Editor,

It’s 2022, not 1950. #Metoo is already fiveyears old. For fifty years, women have counted on making their own choices. Soon a majority male Supreme Court may take that away. This is not a good moment for Rick Hannold to call his opponent an evil woman and say it’s time for a man on the county council. It’s not enough to say oops, sorry, and then say “I look forward to a robust campaign season. May the best person prevail.” Your comments, Mr. Hannold, weren’t just a poor choice of words; they reflect a mindset out of a past we hope will never rise again.

I am reminded of your words years ago when I commented on climate change before the commissioners. You said, “climate change is not our responsibility.” In fact, the county can, must and will do a great deal to mitigate and adapt to inevitable climate impacts. It can change and must change tax incentives for clear cutting when trees are frontline climate allies that take CO2 pollution out of the air. We must preserve the forest canopy.

The county can review shoreline vulnerability, given the rapid melting of Antarctic and Arctic ice shelves. It can do more to encourage food resilience as we’ve seen our long supply chains and ferry system are more fragile than we care to admit. It can seek all the federal infrastructure money possible for projects that increase our energy independence. It can respond to the United Student Leader’s proposal that the county declare a climate emergency. Your opponent knows this and is leading in the right direction.

I believe you are out of step with the times, and that your tenure on the county commission would set us back in terms of our freedoms and our capacity to respond to threats. Words have consequences. Your words can’t be erased by a sorry.

Vicki Robin

Langley