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Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page A-5
LETTERS TO THE EDffOR
Neatherlin a
fountain of
Editor, the Journal
My husband and I have
owned property in Tahuya
River Valley Community in
North Mason since 1989.
We met Randy Neatherlin
in October 2003, when our
first road washout disaster
occurred. There were ap-
proximately 250 households
stranded inside the TRV area
for four days. We still only
have one way in and out of the
area. Randy was there help-
ing us.
Randy is a fountain of
information with knowl-
edge from attending all the
meetings he attended long
before he was a county com-
missioner. Randy has never
steered us wrong. We trust
him wholeheartedly. Any is-
sues between any department
have nothing to do )vith the
taxpayers and voters. With
one senior county commis-
sioner retiring this year, we
need someone in there that
knows what's going on. Randy
has been in that position long
enough and understood the
issues long before he was in
that chair.
We want somebody who
represents us in North Mason
with the knowledge of what's
going on in the entire county.
Randy grew up in North Ma-
son and is aware of our needs.
He has his own family grow-
ing up there as well.
We learned that in an
emergency, it's best to have
someone with knowledge
and know-how to get us
through any kind of emer-
gency.
We have always been able
to depend on Randy in the
past and still can. He has
been loyal and trustworthy
and quite honest. We are en-
dorsing Randy Neatherlin for
Mason County Commissioner.
Margie and Walter Benson
Tahuya
leads the way
Editor, the Journal
I am writing to encourage
voters to look carefully to the
future as we vote for candi-
dates to represent us in local,
state and federal positions.
There are many challenges
and the Democratic candi-
dates represent the hope for
the future. Please compare
the Republican and Demo-
cratic party platforms: For
human rights; environmental
concerns; tax fairness; good
paying; green jobs and women
and minority equality, the
Democratic platform leads the
way.
I also encourage a vote
for the creation of a separate
parks district that will focus
on the future of our county
parks, trails, recreation and
green spaces. The new com-
missioners will be able to
build upon what good has
been created and advance the
opportunities for citizens and
visitors to benefit their health
and our children's positive
outcomes.
Michael Siptroth
Belfair
We need
at the top
Editor, the Journal
There is promise and
power in the determination of
our future when we exercise
the right to vote. We get to
speak our minds and pos-
sibly set the direction of our
community when we vote our
conscience.
While many are greatly
disenchanted with the presi-
dential stage, let us not forget
the importance and impact of
local elections. The roles and
responsibilities of our locally
elected officials truly impact
our daily lives more than we
know.
This campaign has given
me insight as to what lengths
we need to take to better com-
municate and educate our
citizens on local government
process and issues. We need
to go the extra mile to reach
outto our communities; find
new ways to engage our citi-
zens in the local process; and
expand public input and par-
ticipation.
We need true leadership
at every level of government.
Leadership is more than just
stepping up to the micro-
phone. Leadership is trust,
character and communica-
tion.
I believe that in this elec-
tion cycle, we need to look at
our local leaders and decide
who we trust, whose charac-
ter we respect, and whether
they communicate honestly.
Leadership is not easy, but it
is necessary to move forward
as a county and a commu-
nity.
Let's think about the fu-
ture of Mason County. Let's
create a vision that is bold
in nature and careful in
planning. Instead of getting
drawn into public disputes,
let's turn our energy to hav-
ing a greater sense of compas-
sion for others and invest in
our communities.
We have an opportunity
to change the direction of our
local leadership in the hopes
of finding solutions and strat-
egies for sometimes complex
local issues and concerns.
"I believe that voting is the
first act of building a com-
munity as well as building a
country." (John Ensign)
I ask for your vote for Kel-
ley McIntosh for county com-
missioner District 1 on Nov. 8.
Jean Farmer
Allyn
Shutty not
tenured enough
to serve
Editor, the Journal
A past article in the
March 10 Journal featured
an interview with an aspir-
ing county commissioner
candidate who seeks to pro-
vide "affordable housing,
public safety and open and
transparent government for
our community." He seeks
to do this having lived in
District 2 (Union) for a little
more than a year.
He stated, "I think com-
missioner (Tim) Sheldon has
provided a stable voice and he
certainly brings experience,
and I want to take up where
he left off."
Unfortunately, he failed to
check Sheldon' record as a
part-time county commission-
er. The attendance records
reveal the many occasions on
which Sheldon failed to meet
with the other commissioners
or signed in and walked out to
do his "other job in Olympia."
This double dipping is paid
for by Mason County taxpay-
ers.
