the state parks system. The promise was made 36 years ago to remove the prison onus from historic McNeil Is- land. It was nearly 40 years ago the federal government finally shut down the infamous peni- tentiary. The island was turned over, gratis, to the state of Washing- ton, providing at last an open door toward public use. But the state, faced with a shortage of cells to house a growing num- ber of criminals, .first used the decrepit prison as a temporary state penitentiary. It was a way for the state to sidestep political volleys of nimbyism. Full-blown "not in my backyard" protests erupted each time the state suggested a possible site for a new prison. So they took the easy way and kept the island as an out-of-sight prison colony. Even so, the state had to real- ize the park potential presented by the defunct federal island penitentiary. A governor's task force was appointed to outline the island's potential for public use. And in 1980 it published its report that declared McNeil Island represented "a natural resource irreplaceable at any price." It was clear, said the report, "McNeil Island is truly a unique place that the citizens of the state of Washington can enjoy in its natural set- ting for generations to come." The promise was made -- McNeil Island should be a state park. It is a promise that has not been kept. The use of the island as a full- scale state penitentiary was long • ago discarded. Millions of dollars of taxpayers' money had been spent to upgrade the old federal prison for temporary state use. The convicts were moved out, and the investment in tax dol- lars were wasted. Still remaining on the island is a small sexual predators unit, a Special Commitment Center, to house sex offenders deemed not trustworthy to be released on parole. So 4,409 acres of the public's prime waterfront prop- erty is left to the exclusive use of convicted sex predators. Here the "nimby" phenom- enon should rightly come into play an eyesore prison? "Not in my backyard," would be the South Sound response. A park for the people? You bet. In this space a year ago, Washington's legislators were challenged to meet the state's promise and transform Puget Sound's Alcatraz into the crown jewel of state parks. The chal- lenge is still there as Washing- ton's lawmakers prepare for their 2017 session. • John Komen, who lives on Mason Lake, was for 40 years a reporter and editor, television news executive and anchorman, national network TV news cor- respondent, producer, columnist, editorial writer and commenta- tor. His column, Komen Com- ment, appears each week in the Shelton-Mason County Journal. JOURNAL EDITORIAL Some high-profile political candidates continue to claim widespread voter fraud is threatening to undermine this year's general election. Those candidates, most notably Don- aid Trump, continue to spread ideas that elections are "rigged" and predetermined by government officials. Trump even said during the most recent presidential debate that he might not accept the outcome of the presidential race if he doesn't win. While we understand supporters of either political party, Republican or Demo- " crat, will vote for the candidate who they think would do the best for the country -- or city, state or district -- we can't condone comments made by candidates who imply or state that our entire democratic process somehow favors one candidate or party over the other. Kim Wyman, the Washington Secretary of State, called the rhetoric "irresponsible and threatens to undermine voter confi- dence on the most basic foundation of de- mocracy." Wyman, a Republican, went on to say every eligible ballot will be handled secure- ly, and tabulated carefully and accurately. Closer to home, Mason County Audi- tor Karen Herr told Journal reporter Michael Heinbach last week that her department is there to answer any ques- tions you may have about the voting pro- cess -- to us, that means that if you're at all skeptical about the process, give her office a call. "We want to make sure every eligible voter has that opportunity to vote," she said. We know many Mason County residents are skeptical of our politicians and how our government officials spend our money. You should be it's your money. But anyone who has volunteered to serve as an election judge knows that charges of a "rigged system" are laughable. Our hard-working election officials -- county, state and otherwise take pride in the work they do to ensure that our elec- tions are accurate. Small, isolated instances of voter fraud across the United States, as well as inaccu- rate rhetoric, shouldn't keep you from your civic responsibility to vote. Your vote does matter. It's the founda- tion of our free society. SHELTON-MASON COUNTY USPS 492-800 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Meson County Journal, Re. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Published weekly by the Mason County Journal at 227 W. Cota St., Shelton, Washington. Mailing address: P.O. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584 Telephone: (360) 426-4412 Website: www.masoncounty.com Periodicals postage paid in Shelton, Washington. The Mason County Jouma/ is a member of the Washington News- paper Publishers Association. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: $42 per year ($33 for six months) for-Mason County addresses; $56 per year ($43 for six months) in the state of Washington but outside Mason County; and $66 per year ($53 for six months) out of state. Owned and published by Shelton-Mason County Journal, Inc. Publisher: Tom Mullen Newsroom: Adam Rudnick, editor Gordon Weeks, reporter Brianna Loper, reporter Michael Heinbach, reporter Alexandria Valdez, sports reporter Advertising: John Lester, ad manager Brittany Haddock, ad representative Theresa Murray, ad representative Front office: Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper Dave Pierik, circulation and classifieds manager Delivery: Paul Kinnaird, Gary Larimer Composing room: William Adams, technology and design manager Linda Frizzell, graphics All editorial, advertising and legal deadlines are 5 p.m. the Monday prior to publication To submit a letter to the editor, email adam@masoncounty.com.