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| November 3, 2011 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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JOURNALEDITORIAL
to pay the bills and feed them- struggling families to achieve
It's a small price to pay selves and/or their families, sobriety, stability and succesS.
The new tax, which is already
being collected in 17 other coun-
In a split vote Tuesday morn- decision in these trying econom- ties in the state, will allow for
ing, Mason County commission- ic times• the creation of a local dependen-
ers voted to approve a one-tenth Perhaps, though, it is neededcy court to handle child abuse
of I percent sales tax increase now more than ever. and neglect cases that stem from
fbr mental health and substance Folks struggling with chemi- broken homes where a mom, dad
abuse programs, cal dependency and mental or other guardian struggles with
We congratulate Lynda Ring health issues are likely evenaddiction or mental illness.
Erickson and Steve Bloomfield more vulnerable with limited ac- Dependency courts have a
tbr making a tough, but sound cess to employment and money strong track record of helping
the mental, physical, emotional
and spiritual balance needed to
And a one-tenth of i percent,be productive members of our
sales tax increase, which works society.
out to 5 cents on a $50 purchase, Those very people that are
is a small price to pay for thgt. struggling and may not even
Folks in the throes of addiC-
tion or mental illness will, oH
course, still be held account~
able for their actions, but this
miniscule tax increase will h~lp
give them the tools they neec~ to
reclaim their lives and achieye
know it, let alone understand
why, are our friends, neighbors,
parents and siblings. They not
only need our help, they deserve
it. And our love. And, as it turns
out, a couple of cents here and
there, too.
LETTERSTOTHEEDITOR
y gins, but in the meantime,
E ect Gar the child poverty rate is on
the rise, foreclosures are
Cronce on the rise and child home-
lessness is on the rise.
It is time we vote with
Editor, the Journal our dollars, take our
I write to enthusiasti- money and mortgages out
cally encourage you to of these banks, and invest
support Gary Cronce who them in small local banks
seeks election for city may- and credit unions that
or this November. So much have a vested interest in
of our city growth has been local economies•
forfeited due to regulations Join us in solidarity
and policy, which discour- with Occupy Wall Street,
ages new businesses. The Occupy Olympia (going
laborious task of negotiat- on in Heritage Park right
ing through this process now) and all those who
(permits, regulations, have fallen victim to this
costs) has taken its toll on greed base plutocracy. Also
Katherine Price
Shelton
much needed city growth, come down to Heritage
Gary Cronce has a long Park in downtown Olympiaclothing• In fact, the Com-
track record as a success- this Saturday at noon tomonwealth of the North-
fhl businessman. He has take part in a rally against ern Marian Islands was
many years under his belt the big bank takeover ofallowed to use the Made
of negotiating through red our democracy• There will in USA label on their prod-
cape. He is willing and able be a number of speakers,ucts and export them to
~o address needed change live music and food for all. the USA duty free. In 1999
to help Shelton be a friend legislation to close this
~o new business, which Miles Nowlinloophole was introduced in
will promote much needed Olympia Congress, as Saipan Scam,
vibrancy to our local but it died in committee.
economy• I have personally (Search Abramoff, Inc.)
worked with Gary on sev- I am ashamed to ad-
eral community enhance- 0cc u py mit to still going back to
ment projects and know Macy's since we enjoy a
firsthand how effective he comfortable union/manage-
can be in advancing posi- Shelton on ment negotiated pension.
rive change. The last time I was there
As a long time Mason
County resident, I have NOV. 1 1 it occurred to me that I
probably couldn't find one
been inspired by the deci- single item in the entire
sion Gary has made to Editor, the Journal store that the range of
run for Mayor of Shelton Shelton is joining the Oc- customers that shop there
and would encourage hiscupy Movement. couldn't do without for
endorsement. I know what Come join with other maybe six months or even
a difference he will make citizens who are in the 99 a year. How about the
tbr assisting growth in the percent on Nov. 11, 2011thought of boycott? That,
greater downtown commu-(11/11/11) at 11:11 a.m. We of course, would bring on
nity. will be meeting at the Shel- lay-offs, more job losses• It
ton clock tower on Railroad, brings to mind what Pogo
Pastor Glen Keeffe and we hope that ALL resi- said, "We've found the
Shelton dents who are not in theenemy and it's us." Let's
privileged 1 percent will blame this whole thing on
join us. whoever bought the first
M ov e y o u r Please bring your signs, Volkswagen.
your friends and your fam-
ily and join in the discus- Charles L. Winne
money on sion. Shelton
Saturday Cronce is
Editor, the Journal
This Saturday, Nov. We are the
5, is national Move Your
Money Day in solidarity
with the 99 percent and enemy
Occupy Wall Street. We,
the 99 percent, are fed up Editor, the Journal
with the richest 1 percent The increasing pace of
in this countryy owning the Occupy Wall Street
25 percent of the nation's demonstrations fills the
wealth, and we are sick media. I wonder, though,
and tired of the big Wall if maybe we haven't all
Street banks (namely Bank contributed to the problem
of America, JP Morgan of inequality. At least 15 to
Chase, Citi Group and 20 years ago I was with my
Wells Fargo) foreclosing wife at the Bon Marche,
on our working, underem- now Macy's, while she was
ployed and unemployed shopping for some ladies
families, denim shirts to be given
'We are fed up with as Christmas presents. As
banks that have taken I waited, I wandered all
bailout tax dollars from through several ladies and
our pockets with no return men's departments. I found
to our families. The White myself looking to see where
House and the mainstream the different garments
media tells us the reces- were made China, Philip-
sion is over. This is false, pines, India and Thailand
It may be true for too big to to list a few. This is the
fail banks and Wall Street truth, the only indication
corporations who are mak- of made in USA was on
ing landmark profit mar- the tag for sweat-suit type
the right
choice
Editor, the Journal
The city of Shelton is
due for a new attitude --
one that is business friend-
ly. Shelton needs to help
those who want to bring
business to Shelton instead
of throwing all sorts of ob-
stacles in their way. Exist-
ing businesses often don't
make upgrades to their
properties because of the
requirements the city plac-
es on them. However, when
the city does a project they
don't follow their own bur-
densome policies because
it costs too much they say.
