Letters to the Editor

Bay at risk

Editor, the Journal,

I am a newer resident to Mason County and live nearby Oakland Bay. Part two of the hearing continued this last week and I must say, of all the information Taylor Shellfish Co. has either presented in its application for their proposed 50-acre industrial aquaculture and now production site in Oakland Bay, to me, is shocking in the abundance of misinformation and half-truths, unknowns and incomplete or minimized information. In my opinion, the lack of facts surrounding the whole project leaves our community's Oakland Bay at even more risk than I first understood. Please go to the Mason County website and listen to the hearings ... decide for yourself.

We all have to agree Oakland Bay's ecosystem is still healing from decades of corporate abuse and privatization of Oakland Bay in favor of Taylor Shellfish would further exploit the natural resource we all should be able to enjoy through recreation, its natural beauty and our shared access to it.

Further, we learned during the hearing, should the time come when Taylor Shellfish determines a sale of the business is in its best interest, all of the aquaculture leases they hold would transfer to the new owner ... foreign or domestic. That's a whole lot of aquatic real estate in the Puget Sound that could potentially be in the hands of a stranger.

The folks I have met, who reject the Taylor proposal for a DNR lease of 50 acres of the deepest water in Oakland Bay, simply want to protect the ecosystem that exists in the bay so generations from now, it can still be enjoyed in its most natural state.We hope you will send pictures of your special views of the bay to [email protected] for submission to the hearing examiner and join us in keeping Oakland Bay clear of privatization.

Ginny Douglas, Shelton

Not entitled

Editor, the Journal,

At the hearing on Wednesday, Aug. 9, a college girl whose family is employed there angered me. Calling us the entitled people because we enjoyed kayaking and boating in the bay. She could not do that because of her social economic status. We all have worked hard our entire lives. We earned this. She is way more entitled than I was at that age. She has a mother and a father. My mom raised all five of us girls by herself with no help from anyone. She worked as a nurse, picking up any overtime she could get. I couldn't go to college because we couldn't afford it, no grants or scholarships. I went to tech school all day and worked waiting tables at night. I have been working since I was 12, working in the fields of rural Minnesota in the hot sun or cold rain. There were times I worked three jobs at once. It took me 45 years to get here. Just because she doesn't look like the rest of us doesn't mean we didn't earn our way to have waterfront. Taylor wants to take our waterways for profit and give back nothing. This will be the largest production in the world on our little beautiful bay.

Katherine Clark, Shelton

Constituents' wishes

Editor, the Journal,

I don't care whether Taylor Shellfish puts a floating oyster bag farm in Oakland Bay. I do care whether the county commissioners uphold their responsibility as representatives of the people.

Interest in Taylor Shellfish's proposed project is so high that four hours was not enough time to hear all public comments at a hearing on the matter. Mason County Hearing Examiner Phil Olbrechts was there to remind everyone that their opinions do not matter. He said it was a quasi-judicial hearing, so all that matters is whether the project meets code.

Perhaps that was true for that particular hearing. But when a final decision is made, the will of the people is by far more important than whether the project meets code.

Our representative form of government is not working very well at the state or national level, but we can make it work locally. We're fortunate to still have a local newspaper carrying out its role as government watchdog, enabling us to be an informed citizenry.

Kudos to the people who showed up to carry out their civic duty as citizens of Mason County. The county commissioners must now carry out their civic duty: to discover and implement the wishes of their constituents.

Teresa Tsalaky, Shelton

Vote for Stevens

Editor's note: Charles Flanagan is Dave Stevens' campaign manager

Editor, the Journal,

Marcia Hamilton wrote and disparagingly accused Superior Court candidate Dave Stevens of strong biases. As his campaign manager, I think it's important that voters know Dave's biases. He believes very strongly that the role of the courts is to protect the rights of the accused and to protect the safety of victims and the community. He strongly feels that Cadine Ferguson-Brown's embrace of equity rather than equality undermines confidence in our justice system. See her panel participation in the Race and Equity Summit 2023 put on by the Up From Slavery Initiative. Check out ufsi.org to see what their goals and biases are.

Ms. Hamilton also refers to Dave's interview by the Board of Okanogan County Commissioners. That interview was done because the elected prosecutor had abruptly resigned. As chief criminal deputy prosecutor, Mr. Stevens was overwhelmingly endorsed by the precinct committee officers to fill in the vacant position. I encourage you to listen to the interview. You can find the interview at youtu.be/p7jj34kfVqc. An unbiased view of that interview shows that Mr. Stevens has very strong feelings about criminals being held accountable, if convicted. He has strong feelings about protecting the community. It certainly doesn't show that he has no interest in civil law. Ms. Hamilton is correct in two things: 1) Cadine Ferguson-Brown was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee. Inslee clearly felt that she shares his vision of how our judiciary should be constituted and 2) she is overwhelmingly endorsed by other judges appointed by Jay Inslee. Dave on the other hand is overwhelmingly endorsed by Mason County law enforcement officers. Ask the officers you know who they are voting for and why. Vote for a judge who will be fair, firm and just. Vote for Dave Stevens.

Charles Flanagan, Shelton