09/26/2007: "Loss Of Local Control Is Appalling"

To the Editor:

A few years ago San Juan County citizens were successful in stopping the loss of local control to the federal government on the stewardship of our county waters and shorelines to a National Marine Sanctuary. It was through the federal government’s considerable hearings to inform the San Juan County general public that the proposal was rejected by the locals. The effort by most of our county council to once again give up local control to a bigger bureaucracy is absolutely appalling. This is a true under handed back door route to putting more layers of red tape and COST in front of any project around our county and our local county politicians won’t have to take the heat for the future layers of restrictions since it will be “OUT OF OUR HANDS”.

The three former county commissioners in particular are hand picked puppets of the “Friends of the San Juans” and I would speculate that if they weren’t so blatantly serving this special interest, the voters would not have been so disgusted as to have desperately adopted a new Home Rule form of government.

Thanks Alan, Kevin and Bob!

Mike Carlson
San Juan Island