he next county executive will inherit a morass of problems, including: overcrowded roads; hundreds of concrete-pit detention ponds (breeding thousands of mosquitoes); serious social problems (methamphetamine being the most visible); and enormous pressure from the development industry to permit construction – within floodways, on steep slopes, on wet ground and on virtually every unpaved inch of county land.
How did we get into this mess? Like a ship racing toward an iceberg, too many of the county’s planning resources were spent making it easier for subdivisions and short plats to be permitted and approved – using laws originally created in the 1940s and ’50s.
The rate of new housing since 1992 – and the increase in new traffic – has no historical precedent. Several county councils share responsibility for the push to accommodate new subdivisions, vast apartment complexes and megastores, but the results didn’t have to be this ugly – nor the roads this dangerous. None of this mess was inevitable.
Snohomish County needs a talented, persistent executive who can attract outstanding staff. The next county executive must enter office knowledgeable about large budgets, local governments, local businesses and regional agencies. Above all, the next executive must have strong management skills. Only one candidate meets all these criteria: Dave Earling. He’s earned my vote.
Alderwood Manor
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