Editor,

Accusations by Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce President Jason McFadyen in the Jan. 20 Whidbey News-Times about the distribution process of the county’s 2 percent hotel-motel tax funds as “being undermined by politics and or some other rationale …” are indeed unfortunate. They imply that the current involvement of the Island County Commissioners in this process is somehow unfair to the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce.

On the contrary, we should all welcome the bipartisan efforts of the commissioners to address the many longstanding criticisms of unfairness of the overall distribution process.

Let’s be realistic, by the way — it was through politics conducted over some years that the various chambers of commerce up and down the island were able to garner the lion’s share of these public tax funds — 80 percent of the funds collected from the unincorporated areas of the county, for instance.

The original state law regarding lodging tax and tourism promotion — RCW67.28.1816 — directs that these funds be used for tourism marketing as well as the operations of nonprofit tourism related organizations. The law does not direct that chambers of commerce accrue the bulk of these public tax funds.

I applaud our county commissioners efforts to effect a more equitable distribution regarding the 2 percent hotel-motel funds. I urge the various chambers of commerce to realize that more cooperation and sharing of these funds is the only fair solution in the long run to this issue.

Michael Ferri

Coupeville