NASCAR getting special treatment

Recently two articles on the front page of your paper reported on a public meeting regarding the proposed NASCAR track in north Marysville and actions by a state board regarding a proposed car lot at Island Crossing.

It appears that the NASCAR proposal has the complete support of the county executive and his staff, as well as all elected Marysville officials.

At the same time the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board has once again denied actions by local officials to allow Dwayne Lane to place a car lot at Island Crossing. Their reasoning is that this area should stay in farming and a car lot would make the area more prone to flooding.

Am I missing something here? Would not a 600-acre NASCAR site on land that already has a water table problem not make that area much more prone to flooding?

The Growth Management Act was supposedly enacted to protect farm and forest land from urban development. While Gov. Gary Locke has remained silent on the NASCAR proposal, his appointed Growth Management Hearings Board continues to deny our local elected officials and a local businessman the opportunity to expand his business which would generate more tax revenue for our local governments. While the County Council supports the proposal by Dwayne Lane, it would be nice if our county executive and his staff were working as hard on the Island Crossing issue as they appear to be on the NASCAR proposal.

Of course, Gov. Locke and his cronies in the Legislature have no trouble finding money for a baseball stadium the voters rejected, while at the same time eliminating voter-approved funding for education programs. So based on history, one can expect that we taxpayers will once again have to pay more taxes so a few race car enthusiasts can have a new facility built by the taxpayers.

DONALD R. WLAZLAK

Marysville

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

toon
Editorial cartoons for Friday, Feb. 7

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Curtains act as doors for a handful of classrooms at Glenwood Elementary on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Schools’ building needs point to election reform

Construction funding requests in Arlington and Lake Stevens show need for a change to bond elections.

Schwab: Trump proves not as bad as feared; it’s worse

Taking food and medicine from kids; surrendering control to Musk; is this what you voted for?

Keep necessary homeless service program at its Everett location

Regarding The Herald’s front-page coverage of the Hope ‘N Wellness community services… Continue reading

We can’t afford the rich not paying their fair share

In a recent column, Todd Welch claims that a wealth tax on… Continue reading

Can we find a politically moderate path, please?

I was just wondering what happened to the moderates. I am a… Continue reading

Kristof: World’s richest men take on world’s poorest people

Trump says the USAID is run by ‘radical lunitics.’ Is saving countless lives now lunacy.

FILE- In this Nov. 14, 2017, file photo Jaìme Ceja operates a forklift while loading boxes of Red Delicious apples on to a trailer during his shift in an orchard in Tieton, Wash. Cherry and apple growers in Washington state are worried their exports to China will be hurt by a trade war that escalated on Monday when that country raised import duties on a $3 billion list of products. (Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File)
Editorial: Trade war would harm state’s consumers, jobs

Trump’s threat of tariffs to win non-trade concessions complicates talks, says a state trade advocate.

A press operator grabs a Herald newspaper to check over as the papers roll off the press in March 2022 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald file photo)
Editorial: Push back news desert with journalism support

A bill in the state Senate would tax big tech to support a hiring fund for local news outlets.

Jayden Hill, 15, an incoming sophomore at Monroe High School is reflected in the screen of a cellphone on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Students need limits on cellphones in school

School districts needn’t wait for legislation to start work on policies to limit phones in class.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, Feb. 6

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Lake Stevens school bond funds needed safety work at all schools

A parent’s greatest fear is for something bad to happen to their… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.