Conscientious may be a hard word for some people to spell, but John Campbell believes everyone should know what it means. What it means at his Marysville farm is that few agencies know what the word means.
When I saw his fence, I understood his frustration.
For the umpteenth time through the years, a vehicle crashed onto his property on Shoultes Road. He has taken photographs after accidents to document the damage.
After a truck smashed into his fence about a month ago, he faced the same situation as in previous cases: The sheriff investigates, the vehicle is towed away, and Campbell, 66, is left to deal with the mess.
In frustration, he put up a sign on the fence reading "Who did this?"
No one came forward, but a Marysville police officer stopped by to ask about the sign.
"That’s a conscientious public servant," Campbell said.
After 30 days, the sheriff’s records department will release the name of the culprit who was driving the truck, so Campbell can see if the driver’s insurance will cover fence repairs.
He expects he will have to clean up truck parts knocked off during the wreck. The tow truck driver was supposed to clean up that mess.
The Snohomish County PUD replaced the broken utility pole but workers left behind a chunk of old wood, a roll of tape and nuts and bolts for him to deal with.
While we surveyed the damage, Campbell pointed to another annoyance. Down a few feet from the scene of the accident, a concrete cover over a water meter was left ajar by a meter reader, he says. A pile of dirt was left where Campbell mows the lawn.
Speaking of the lawn, it’s hard to mow since the county put a foot-wide strip of gravel between the asphalt of Shoultes Road and his yard. The gravel finds its way into the grass and catches in the mower.
"People might think I’m making a big deal out of a little thing," Campbell said. "It’s just more and more difficult to have respect for these people."
Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart confirmed that tow truck operators are supposed to clean up after wrecks. Bart said that after 30 days, Campbell can call him for the information on the driver who crashed into his fence.
"Mr. Campbell can call me," Bart said. "I can’t tell you how many times we have tried to fix his problems. We’ve sent deputy after deputy. They do take pride in their jobs."
Bart used to buy cucumbers from Campbell’s produce stand called Mountain View Gardens.
"He is never happy," Bart said. "I throw my arms up in the air."
Campbell does more than voice his complaints. His land is west of Marysville-Pilchuck High School, and Campbell said vandalism and litter problems need to be addressed.
One time, he took a bread sack full of cigarette butts, reportedly left on his property by students, to a Marysville School Board meeting. He said he has tried for decades to get the school district to show respect for neighboring property.
"From the White House to the schoolhouse, when I see something that isn’t right, I try to fix it," Campbell said.
Campbell said he pays good tax money for public services to take care of problems like these.
"If it’s decided we have to sweep the streets, OK, but we pay taxes for it to be done. I’d fix potholes in the road, but we’re paying for it."
He believes schools should teach five Rs, respect, responsibility, reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic. He respected the fact that his father, who built a chicken ranch on the property in the 1920s, kept a stick on a windowsill. Campbell knew he would get a swat on the tush if he disobeyed his parents.
Short of carrying a big stick, Campbell suggested one way to make reforms.
"Free elections are a good thing," Campbell said. "We still have the opportunity to find conscientious people, have an election, and get good leadership."
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com
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