Editor,

As I read the article in Saturday’s Whidbey News-Times regarding our two Republican commissioners and their vote to deny Coupeville a state grant, two pictures came to mind. One was from my many years of teaching in public school, working with fifth graders, and the other was of our commander-in-chief’s manner of acting presidential.

To hear that a commissioner justified her negative vote because of, in her words, Coupeville’s “anti-Navy” stance and because “they started it,” is reminiscent of a fight on the playground involving fifth graders with the excuse that “he started it” so I get to punch him back. I thought the commissioners were adults, not petulant, vindictive children.

The other picture is a reflection of what we hear coming out of the White House on a daily basis. Mixing personal feelings with every directive and proclamation is not acting like an elected public official working in the best interest of one’s constituents.

I sincerely hope the commissioners will reconsider this grant proposal.

Jack Tingstad

Coupeville