Opinion A9
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THE DAILY HERALD
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WWW.HERALDNET.COM
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Editorial Board Josh O’Connor, Publisher Jon Bauer, Editorial Page Editor Neal Pattison, Executive Editor Carol MacPherson, Editorial Writer
TUESDAY, 10.06.2015
IN OUR VIEW | Election 2015: Lynnwood City Council
AuBuchon, Roberts for council Lynnwood, like other cities in Snohomish County, can be thankful as the economy in the state and the county continues its rebound, but the resumption in growth brings challenges as the city of nearly 37,000 residents, which can double throughout the day thanks to commuters and shoppers, addresses transportation, public safety and other issues. Four of Lynnwood City Council positions are up for election this year. Prior to the primary election in August, The Herald Editorial Board endorsed incumbent Loren Simmonds for Position No. 4 and challenger Chris Frizzell for Position No. 5. Position No. 7: Van AuBuchon, completing his first term on the council, has lived in Lynnwood since 1983 and is an information technology consultant. He previously served on the city planning commission. His challenger, Shannon Sessions, also a longtime resident, is an Air Force veteran with experience as a firefighter, a former journalist and public information officer for
the Lynnwood Police Department. She now operates a safety consulting firm. While Sessions offers firsthand knowledge in public safety issues and has the backing of local fire and police unions, AuBuchon draws on broader experience, particularly in handling land use, financial and budget issues. Along with his past work on the planning commission and his current service as liaison to that panel, AuBuchon worked with the city’s Visioning Lynnwood task force in identifying a framework to guide community decisions. AuBuchon correctly identifies the city’s top funding priorities for police, fire and roads and is best prepared to help lead those discussions as part of the council as it continues to address issues of fire service regionalization and road maintenance. But AuBuchon also recognizes the limits to adding to the tax burden and has advised restraint. Position 6: Sid Roberts also is completing his first term on the council and is the council’s liaison to the county
Nov. 3 is Election Day With the general election less than a month away, The Herald Editorial Board today begins its endorsements for public offices and ballot measures. A full list of endorsements will be published in The Herald on Nov. 1. Mail-in ballots are scheduled to be mailed to registered voters on Oct. 15. Unregistered voters have until Oct. 26 to register in person at the county elections office.
health board and Community Transit. He is employed as a real estate broker. Challenger George Hurst has been a Lynnwood resident for 22 years and currently serves on the city planning commission and is past vice chairman of the city’s transportation traffic task force. Both candidates are equally
matched in their knowledge of the growth, finance and transportation issues facing the city. Noting the request in the Nov. 3 election by Community Transit to add to sales tax rate, Roberts voted against a proposal to add to the city’s sale tax to fund road maintenance projects, a vote that Hurst agrees with, though both also agree the city must make funding available to avoid higher costs that likely would result from delayed maintenance. Both also advise a cautious but fair look at the issue of fire district regionalization that doesn’t risk a reduction in service or loss of control of tax revenue. Roberts joined the council at a time of upheaval and division and says he has worked to change the tone of the council, a task that he and others on the council have largely accomplished. Hurst, who is equally amiable and has demonstrated commitment to public service, would likely continue that tone, but we see no reason to replace Roberts.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ■■SNOHOMISH COUNTY
Koster’s claim not conservative Let me see if I understand this: The guy that thinks employers should be able to fire employees without cause and without repercussions is now so hurt that he was fired without cause that he thinks he should get a whole pile of money from the taxpayers. (Monday article, “Former county ombudsman John Koster files $950K claim.”) Just doesn’t add up to me. Jeff Rivers Mountlake Terrace
■■MASS SHOOTINGS
Lack of religion more a problem Perhaps letter writer John Berg, “Religion at root of much wrong” should take a deep breath and reconsider his condemnation of religion. In spite of any shortcomings associated with religion does it surprise him to discover that concurrent to the condemnation of religion and decline in religious practice we have become an amoral society? Science is wonderful but doesn’t quite fulfill the very human need of guidance about how to live one’s life. And it does seem a lot of folks don’t do it very well on their own. Nick Shultz Lake Forest Park
■■MASS SHOOTINGS
Schools need armed guards Perhaps someone can explain why the government has no problem allowing armed pilots, and placing armed federal air marshals aboard commercial airliners, yet persist in the notion that schools, and other facilities must be “gun-free zones”? The anti-gun contingent’s mantra that “if it saves just one child” would seem to dictate that trained, armed personnel in schools just might be a worthwhile consideration. Or are airline passengers’ lives simply more important? Aircraft hijacking certainly diminished after it became
Have your say Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Send it to: Email: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Daily Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Have a question about letters? Call Carol MacPherson at 425-339-3472 or send an e-mail to letters@heraldnet. com. known that there could be armed guards on board. And when was the last time we heard of a mass shooting in a police station? A famous bank robber said he robbed banks “because that’s where the money was.” Do you suppose that might be why the “crazies” choose “gunfree zones” as the places to get their fifteen minutes of fame? In closing, I would ask if Obama, Bloomberg, and all the other leading anti-gun demanders if they would be willing to risk restricting their public appearances only to allegedly gun-free zones, and to disarm their squads of personal body guards. Maybe by the time that pigs fly, and there are no more hypocrites in politics. Lee Fowble Edmonds
■■MASS SHOOTINGS
