This to express our support for San Juan County Initiative 2012-4, which would prohibit the growing of genetically modified organisms in open systems such as agriculture and landscaping. Having worked in the natural products grocery industry for the past decade (eight of those here on Lopez Island), we are well versed on the problems of GMOs and how they could hurt our community and local ecology.
Our county council is the citizen-elected body that represents us, the citizens. To represent us effectively our elected commissioners must have the authority to direct and guide a county manager.
Art Lange’s letter to the Sounder, in which he says “reverting to council members elected county-wide is a step in the opposite direction of representative government,” overlooks the way in which Proposition 1 actually increases his representation.
The OPALCO board is about to make a decision about their Broadband project. This project will cost approximately $30 million dollars, and will be paid for by the membership (us) over the next ten years.
County government should be restored to a more appropriate form and passage of all three amendments proposed by the Charter Review Commission will accomplish this.
San Juan County Arts Council would like to thank everyone who donated to our organization during the “2012 Fair Matching Grant” program sponsored by the San Juan Island Community Foundation at the San Juan County Fair.
You may remember the confusion and chaos which had escalated prior to Home Rule, when the Board of County Commissioners wore all the hats. Our prior governmental system was established in the 1800’s when the commissioners were elected to simply oversee the roads. Things have changed since then – notably we now have a $45,000,000 county budget, which necessitates professional management.
Wasn’t that a hoot?! Lopez, you really know how to put on a show! A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the 2012 Lopez Trashion-Fashion Show an event to remember.
Thank you to all Lopez music lovers for bringing the Miró Quartet to Lopez Island on Aug. 10 for the 15th annual Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.
The Lopez and San Juan Islands’ community lost a good man, a good friend and a leader a few days ago. We also lost a role model educator, who epitomized what education should be about. We owe our friend Greg Ewert our deepest gratitude for consistently and unflinchingly showing us what good teaching, good schools and education in general should be.
Did you know that CAO provisions on Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas and Wetlands pending before the county council would declare our entire shoreline to be a “critical” area, and turn shoreline setbacks into “buffers?”
Every September there is a nationwide United Way Day of Caring. I first experienced this event when my husband worked for a nonprofit in Seattle.
The county council has shown its leadership* by passing a new cell tower ordinance. We may now see phone companies sniffing about for “willing landowners” in your neighborhood. If you are approached by one of these companies, think long and hard before you sign that contract (25 or so pages of fine print) the companies don’t take risks, they put them all on you.
