Letters

Election

Vaughn’s experience is worth retaining

I have been a Snohomish PUD customer for 18 years. In all that time, there has been no better PUD Commissioner than Kathy Vaughn. Kathy has shown us strong leadership in her fight against Enron and their willful manipulation of the energy markets, causing power prices to go through the roof and robbing billions from West Coast ratepayers’ pocketbooks. Under her leadership, our PUD had the courage to stand up to the Goliath Enron. When others wanted to settle with Enron, Kathy Vaughn remained firm in her resolve to prove what Enron did was wrong. And after a five year battle, the national energy regulatory agency recently agreed with Commissioner Vaughn and issued a ruling that the PUD should not have to pay Enron one more dime.

Even with this victory, Enron is not giving up its fight against the PUD. We must keep a seasoned and courageous consumer advocate like Kathy Vaughn on the PUD Board to ensure continued strong leadership on this issue. Kathy is a fighter and has the guts to stand up for what is right. Experience counts in the big game, and for this community, Enron is as big as it gets. I urge you to give her your support and re-elect her to a third term as PUD Commissioner.

MICHAEL MAGI

Lynnwood

Teegarden will not play a balancing act

Michael Plunkett is trying to have it both ways. There is a state law (RCW 35A.12.030) which seems to caution against his serving in both positions. He should choose whether he wants to stay on the Edmonds City Council or be a PUD Commissioner.

If holding the two jobs is “legal,” is it proper? I don’t see how somebody can represent his constituents in Edmonds and ratepayers of Snohomish County in good faith at the same time. Edmonds is affected by all PUD county-wide decisions. How would a holder of two offices decide when to wear his Edmonds hat or his PUD hat?

Mr. Plunkett now supports “environmentalist” Initiative 937 after the signature gathering campaign is over and just in time to run for PUD Commissioner.

Does he have any engineering experience that he can apply to the position as PUD Commissioner? This is something we need to plan for the future of our utility with growing population, and limited power available to us.

Do we want to have a single person, no matter how well qualified, assuming two demanding positions of public responsibility?

We need somebody who understands technology and the electricity markets to keep us out of more Enron debacles. This is why I am voting for Eric Teegarden for District 2 PUD Commissioner.

CLIFF WELLS

Lynnwood

Teegarden calling for renewable sources

In the race for PUD Commissioner for the 2nd District in Snohomish County we have a choice: either we can elect someone who will steer our County around the energy and environmental threats that confront us, like Eric Teegarden, or we can elect one of the familiar faces whose main concern is the accommodation of the special interests.

The major threats facing us are: Lack of adequate energy supplies to keep our society running; air and water pollution especially that causing global warming; escalating cost caused by political turmoil and depleted energy supplies

Unfortunately the present policies of the PUD are hardly addressing these threats and Eric’s opponents would hardly make the situation better. They fail to recognize the seriousness and urgency of the threats. They are too stuck in the practice of politicians and business trading favors. It is time for a change and Eric can provide that change.

Eric Teegarden’s platform calls for reorienting the PUD, so that it would focus more on conservation and renewable energy. His platform envisions, for example, subsidizing the installation of solar panels and the adoption of conservation measures in private homes and small businesses. Finally his platform encourages more public participation in policy decisions by moving the PUD meeting times to evening. Such moves would go a long way in helping us avoid the threats above.

Eric Teegarden’s background as a civil engineer and as a scientist in geophysics and environmental science has perfectly prepared him for being a PUD Commissioner.

So let us vote for someone with the will and the expertise to make policies that will secure our energy future. Vote for Eric Teegarden for PUD Commissioner.

HARRY ABBOTT

Everett

9/11

Practice making peace, not retaliating

The fifth anniversary of that terrible September day is coming up, and I struggle with how to remember.

Do I think about the horrible plane crashes, the fall of the towers and the deaths of 3,000 people? Do I react with vengeance and strike back at those who did this? Do I consider a path of non violence and seek to promote human interaction and dialogue everywhere?

Suffering love is never easy. In my struggle, I would choose “non-violence” and seek to improve understanding among and between peoples of the earth. After all, this is our only home and we are all in this together. My peace and security depends on your peace and security, my comfort depends on your comfort. We are all interconnected.

Let’s study “non violence” this year. Let’s practice peacemaking skills and reconciliation. Let’s say the word “forgiveness” and believe that it brings healing.

Mohandas Gandhi helped originate a Pledge of Nonviolence in 1906 (on Sept. 11) as he organized a resistance to apartheid. His Pledge said: “I choose to break the cycle of violence. I will seek to resolve my own conflicts without violence. I will encourage nonviolent responses to conflict by my neighbors, government, and civilians worldwide.”

This Sept. 11 may we honor those who died by pledging to do our best to be nonviolent. “Love your neighbor as your love yourself. Do to others what you wish done to you.” The cycle of retaliation and war must stop.

REV. RICHARD K. GIBSON

Lynnwood

Mountlake Terrace

Plan needs to benefit businesses, residents

I, like many other residents, am in favor of developing the downtown Mountlake Terrace Community District area.

After years of reflection and study, exhaustive surveys from residents and businessowners, and the considered expertise of highly paid consultants, the city of Mountlake Terrace implemented a responsible development plan to revitalize the downtown Mountlake Terrace Community Business District area. This plan is in serious jeopardy of being revised to allow the construction of high rise apartment buildings with less restrictive parking requirements.

The responsible development parameters currently enacted by the city of Mountlake Terrace which are in jeopardy include: Development shorter than three stories, in keeping with a character as a small user-friendly residential town. One consistent major theme gleaned from the citizen surveys was the almost unanimous opposition to high rise construction. Many wanted to implement the successful Edmonds model for downtown development, which incorporates even more stringent height requirements than allowed in Mountlake Terrace; Adequate parking with all new development – This responsible requirement was required to ensure that parking problems, endemic of so many downtown areas, are not an unfortunate byproduct of development of the Mountlake Terrace Community Business District.

With these common sense parameters in place there have been five highly successful major development projects constructed within the Downtown Community Business District. That is more development than has been observed in this area for years, the result of both reasonable development guidelines and community support.

Present development parameters adopted by the City Council should be retained, so Mountlake Terrace can continue developing in a responsible manner and in a way most residents favor. It is possible to have development that is reasonable, responsible and compatible with the unique characteristics of Mountlake Terrace that we all appreciate.

ERIC SOLL

Mountlake Terrace

Bringing more than what’s expected

Ask the citizens of Mountlake Terrace and they will tell you we are a town where someone can afford to buy a home, raise children safely and enjoy friendly neighbors. We are looking forward to enhancing what we have in a new, walkable, inviting Terrace Center with activities and amenities for citizens of all ages.

Current restrictions and the ideas being promoted will bring in a very different Terrace Center.

That center will consist of three or four floors of apartments with professional office space on the ground floor. That type of building is called mixed use and is being supported in order to increase the amount of people that Mountlake Terrace can contain.

Why would we want more people? Because there is a four-story transit station being built at 236th and I-5 that can take those people to jobs in Seattle. In the bargain, our elected officials want a new City Hall. Why?

Because the old one needs a new roof, better heating/cooling and windows. So, let’s spend eight million dollars and build an entirely new building.

And five years down the road, the Terrace Center will be apartment complexes, a new City Hall, professional offices, and one large church complex.

SHARON RIEGIE MAYNARD

Mountlake Terrace