Letters to the Editor

Election ‘07

Orvis will protect small-town lifestyle

Although my wife and I have owned our house in Edmonds for almost 15 years, we have only been residents of Edmonds for less than one year. Why is that?

We are quasi-refugees from an adjacent city that is instituting an aggressive growth and development policy in the neighborhood we formerly resided in. Even though our prior residence is both nicer and bigger than our former rental we currently reside in, we needed to depart our former city of over 20 years as a result of proposed massive development with towering buildings, dramatic increase of density with accompanied problems that is planned for our former neighborhood. We chose to live in South Snohomish County as we enjoy the quiet small town lifestyle, but yet was close to a major urban center such as Seattle. That lifestyle will be significantly altered by development plans for the thousands of individuals that still reside in our former neighborhood.

As a result, we moved to Edmonds, a community that appreciates and promotes the charming small-town lifestyle we have always enjoyed. Edmonds to date has protected local neighborhoods from unsuitable development, which is often accompanied by increased noise, traffic, parking problems, crime and a loss of the small town quality of life.

It is important to support candidates such as Dave Orvis who have clearly enumerated positions and the track record of backing up those positions on future of growth in Edmonds. There is nothing more imperative than electing council members that will protect the lifestyle and quality of life both in our downtown area and our local neighborhoods. Once the small town environment most of us cherish is destroyed, other civic issues will appear somewhat irrelevant and unimportant. The pressure to increase both height and density from various sources is insatiable throughout South Snohomish County, and we require council members such as Orvis who state clearly they are willing to stand up to those pressures, and have a track record of doing just that.

Please support candidates such as Dave Orvis who will protect the city of Edmonds from overdevelopment. We don’t want to have to move (again).

Eric S. Soll

Edmonds

Enterprise behind the times in endorsement

Once upon a time, women leaders were easily dismissed, labeled “emotional,” and subjected to personal attacks not foisted upon their male counterparts. Sadly, the Enterprise has not gotten the message. The paper’s expected, pro forma endorsement of Gary Haakenson for an undeserved third term as mayor was an unfortunate lesson. Haakenson was alleged to have “skills.” Don Fiene, who has never held public office, was noted to have “experience.” By comparison, Mauri Moore was subjected to a personality analysis, brushed off with pejorative adjectives.

What’s most disturbing however is that, unlike the treatment given Haakenson and Fiene, none of Mauri Moore’s skills or accomplishments were even mentioned, nor were the real stakes in this election. Haakenson brings to the city a budget crisis, with no plan whatsoever to address it.

Mauri Moore is calling on all of us to pay attention to this serious issue. Edmonds should never have to suffer a cut in services because Gary Haakenson couldn’t deliver any leadership. Moore says it’s time to create new sources of income without raising taxes, and bring economic vitality to neighborhood centers: Firdale Village, Westgate, Perrinville, Highway 99, and Five Corners.

Mauri Moore is focused on issues. If you wish to play psychoanalyst, take a hard look at Haakenson’s complacency.

Rita Flynn

Edmonds

Editor’s note: While the July 27 editorial did attribute “skills” to Mayor Gary Haakenson and “experience” to candidate Don Fiene, it did not say Councilwoman and candidate Mauri Moore is “emotional” or make any inference due to gender.

Stark difference between Orvis and Peterson

There are some serious issues in the upcoming election, none more important than the stark differences between Councilman Dave Orvis and our new perennial building heights candidate, Mr. Strom Peterson. Rather than dance around the issues, let’s just get down to the serious differences between these two men.

Peterson has taken $2,000 from gambling interests; $1,000 from Edmonds Shopping Center Associates; and $1,000 from the Al Dykes family.

The ESCA and Dykes sued the city of Edmonds to overturn Dave Orvis’ successful initiative ban on casinos. Please see Edmonds Shopping Center Associates vs. City of Edmonds, 117 Wn App.344 (2003). This lawsuit failed in court and this precedence has also helped discourage card rooms in the whole area.

But these gambling interests have showed that they are a persistent group. They then attacked the right of our citizens to petition our city council, and failed again. They obviously do not respect the citizens’ choice to ban casinos.

So if you favor gambling along with taller buildings in our downtown then you should vote for the gambler’s special interest candidate, Strom Peterson. Wouldn’t that be just wonderful? Oh, a little ol’ bit of criminal activity such as prostitution, drugs, etc. would follow as views and our quaint seaside atmosphere would give way to economic prosperity for a very few developers, but so what? But wait, should we really take that chance?

In contrast, we will continue to be well served by Dave Orvis, a man of integrity, guarding our best interests, downtown and throughout our thriving city. Let’s not mess it up in a foolish experiment with higher buildings and gambling.

Ray Martin

Edmonds