With the recent national financial melt down and bailout proposals fresh in our minds I feel compelled to call attention to a local bailout on the November ballot. The Port of Coupeville levy proposition simply put is a bailout, the result of 11 years of failed stewardship of past and present port commission leadership.

Port of Coupeville officials admit that the port’s monetary reserves are exhausted because of the Greenbank Farm purchase. Local taxpayer support for the Greenbank Farm purchase in May of 1997 was built on the promise that the farm would generate enough income that it would become self-supporting requiring no increase in port district taxation. That promise of farm self sufficiency after 11 years remains an unfulfilled promise. Will this levy increase proposal become another unfulfilled promise?

Extreme economic difficulties exemplified by both local and national financial headlines facing taxpayers today requires great fiscal restraint. Increased taxation for anything other than health and welfare issues during extremely difficult economic times is not restraint. Increasing the Port of Coupeville level of taxation to pay off the Greenbank Farm debt is not a community health and welfare issue but a failed management issue which increased funding will not address only cover up.

Instead of increasing the taxation level during these extremely difficult economic times, the Port of Coupeville commissioners should revisit the failed promise of self sufficiency regarding the Greenbank Farm while working with existing revenues or sell off assets to satisfy the remaining debt. Port districts are set up for the purpose of revenue generation rather than revenue consumption.

We as voters have little control over the impending national financial bailouts but we have the ability to influence the outcome of this local bailout at the ballot box this Nov. 4.

Thomas F. Strang

Coupeville