For example the road up-
grades on Cota Street and
the street repairs on the
sewer projects didn't come
close to city standards.
In this next election, the
city voters have a chance
to change the leadership
style of the city commis-
sion. I have known Gary
Cronce for over 20 years.
He is experienced at run-
ning a business even in
Shelton. He is a man that
is not timid to speak up
for changes that need to be
made. Gary would bring a
fast approach to city lead-
ership. He wants to see
existing businesses invest
more and new ones come to
town. When the ballots are
cast vote Cronce for Mayor.
Andrew Spear
Shelton
Cronce -
the Road
Warrior
Editor, the Journal
Gary Cronce is my man
for mayor. Here is why:
he has a history of hon-
esty and integrity in the
construction business and
served as president of the
Washington Homebuilder
Association. He is a man
of purpose who locks onto
objectives like a pitbull
and sees them through to
completion. He is not just
project-oriented but he is
also people-oriented. He
plans to make streets a
priority. Is it an impos-
sible dream to imagine
the repair of the broken
asphalt, washboard,
gravel and dirt roads in-
side our city limits? Does
it seem right that my car
gets more wear and tear
in town than it does on
county roads?
Two examples of the
worst and busiest streets:
one block on Cota Street
between Front ant] First;
several blocks on K Street
in front of Mountain View
School. What a poor first
impression for people
from out of town who are
trying to find the hospi-
tal?
The mayor and the com-
missioners should make
this a budget priority.
I believe Gary Cronce
will lead the way as the
next mayor of Shetton.
Dennis Teague
Shelton
Program threatens habitat
By BILL]( FRANK JR.
Salmod are on the same downward trend as the
amount and quality of their habitat, and until we
turn that around, there's little hope for their recov-
ery.
The tri~es believe the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers'
• I . .
streamlined nationwide permit system for bulkhead
construction and other shorehne changes is making it
too easy to damage and destroy
important nearshore salmon habi-
I ....................... ........................ I tat in western Washington. We
............ I think a change is needed.
I
....................................... Disappearing and damaged
~habitat are the main causes for
the decline of wild salmon in
western Washington. The tribes
believe the Corps is encouraging
habitat damage and destruction by
streamlining the process to allow
BILLY property owners to, in some cases,
FRANK JR. build the very same structures
that we are working to remove as
part of salmon recovery efforts.
That means the federal government is working against
itself. It's why we are calling on the leadership to line
up agency action and make salmon recovery a reality.
Bulkhead construction, dredging, filling and other
shoreline changes are often regulated by the U,S.
Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water
Act through a fast track nationwide permit system.
As long asI a property owner meets the conditions of
these permits, they are automatically re-authorized
with little !public review. There's also little consider-
ation of how multiple projects in a certain area might
result in greater habitat damage.
The Clean Water Act says that the Corps can't
authorize the permits if they cause more than minor
harm to tl~e marine ecosystem alone, or combined.
Yet with little or no study of the possible effects of
the program, the Corps is getting ready to allow an-
other five years of fast track shoreline changes.
We think that's wrong and we are calling on the
Corps to n~ake a change. We are asking the Corps to
take into cbnsideration the special needs of salmon and
the loss of nearshore habitat in western Washington.
We're not asking the Corps to stop issuing permits
for shoreline work nationwide, but rather for the Se-
attle District Office to switch to an individual permit
system that acknowledges the need to protect and
restore salmon habitat in western Washington.
We're not alone. The National Marine Fisheries
Service, [~.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, Washington Depart-
ment of Flsh and Wildlife, and the Puget Sound
Partnership are all calling for similar change.
While we hold no hope for salmon recovery under
the federal Endangered Species Act, we believe that
aligning the work of federal agencies affecting salm-
on recovery offers the best chance for success. We
also believe that this approach offers the best protec-
tion of ou~ treaty-reserved fishing rights, which are
based on t~e fact that there must be salmon for us to
harvest. Protecting those rights is the truest respon-
sibility of the federal government.
The Corps' nationwide streamlined permit process
might make sense in other parts of the country, but
,
not here. s isn t the Mississipp~ R~ver or Florida.
They don ~ have salmon• We do, and they re in trouble.
If we ar~ going to recover salmon, we have to stop dam-
aging and destroying salmon habitat. The Clean Water Act
• I , . .
xs clear. By !contmulng to ~ssue these types of permits for
shoreline c.hanges, the Corps is saying that these projects
aren't causing harm, and that's just not true. We can't recov-
er salmon if we keep losing and damaging salmon habitat.
As a stqtement from the NWIFC chairman, this
column represents the interests and concerns of treaty
Indian tribes throughout western Washington.
CORRECTION
Last w~ek's "Journal of Record" included a small
typo. The #ntry should have said that an individual
reported that an employee had been peeping on res-
idents at a health and rehabilitation center in the
2400 block of North 13th Street.
USPS 492-800
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County Journal, RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
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at 227 West Cota Street, She!ton~ Washington
Mailing address: RO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584
Telephone (360) 426-~412 • www.masoncounty.com
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Newsroom: Harvey Morris, ad representabve
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environment, reporter
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Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 3,2011