It doesn't take a genius
to determine that a brief
residence in Union won't
do what is needed after
this lengthy neglect and
self-service conduct of the
incumbent whom he seeks to
emulate.
Roslynne Reed, also a can-
didate, was born in District 2,
is a Skokomish Tribal mem-
ber, a member of the Hood
Canal School Board, a land-
owner and a small business
entrepreneur.
She has served with and
continues supporting numer-
ous volunteer organizations.
Working with the local tribal
economic development effort
to increase economic resourc-
es is her passion.
Unfortunately, for Mr.
Shutty, an affable, friendly
newcomer, he has fixed his
gaze on the wrong star.
Doug Sayan
Agate
Opportunity
for progress in
Mason County
Editor, the Journal
Strangely, most of my
closest friends are very con-
servative. They have some
admirable values and I have
great respect for them, but
in my mind, they are missing
something. They tend to like
the status quo.
I think rather than living
in the past, we should accept
the reality of daily change,
and take advantage of it in a
progressive process.
Here are some things to
consider, support and make
happen in our community:
1. An ongoing plan for a
four-lane state Route 3 from
the connection in Bremerton,
bypassing Belfair and over-
land to U.S Highway i01,
continuing as four lanes to
connect south of Shelton.
2. If item i is still in the
future, then the existing state
Route 3 needs a middle lane
at Johns Creek and Deer
Creek business areas, and
the dangerous Johns Prairie
intersection needs reconfigu-
ration. Our current state rep-
resentatives claim that funds
generated here are going
other places.
3. The Lynch Road inter-
section reconfiguration on
U.S. 101 is continually post-
poned. Get it done.
4. Aggressive cleanup of the
swampy lakes along U.S. 101
north of Shelton that were left
with dumped pollutants from
the Rayonier Inc. pulp mill in
the 1950s.
5. Cleanup of the original
garbage dump at the west end
of C Street.
6. Support of the proposed
business and residence devel-
opment west of U.S. 101 in
north Shelten.
7. Expand the two-lane ex-
periment on Railroad Avenue
in Shelton.
8. With the flower baskets
provided by the Chamber of
commerce, and other vegeta-
tion, Railroad Avenue really
looks great. Don't step now.
9. Expand downtown Shel-
ton and the waterfront area
for a tourism market.
10. Replace the narrow
Goldsborough Creek bridge on
First Street.
11. A good activity for the
chamber could be to encour-
age businesses in the area
to enhance their integrity as
leaders of change, setting ex-
amples for others by commit-
ting to the following:
a. Stop the silliness of a
product priced at $29.99 when
$30 would work just fine. Al-
though it's been generally ac-
cepted through the years and
taught in marketing college
courses, it's manipulative,
kind of insulting to customers,
and shows a lack of integrity,
and the lack of courage to
change it by its users. Keep it
simple.
b. Service stations in Ma-
son County: Please go a step
beyond item (a) above, and
lead the country by eliminat-
ing the idiotic nine-tenths
of 1 percent supplement on
the price of a gallon of gas.
Again, it's manipulative. It's
been around since the 1930s.
At about $2.70 a gallon, do
people really care? Keep it
simple.
Some folks will probably
consider the above to be ram-
blings of an old geezer and
there's probably some truth
to that.
Obviously, there are other
pressing needs to be consid-
ered, but Ill bet citizens in
our area have some even bet-
ter goals than the ones I've
listed.
Lee Hatch
Agate
about taxes
with Prop. 1
Editor, the Journal
After reading the letter
from Neal Winders, it's ap-
parent that Mr. Winders does
not get it at all. I did not ex-
pect scare tactics concerning
families, kids and recreation.
Please, Mr. Winders, what
people are concerned about
is how this proposition got
on the ballot and the costs to
taxpayers of the county. I like
parks and recreation, how-
ever your $30 to $40 a year
for the average taxpayer con-
cerns many owners of prop-
erty here in Mason County.
Many of us will exceed that
number by $100, and what
will we get except another
layer of government? We have
a parks department. Let's
hold the commissioners ac-
countable so they may not di-
vert funds from parks into the
Belfair sewer mess. Where
are the timely public meet-
ings that were also not held
prior to Prop. 1 appearing
on our ballots? Was this sup-
posed to fly under the radar?
We have commissioner
Neatherlin up for election.
Let's not return him to office
for another term. What in the
world are we creating here?
Until we get more public
timely input into this Prop. 1
and know more about it, there
is only one choice. Vote no.
Roy Kleiven
Grapeview
see lETTERS,-page A-6