Letters to the Editor

Election ‘07

Orvis will keep Edmonds a treasure

Ask any resident and visitor alike: “What makes Edmonds what it is, what makes Edmonds so attractive?” The answers will be “The flower baskets and corners and the charming, small-town atmosphere.”

A couple of years ago during an informative “meet the candidate” program the following question was asked: “What program would you cut out if the city needed money?”

Strom Peterson and Jeff Wilson had the same answer: “Cut out the flower program.” Now Peterson is running again and he wants to give our city to the developers to do as they wish! He stated in The Enterprise that he would not defend the people of Edmonds against developers who sue so they can build whatever they want. Why would we want Peterson on the council when he has told us that he would allow developers to do whatever they want because of the threat of lawsuits?

Having him on the council would be the end of Edmonds as we know it!

We are lucky to have Michael Plunket, Deanna Dawson, Ron Wambolt and Dave Orvis on the council. They understand that developing downtown is an important task that needs to be done prudently and with stringent guidelines so as to welcome progress but not lose any of our commercial district’s charm, history, character and beauty. Thanks to these council members, who said no to a development that did not follow code, we will have a redevelopment that will meet the code and be more in scale to our town.

The council, along with the Planning Department, is working feverishly on coming up with Historic Design Standards that the developers need to start rebuilding. The only stumbling block is a subcommittee of the Historic Preservation Commission that in three-and-a-half months has done nothing. We need to get those Historic Design Standards to the Planning Board ASAP so new life can get infused into our city!

We must keep Dave Orvis, who is running for re-election — we cannot afford to lose him! He has worked tirelessly on keeping the height of buildings in the downtown as low as possible. He understands what Edmonds is about and will continue to work towards keeping Edmonds the treasure that it is.

Please vote for him in this coming election.

Elisabeth Larman

Edmonds

Election ‘07

Keep Peterson in the Cheesemonger

Strom Peterson, a retread primary candidate, has very recently stated that building heights is not an issue. Let’s look at that.

And then we remember the Feb. 15, 2005, Edmonds City Council minutes that state that Peterson “questioned how a 3-foot or 5-foot increase in the building heights would change the character of the city, pointing out that without a vital business district, Edmonds would slowly wither away and that would change the character of downtown.”

So, which Strom Peterson should we believe?

Strom Peterson is one of the leaders in the push for taller buildings in downtown. He denies height is an issue because he wants to be elected before the citizens get wise to him. Deep down he probably realizes the majority of citizens oppose taller buildings, so if he lets his true feeling out, he will experience another defeat as he did in 2005.

I am concerned Peterson might oppose Dave Orvis, the incumbent, who has steadfastly resisted higher building heights in the bowl area. If Strom is successful, the council would end up with a one-vote majority in favor of taller buildings. Our precious Edmonds small town atmosphere would be damaged.

Dave’s attendance record is superb, his performance outstanding, and he really does listen to his constituents. Strom Peterson supports taller buildings in the face of overwhelming community opposition. We need to keep Dave on the council and Strom in the Cheesemonger.

So, let’s reward good performance with our votes.

Ray Martin

Edmonds

Mountlake Terrace

Voicing your opinion isn’t arrogance

According to Jeff Crandall, it is arrogant for 1,324 people to expect their voice to determine land use decisions in their neighborhood. How many does it take before it isn’t arrogant for citizens to expect their council to listen? What is the rule and when does it apply?

Crandall took no stated position on the 2005 Melody Hill sub-area plan. Is it fair to assume that the 230 people whose petition signatures were able to stop that neighborhood’s unwanted transformation were not arrogant? How about the 700 signatures, including the mayor’s, which stopped the re-zoning of 44th at 228th in 1998?

Is 1,900 people’s opinion beyond arrogance? That is typically what it takes to win a council election around here. When I lost the election in 2005, were those who voted for our mayor arrogant to express that opinion? Or is it only arrogant when an opinion, whether voiced by ballot or petition, differs from Crandall’s?

Lorayne Ham

Mountlake Terrace