Pray for victims, would-be killers Regarding the recent mass shootings that devastated lives, families, and communities — some think that guns are the cause, others think that it’s easy access to guns, and in general blame the Second Amendment and the NRA. A letter writer on Sunday even expressed his opinion that religion is to blame. Really? I seriously doubt that the Roseburg, Marysville, Littletown, Columbine, or theater shooters spent many of their Sundays in church, which leads this writer to come to the opposite conclusion. So Grandma and I will be packing our well-worn Bibles to church in about an hour, and pray for the families of the victims, and our country, and that lonely and hurting souls will seek help. I suggest Matthew 11:28-30 for starters. James J. Eldred Lake Stevens
■■SNOHOMISH
No cell towers in any city parks I am writing to share with the city of Snohomish public at large, the Snohomish City Council and Snohomish Mayor Karen Guzak, that this longtime Snohomish family adamantly opposes the installation of a Verizon or any 100 foot monopole cell tower at Averill Field Park or on any city of Snohomish park land. A cell tower in a city park
used by children is an entirely inappropriate location and contrary to the intent of Averill Field which has always been for the recreational use of children. Once again the City Manager of Snohomish, Larry Bauman, her honor “the mayor” and the Snohomish City Council have not done their homework or thought this out very well. Coming on the heels of the fiasco with the Snohomish Municipal Parks vote you would think that all those up for election a month from now on the Snohomish City Council would not pursue siting the cell tower in a city park next to the Boys & Girls Club, a skate park and a toddlers playground. You have stirred up another hornets’ nest by trying to back door this cell tower onto city of Snohomish park land. No cell tower at Averill Field! David L. Clay Snohomish
■■OPINION PAGE
Wrong to print obscene cartoon While freedom of speech is a cherished right in the U.S., The Herald not only has the right, but also the duty to print appropriate material, particularly on the Opinion Page. The cartoon published on Oct. 4 is offensive, obscene and totally inappropriate. Perhaps the editor that approved this cartoon should take some sensitivity training. Robert Gadbois Marysville
Obama’s plan in Syria favors caution, not ego
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ontrary to popular belief, President Obama does have a plan for Syria. It’s just not one that promises to have much immediate impact on the course of the brutal civil war. Russian President Vladimir Putin, by contrast, has a plan that is far bolder and much more likely to produce results on the ground — but only in the short term. I struggle to understand all the handwringing in Washington, D.C., about EUGENE ROBINSON the implications of Putin’s intervention for “American leadership.” We’re unprepared to wade in — for good reason, in my view — and thus in no position to do much of anything about Russia’s foray. From the start, Obama’s bottom-line goal has been to avoid getting dragged into a multi-sided conflict in which the lines between good guys and bad guys are faint and shifting. The president has been cautious in sending arms to the “moderate” rebels seeking to oust dictator Bashar al-Assad, fearing those weapons would fall into the hands of the Islamic State or other jihadist forces. Events have proved Obama right. Last month, the Pentagon admitted that one-fourth of a shipment of vehicles and ammunition intended for U.S.-trained “good” rebels was quickly handed over to the radical Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaida affiliate. The big problem is that our most important goal in Syria is different from that of the non-jihadist rebels we support. The overriding American interest, as defined by Obama, is to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the Islamic State. U.S. airstrikes are designed to further that end, with a major focus being support of rebel forces seeking to recapture Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital in the eastern part of the country. For many of the rebels, however, the Islamic State is a secondary target. Their principal aim is deposing Assad, whose scorched-earth campaign to retain power is responsible for most of the death and destruction in the country — and the exodus of millions of refugees. So, according to foreign policy hawks, we’re supposed to give substantially more weapons and air support to rebels whose goals are not the same as ours? That dog don’t hunt, and I’m glad Obama remains so cautious. Putin, by contrast, has a single proxy in Syria and a clear goal: keeping Assad in power. Why should this be a surprise? Moscow has a decades-old relationship with the Assad family regime and a strategically valuable naval base in Syria. From Putin’s point of view, the “moderate” rebels are the more consequential threat. That is why the first Russian airstrikes were against “good” rebels rather than “bad” ones. By no means would I ever defend Putin’s Syria policy, which is morally bankrupt. But it’s important to understand it. Inevitably, there have already been reports of civilian casualties from the Russian bombing campaign. But the tragic U.S. bombing Saturday of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, gives Russian officials a convenient retort: We regret that there is always unfortunate collateral damage in war. Which brings me to the underlying lesson from the Kunduz accident: Be careful how you choose your friends. The U.S. airstrike reportedly was called in by Afghan military officers, who either made a terrible mistake or had their own reasons for wanting the hospital bombed. In Syria’s bloody crazy-quilt landscape, where we have even less reliable allies on the ground, the possibilities for such deadly mistakes are myriad. All of the above makes Syria a place to tread lightly and carefully. Putin’s action has provoked calls for Obama to do something, anything, and I’m sure the Republican presidential candidates will have lots of bellicose advice. Most will involve action the president might have taken several years ago, when the war began; only Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, has a real alternative plan of action — send tens of thousands of U.S. troops into Syria and Iraq — and he’s barely registering 1 percent in the polls. The simple fact is that Russia has a clear way to achieve its immediate goals in Syria while the United States does not. Obama’s continued reluctance to act for action’s sake is prudent — and presidential. He is right to keep the national interest in mind, not the national ego. Eugene Robinson’s email address is eugenerobinson@washpost.com.