Letter: Investment firm is trying to buy council influence

Dear Editor:

As the election draws near, Oak Harbor is once again inundated with a forest of yard signs. Hoping to influence voters with a slogan or catchy phrase, candidates have covered our city with the usual political graffiti. I was particularly struck by the number of signs in support of council candidates Crawford/Mack. Since there is clearly a good deal of funding involved, I thought it might be useful to discover its source.

As a result of campaign disclosure laws in the Washington State, this is easily done, with financial information readily available at the website of the Public Disclosure Commission. I was concerned to discover that the number one contributor to both the Crawford and Mack campaigns is Nevada-based Tri-son Investment Corporation, the real estate development firm run by Scott Thompson. While there is nothing untoward about these political contributions, they do raise a number of questions. First, do we really want an out-of-state investment firm buying influence of our local city council? And secondly, do we want Las Vegas-style development blighting our fair city? I know my answer to both of these questions.

Dr. Bernd Fischer

Oak Harbor