Letters to the Editor
Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 25, 2026
TRANSIT MERGER
Everett residents deserve a vote
There are ongoing discussions about potentially consolidating Everett Transit into Community Transit, and many residents may not realize this decision could be made without a public vote.
In the past, changes of this scale typically required a vote of the people. Under current state law, however, City Council can approve annexation into a regional transit system without going to the voters, even though they still have the option to put it on the ballot. A decision that affects taxes, fares, and access to essential services should not be made without direct voter input.
Cost is a major concern. Everett residents currently pay about 0.6% in sales tax for Everett Transit, while Community Transit operates at roughly 1.2%. Fares are also higher, including for seniors and people with disabilities, who would see costs more than double per ride.
Beyond cost, there is a difference in service. Everett Transit is a locally run system that responds directly to community needs, from emergency shuttles during road closures to supporting residents displaced by fires or disasters. These community-driven responses are possible because the system is city-operated and focused on Everett.
Everett Transit also provides broader access to paratransit, including for seniors without qualifying disabilities when transit is their only option.
If this decision will impact what residents pay and how they access essential services, then Everett residents deserve the right to vote on it.
Kara Chapman
Everett
STADIUM PROJECT
The Youth Activity Account Resolution
Is the price of gas out of control?
Is going to war out of control?
Is government spending out of control?
The government — the state legislature, the county, and the city council — is taking money from kids and parks and using it to build a professional baseball stadium.
That’s nuts.
My proposal to these cities — Marysville, Lynnwood, Lake Stevens, Mountlake Terrace, Mill Creek, Edmonds, Monroe, the City of Snohomish, Snohomish County, and more — encourages the Everett City Council to find new ways to pay for the proposed new professional baseball stadium.
My proposed resolution says, “We encourage the Everett City Council to find new means to fund the new professional Stadium in downtown Everett other than funds from the Youth Activity Account.”
Will your city council and state legislator support the Youth Activity Account Resolution?
John Martin
Mountlake Terrace
STRONG START FOR WORKING FAMILIES ACT
Help families by extending the CTC
With the price of everything rising due in part to the situation in the Near East, Congress needs to help families being left behind. Increasing the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is the answer.
The CTC lifts millions of children from poverty each year. But 19 million children whose parents working in low wage jobs don’t get the full credit. Congress had the chance to fix this in the 2025 reconciliation bill but chose not to. Instead, they gave massive new tax breaks to the rich.
A new bipartisan bill — The Strong Start for Working Families Act (SSWFA) — is one way Congress can put families first. This bill makes it easier for families with low incomes to claim a higher CTC. It doesn’t go far enough, but it is a good start at rewarding families for their hard work.
I call on Representative Emily Randall and Senators Murray and Cantwell to support this bill for the 2027 budget.
Alan Newberg
Bremerton
HOMELESS
What jobs are out there?
I read Todd’s well thought out and educated story about treating the homeless and the Housing First program. I agree the solution is to qualify for help is three fold. They must be drug free, or be in a treatment program, they must be wanting to be helped, and they must be employed so they don’t feel like a worthless piece of shat. Yes shat!
My question is where are these type of entry level jobs? They are not available anymore to the downtrodden. I propose we create them. Low skill level jobs like parks dept- Public custodian, empty trash cans, pick up litter, sweep parking lots, all outdoor public services done and paid for by a city or county program. Reverse our self gas pumps back to provide station attendants to pump your gas and check your oil, clean the wind shield etc. They could remove graffiti and paint city walls. We have a crisis to deal with. Think outside the box of scary legal problems, and negative that wont work cause of blah, Blah, blah. Try it. Try something! Just trying to help.
Lawrence East
Everett
PRIDE
Is being gay a choice?
In a recent letter, Bruce Ferguson mentioned that one of the purposes of the gay parade is to recruit for the gay community. Like so many people, Mr. Ferguson seems to believe that being gay is a lifestyle choice. One does not recruit for blue eyes; one does recruit for the military.
If being gay is a lifestyle choice, that means that gay people have a choice between being sexually attracted to people of the same sex, or those of the opposite sex, and they choose to ignore their attraction to the opposite sex in favor of the same sex. If this be so, it is surely a choice that everyone must make. So I would be interested in Mr. Ferguson and his fellow “lifestyle choice” advocates letting us know exactly when and how they made the choice to ignore their sexual attraction to members of their same sex, and chose to only be attracted to members of the opposite sex.
If they have not had to make that choice—if they have only ever been attracted to the opposite sex—I don’t understand why they think gays are different. Or perhaps they could accept that being gay is not a “choice.” And they might be a little less concerned about their children being recruited to have blue eyes.
Pattipeg Harjo
Marysville
TAXES AND DEBT
High taxes and increasing debt
This is the time of year when we think a lot about our Federal taxes and national debt service. Most people start asking where is all the money going?
The 2027 projected budget requests for just the interest on our debt is $1T (one trillion dollars) and the military budget is projected to be $1.5T (one and a half trillion dollars). The military budget is greater than the sum of the military budgets of the next 5 countries combined. Our ratio of debt to GDP is the 10th highest in the world.
A large percentage of our national debt has been the costs of unfunded wars and “military actions” since the Korean War. One of the reasons that the Constitution requires Congressional approval of wars is the impact on the economy and daily life. Since the focus on tax cuts, Americans have paid for their wars with little public sacrifice and with increasing debt.
Soon Congress will have to address whether to declare war and fund the costs – which includes care of all veterans, especially the wounded and damaged.
The question will be whether the voting public will make the necessary sacrifices or whether our Congress will bow to Trump and the war he started. Remember he was the one who claimed to have obliterated Iran’s nuclear capability.
Gary McCaig
Lynnwood
