Editor,

As a citizen, business and property owner as well as a new candidate for Oak Harbor City Council, I’m very disappointed in Atty. Gen. Ferguson and Gov. Inslee in targeting our military presence and operations when the state of Washington has many more pressing issues to deal with.

I am appalled that our elected city and county officials who represent our community have not spoken up in outrage over this lawsuit and condemning not only Ferguson and Inslee, but Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve as well. Our officials should be reassuring the people of North Whidbey that they will fight to keep this base in full operation.

I believe that our community and our livelihood are coming under attack by these people.

I am a strong supporter of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and all the men and women serving here who contribute to the vitality, energy, identity and culture of this community. My father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, my oldest son served in the Marines during Operation Desert Storm and my youngest son currently serves in the Air Force.

People come here to live here for many reasons. Anyone who purchased property here in the last 20 years was made aware of, and required to sign, a real estate waiver stating that they are aware of the flight path, jet noise and active military air station here.

NAS Whidbey is valuable to our community on many levels. On a local level, NAS Whidbey is the number one employer on Whidbey Island and surrounding area. We rely on the federal payroll to keep our communities alive. On another level, and perhaps even more importantly, with ongoing threats against the United States from countries such as North Korea and Iran, our military presence is imperative to national security. NAS Whidbey not only provides our country with the best trained military personnel and equipment for immediate readiness, but it stands ready to defend not only the state of Washington, but our entire country against attack.

When I become a city council member, I will do everything in my power, in conjunction with the city council, to support NAS Whidbey in every way I can. Supporting our young men and women in the active armed forces and our veterans is the right thing to do.

Jeff Mack

Oak Harbor