Letter to the editor: When negative campaign rhetoric doesn’t serve us

Editor:

My family and I love the natural beauty of the marsh and the waterfront, especially the diversity of flora and fauna above and below the waterline. We believe that preserving the complex ecosystems in those highly sensitive area is critically important to our community. Simultaneously we love the small-town bustle of Edmonds with its increasingly vibrant selection of dining, hospitality, and retail options available in the town center and on the waterfront. This, we also believe is vital to our community. As long-time residents with plans to stay, we believe that it is possible to have both and we want to see that happen in a fiscally responsible manner that promotes health and well-being as well as fun and beauty.

As campaign rhetoric sharpens by some during the run up to Election Day, I am concerned that the multifaceted issues surrounding the Port of Edmonds’ mission and work are being polarized into saving the marsh from certain destruction vs. over-development of the port into urban blight. This polarization is exaggerated and creates a false binary choice that doesn’t give options for people like me or my family. It’s not one or the other, but both in balance that makes sense to us for the short, mid, and long-term futures of Edmonds.

The mission of the Port of Edmonds is to be: fiscally sound & environmentally responsible, provide quality services, promote economic development, and ensure the waterfront is a vibrant, active centerpiece for the Edmonds and Woodway Communities. Current Port Commissioners Faires, Gouge and Johnston have deep knowledge and experience in quality marina operations, sound and forward-looking financial management, and environmental stewardship of marsh and the waterfront. This hard-earned experience is not derivative of other activities or accomplishments, but directly from the hard work of developing and operating an attractive, award-winning facility even while remediating contamination from previous owners, meeting or exceeding storm water best management practices, and supporting plantings of marsh vegetation in buffer areas.

It’s “both and” and not an “either or” choice, and the expert and experienced team on the Port Commission are poised to face the challenges that lie ahead in maintaining that critical balance of environmentally and financially sound development for the health and welfare of our community.

Sincerely,
John Kim

  1. Very well said, but how does that square with the desperate efforts by the incumbents to reduce the buffer at the Marsh down to 25 feet? Everyone knows that would have been to the detriment of the Marsh and its wildlife. The “deep knowledge and experience” of the incumbents sure hasn’t been reflected in their actions pertaining to preserving the Marsh.

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