OPINION Islands’ Sounder
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Editorial
To the Editor:
Reporter’s notebook: losing family to cancer
CRC debate continues
S
he wore red lipstick and her neck was often adorned with a colorful scarf. She was an artist who painted watercolors with scenes of vibrant bouquets and shorelines of calm waters. She loved martinis and silver jewelry from her travels to Mexico and Europe. She was known for her witty charm, bright smile and a cigarette constantly held between her fingers. But by the time I knew my grandmother the smoke that often lingered behind her was replaced by the smell of nicotine gum that she constantly chewed. And by the time I was a teenager, the gum was no more. In its place was a plastic tube and tank of oxygen. Emphysema had ravaged her lungs and she described life without the tank akin to breathing through a thin straw. By the time I reached 16, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Colorful scarves now appeared on top of her bald head and the martini glasses were kept in the cupboard. She was too weak to indulge in those night caps. She died on Valentine’s Day and at her funeral we all spoke of how she had 78 years – a full life with loving family and friends. But as the years went by, I began to doubt those sentiments. I graduated from high school and looked up into the crowd still half-expecting her to appear with her cheerful wave and flashing that wide grin. During the next couple of years, I competed in singing competitions and my grandmother – my biggest fan – was not there. And at night I dreamt of her. In one of these visions, she pulled me close to her and demanded to know why I had not been looking for her. “When you sing, look for me in the back of the room. I’m there,” she said urgently. She was gone, but her memory lived on with determination in the caverns of my mind. But it was in life that I wanted her. As the years continued and more milestones were met, as my younger cousins grew older with only fuzzy memories of the vivid grandmother I had known, and as I grew into an adult and formed more mature relationships with my living grandparents, I felt robbed of the years I had lost with my grandmother. And this thing, this disease called cancer that claims so many lives each year, seemed a one-dimensional villain hell bent on breaking my heart. But cancer is a thing without feelings and can be defeated. Just read Mark O’Neill’s story of survival on page 1 to see how we are not helpless against the disease. But for those of us who have lost a loved one to cancer, it will remain a near and ever present danger and a reminder that our days are limited and that even 78 years on this planet can feel like not nearly enough time.
Public meetings Friday, Oct. 19
• OPALCO Board of Directors, 8:45 a.m., Friday Harbor office, 1034 Guard Street.
TUESDAY, Oct. 23
• Eastsound Sewer and Water District, 4:30 p.m., end of Cessna Lane. Thursday, Oct. 25
• Orcas Island School Board, 5:30 p.m., school library.
Sounder The Islands’
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Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 • The Islands’ Sounder
For the measures
I’m writing to encourage a YES vote on the proposed county charter amendments. Much misinformation is circulating about the process of the Charter Review Committee, but the falsifications have been dealt with in previous letters and at this point what matters is voting for effective and fair county government. Everyone in San Juan County lives with the separation caused by a geography that divides us. Do we really want to continue to exacerbate this balkanization by maintaining a political structure of six separate legislative voting districts where each of us can only vote for 17 percent of our governing body? Our only hope of survival in the tumultuous times to come is to pull together as a county, not to pull apart. Currently, when voting by district, each council member is voted on by, and thereby only represents approximately 1,950 voters. It’s too small a number. If this isn’t the smallest county voting district in the United States I’m sure it is very close to it. Every one of our residents should be allowed to vote for ALL of our council. The following are facts, not opinion: The proposed charter amendment (Proposition 1) has a residency district which means that no one island can have two council members. It guarantees “at large” voting for ALL county voters in both the primary and general elections. Nobody can be elected to the council unless she or he has received over 50 percent of the entire county vote. Vote for common sense. Vote for a wholesome democracy. Please vote YES. Winnie Adams Waldron Island I urge all to vote “YES” and APPROVE the changes to the County Charter as recommended by the citizen-elected Charter Review Commission. I speak from experience. I have been personally involved with San Juan County government over the past 20 years as a county
Publisher/Editor Colleen Smith Armstrong editor@islandssounder.com Staff Reporter Cali Bagby cbagby@islandssounder.com County Reporter Scott Rasmussen srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com Advertising Sales Colleen Armstrong carmstrong@soundpublishing.com
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committee volunteer and as an elected official. Between 2005 and 2011, I served both as a county commissioner and a county council member. I was the first chair of the six-member county council in 2007. I know both the commissioner and charter forms of our government and have first hand knowledge as to what works best for San Juan County. Under the current charter provisions, our county council is fragmented and not directly accountable to all voters. Our government has been more expensive, and it has been subject to the separate and independent actions of a county administrator and staff who need not take direction from our elected council. An option to hold county meetings behind closed doors may continue, because all meetings are not required to be open to the public. The recommended changes to the charter refine our county government structure so it will work better for all of us (they do not repeal the charter). These provisions will: • Make all of our county council members elected by all of the voters in the county • Provide that our county manager will be fully accountable to our elected council members • Reduce costs of government • Assure that all council committee meetings are open to our citizens Please vote to approve Propositions 1, 2, and 3. Approve our citizen-recommended refinements to the charter. Bob Myhr Lopez Island
Mailing/Street Address P.O. Box 758, 217 Main Street, Eastsound, WA 98245 Office (360) 376-4500 Classifieds (800) 388-2527 Fax (360) 376-4501
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A passionate defense for an unrevised charter might make sense if San Juan County residents are satisfied that government has improved in the ways we hoped it would when we voted to make a change six years ago. The revisions that are being proposed are practical solutions to observed problems. They speak directly to three qualities of good government: representation, accountability and transparency. Aspects of the charter which hinder rather than foster these aims have been identified and need to be changed. Our local “constitution” needs to work in practice, not just theory. Propositions 1, 2 and 3 do not jeopardize any charter provision that reflects the charter’s main intent: greater local control and greater citizen control over county government. The power of each individual’s vote was dealt a serious blow by the elimination of county-wide voting in council elections. An even-numbered council begs split decisions and has encouraged the formation of a three-member voting block, making compromise difficult or meaningless. With a six-member council, state law regarding open public meetings remains subject to interpretation and we lose the guarantee of transparency afforded by a governing body of three. The historical division of our county into three districts has to do with where representatives reside, not where voters reside. As San Juan County residents we have more in common with other islanders than we have differences. When it comes
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