Sequim Gazette Editorial and Letters to the Editor

We'll be there

Clallam County Fire District 3 wishes to thank the voters in eastern Clallam County and Gardiner for their support of the EMS levy during this recent election. The fire district is committed to providing timely service and response to emergency calls while maintaining a standard of excellence that has been established over many years of dedication to our community.

Your support of this levy will provide us the resources to meet the expectations of our growing and diverse community, maintain staffing for our stations and help to ensure that when you need us most, we will be there to provide care and pre-hospital treatment to those in need.

Thank you for your support and confidence in our dedicated firefighters, emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

Fire Chief Steve Vogel

Lt. Bob Rhoads

Fire District 3



Take a moment

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Walt Schubert for his service to this community and encourage all of you to do the same. You may disagree with his politics but you can never overlook his great heart.

I have seen him handle difficult circumstances with grace and wisdom and refuse to hold grudges toward those who have treated him unfairly. He and Sherry contribute countless volunteer hours in many organizations including the Boys & Girls Club, which they plan to continue.

Please take a moment to thank Walt for his years of service on the Sequim City Council.

Deborah Rambo Sinn

Sequim



Make a difference

Just a short note to all the drivers from the Sequim area.

I recently moved here and am really frustrated and afraid to drive in our little city. Whenever I go out, I am scared at what I will encounter on the roadway. Most of the drivers don't seem to know that when pulling out onto a main highway from a side street or private drive, the entering driver must stop and yield the right of way. Ask any policeman or check in the driver's manual.

Please try to be kinder and more considerate when on the road. It will make a difference to someone, even if it's only me.

Mary Elizabeth

Marshall

Sequim



Feeding the working poor

I really can't comment on the goings-on at the food bank but am always saddened when charity volunteers choose the most public way to broadcast their policy disagreements. This can't help with donations to those in need - which is all that should be important. I can comment that having the bank open during weekdays and only 9 a.m.-noon seems out-of-touch. After I moved here, I was shocked by the number of "working poor" families in this community. Stepping back from the fray, I'd observe that weekends and extended hours must be a godsend for these folks.

Doug Jensen

Sequim



Successfully supporting education

On Saturday, Oct. 31, five chapters of PEO united to present a bazaar, bake sale and book signing at Pioneer Park in Sequim.

We'd like to thank the Sequim Gazette for its efforts in helping to make this event successful. Your Oct. 28 article not only helped to publicize the event but also did a fine job describing the educational projects that we support.

Thanks also go to author Glynda Schaad for participating and donating a portion of her book sales to our projects, and to Don Batcheller of Rainbow Roasting Company for donating several blends of delicious coffee to serve at the event.

And, of course, special thanks go to the great people of the community who came out to have a fun morning and support a worthy cause.

Barbara Rymon

President, Chapter JC

Sequim



Sequim elk talk

Heard on Burnt Hill:

One elk turns to his wife. "Gather the kids, Mable! The Fish and Wildlife rangers have decided they need to make the wolves a not so 'endangered' species. They're even going to pay the farmers for each lamb and calf the wolves dine on."

"Well now Henry, you know those taxpayers won't mind another tax for the good of indigenousity; and that biologist, he says it's a "wise move" - whatever that means. You know, they've got to translocate those wolves so those poor Western Washington farmers can stop guarding their flocks at night."'

"Yeah, but Mable, how about those young kids hiking in the mountains? They won't have 'Big Mo Ten-Point' to protect them like our kids. Instead of communing with nature, their parents will be looking up some side trail their kids took, worried, after hearing a howl in that direction. And those Sequimites: Are they going to stay up all night guarding their cats and dogs? Gonna have a lot of sleepy-eyed seniors roaming the streets looking for their pets."

"Now Henry, at least the coyotes will have some competition for meat in the winter."

"We're movin' to Florida, Mable. They only have alligators there ...."

Travis Williams

Sequim



The issues remain

I want to thank all the people that voted for me.

I want to dispute what Sue Sorenson said about winning another four-year term: "Sorensen saw the vote for her and Macaulay as an endorsement of the existing board. I think the public is saying we trust you, we think you are doing the right thing, keep on doing what you are doing," Sorensen said Tuesday night.

The SARC board does not at all know what they're doing. They are not trying to make SARC more competitive with the other gyms and reducing rates so that more people can afford to use SARC.

The four board members (Annette KussErika Starks, Melinda Griffith and Bob McCauley) are just going along with director Jacobs and Sue Sorensen and they need to stop this!

Most of the general public does not go to SARC and doesn't know what is going on at the board meetings. There is a lot of work that needs to be done there.

1. Getting a new director for SARC.

2. Getting a forensic auditing of the booking records to see where and how all the revenue is being spent.

3. Getting back the previous maintenance person that did an excellent job with keeping the SARC building clean and the towels/spray bottles filled. I have on many occasion went to the front desk and got these.

4. SARC needs to have reform to bring and retain the passholders they still have left and needs to stop the fleeing of any more passholders.

5. Reduce the daily and annual membership rates.

Noelle Levesque

Sequim