Dear Congressman Larsen:

Oak Harbor has outgrown its current library and is in desperate need of a new library. This is a major issue in this area and garners strong support. The Oak Harbor mayor, Jim Slowik, offered a location in central Oak Harbor. This site would have helped to revitalize the central city core. Skagit Valley College was interested in acquiring the library’s current location, to help with its expansion program. This project would have created a number of jobs and helped the local economy.

We sought to request guidance from your office on federal funding for this project. Over the past two months your office was contacted numerous times. Multiple calls were made and messages were left. No one ever had the courtesy to return our calls. We finally ran out of time. So, the questions is: “If you have absolutely no interest in working with or assisting the local community, why are you there?”

Mr. John Koster has indicated a strong interest in representing the citizens of this area. Maybe it’s time that you consider stepping aside so that we can have someone who will respond to the needs of the local populations.

James D. Golder

Member, Oak Harbor

Library Board