Mill Creek

Family concerned about Jackson High

My name is David Martin and regretfully my wife, Lisa, and I have withdrawn our daughter Jenny from Jackson High School effective Feb. 5. I say regretfully in that Jenny has many wonderful friends at Jackson. These friends have been a big part of Jenny’s life ever since her days at Mill Creek Elementary. They will be sorrowfully missed.

Our decision was made for several reasons.

A male student in my daughter’s band class on Feb. 1 made obscene overtures about masturbation and other vulgar comments. The actions and comments of the individual were such that my daughter became extremely scared and disturbed. This event alone, even though disappointing, would not have constituted myself to remove Jenny from school. We all have done many stupid things in our lives that we would like to forget.

The Jan. 31 edition of the student newspaper said the bathrooms at Jackson are being used by students for skipping class, smoking, smoking marijuana, snorting coke, taking Vicodin and having sex. The article said principal Terry Cheshire will not do anything about this behavior: “Not a lot we can do. We need to rely on the students.” Same for the students, who were quoted as saying, “I don’t tell on them or anything” and “I just let them do their thing.”

On page 2 in the student newspaper was an advertisement for Planned Parenthood that said, “Free birth control for One Year!” “Birth control pills, vaginal ring, foam, the shot, IUD, diaphragm, condoms, the patch.” It also advertised emergency contraception, “Call to see if you qualify” and “Everything is confidential.”

Call me old fashioned but high school has changed a lot since I went to Mariner High School from 1978-1982.

The thought of this kind of influence on a daily basis for the next three years was too much for me to stand by and do nothing. Knowing what I now know I would have been derelict in my duties as a parent to not take action.

David G. Martin

Mill Creek

Terrace council

Citizens know what’s best for city

Everyone seems to know what is best for Mountlake Terrace and they seem to agree that the only ones who do not know what is best are the citizens of the Terrace.

To name just a few: We have heard from a Marysville developer that we need to build high, from a land owner living in Lake Forest Park that we need to let him sell to a developer who wants to build high, from the Forum writer, Evan Smith, that our council ought to excuse or justify operating outside the boundaries of their mutual compact known as council protocols, and from a land owner who lives in Seattle that our citizens are like 2-year-olds who need to be feed and put to bed so that our “parents” on the council can decide for us.

How demeaning in a country where democracy is intended to reflect the will of the people.

Fortunately, the citizens of the Terrace are intelligent enough to recognize and to step off of the “battlefield” that can be created from rumors, innuendos and twisted words.

There are amazing things happening in this environment. Changes that are coming from the Terrace citizens as they model a true democratic community, a community by the citizens of the citizens.

There are some who want Mountlake Terrace to be a “jewel” or plum, for developers. Citizens want the Terrace to be the “jewel” example of what our country was founded upon.

Sharon Maynard

Mountlake Terrace

Old Milltown

Council members surprised at actions?

Ron Wambolt admitted “absolute total surprise” that he and three other city council members opened up the city to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of lawsuits by applying their personal prejudices and overriding the Architectural Design Board twice regarding the renovation of Old Milltown.

Was Councilmember Dave Orvis surprised as well? Or did he just not care?

Either way let’s give credit where credit is due. I must have missed that acknowledgement in his recent press release announcing his re-election bid.

Michael A. Young

Edmonds

Solid codes make happy developers

I would like to respond to letters by Mr. Page and Mr. Martinson published recently in your paper. Developers are not charitable institutions! They are smart people who see opportunity to make a great deal of money in buying a cheap building or piece of land, build on it as cheaply as they can and sell it for a huge profit. Capitalism at its best! Prices for a full block of buildings in downtown Bellevue, Seattle, Kirkland or anywhere in the Seattle vicinity will cost a lot more than 3 million dollars! Edmonds is a good value or developers would not invest in it.

The city council is diligently working on a new code, ordinances and guidelines which will tighten the rules for the developers. “Give us a tight code rules and will build to suit” was their refrain at a recent planning board meeting I attended.

It is distressing when disparaging remarks are made about our city council members by anyone. If you have suggestions, they need to hear from you. You may speak at the Tuesday meetings, they will listen. Get involved; attend city council meetings, planning board meetings and ADB meetings. Get informed, be a helping factor, don’t just spew disparaging remarks.

The council develops all policies with the help of staff and volunteer boards. The mayor’s job is to implement them. That is the way it (should) work.

The result of loose codes and overly accommodating city hall has given us buildings that we will have to live with for many years to come.

Do we as a community envision downtown Edmonds to look like the corner of Fifth Avenue and Walnut Street? I don’t think so!

Let’s all support and back up our city council, speak up and get involved!

Elisabeth Larman

Edmonds