We are writing in response to Julie Muhlstein’s May 6 column (“No corner of county is safe from change”). While Ms. Muhlstein’s basic premise regarding the inevitability of change is certainly true in most instances, the analogies she draws between the recent events on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, the Lynnwood Convention Center and Providence Everett Medical Center and the potential addition of commercial airline service at Paine Field fail miserably. She clearly hasn’t done her homework on at least one of these issues (Paine Field) or has simply decided against presenting the facts.
In the case of Paine Field, as property surrounding the airport was being developed nearly 30 years ago, the neighboring communities sought assurances about the role of the airport from Snohomish County. The county concluded that the airport should be used primarily for general aviation, such as light aircraft, and for industrial purposes such as the Boeing Co. The intention was spelled out in documents referred to as the 1978-79 Mitigated Role Determination (MRD). In essence, Snohomish County made a deal with all who live around Paine Field – past, present, and future. A deal is a deal and Ms. Muhlstein entirely missed this concept in her column.
Prior to moving to Mukilteo, we did our homework on Paine Field and investigated the MRD. The language in it was clear enough to us, and to those in authority who we interviewed, that we committed to making this city our home. It is our hope that our elected officials have enough integrity to maintain the public trust by preserving the MRD and avoid approaching the issue as Ms. Muhlstein has, by simply ignoring the facts. A deal is a deal.
Robert &Kittie Tucker
Mukilteo
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