What economic crisis?

If you were thinking that Snohomish County might try to do something to help the local economy, think again. While there are people working at Planning and Development Services who will actually try to help you (Roxanne Pilkenton is one example), there are a whole host of others who will do everything in their power to prevent any reasonable construction. They ignore Supreme Court rulings, state code, and even parts of the Americans with Disabilites Act. They interpret the codes in the narrowest, most short-sighted approach possible, making any small business construction so expensive that it causes business to fold under the weight of bloated loans to comply with all the requirements they come up with. When someone wants to build a single project, they hit you with every requirement the law allows, but let the big developers slide on some of those same requirements.

And don’t bother asking the county executive for any help. His staff does a wonderful job of keeping him insulated behind his bullet-proof glass so the common person never gets a chance to talk to him.

George Schlosser

Lake Stevens