It is time we stop letting Mac McDowell and Phil Bakke treat Island County like their own fiefdom. Mac has been in office and dominated the county commission for too long. He and Phil Bakke have ruled with backroom politics, cronyism, and arbitrary enforcement of county ordinances.

This gang of two seems to be intent on letting developers change the rural character of our two islands into something resembling the I-5 corridor. McDowell and cronies have wasted taxpayer dollars paying attorney Keith Dearborn to look for ways to avoid providing the protection our rural setting requires. Mr. Bakke as planning director and now as District 1 commissioner has apparently arbitrarily enforced county ordinaces regarding development and land use, especially on shoreline property.

There are qualified candidates running for commissioner in Districts 1 and 2 who will bring educated, responsible,and transparent leadership to these important offices and are interested in preserving the rural nature of our islands. I urge you to consider voting for Helen Price-Johnson in District 1 and Angie Homola in District 2 in the county commission election.

Jim Somers

Oak Harbor

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.