Editor,

I am writing to endorse Rick Hannold. He has been our county commissioner for the past four years.

Here are just a few of his accomplishments:

Rick led Island County’s victorious fight to keep multi-national finfish net pen farms away from Whidbey and Camano waters.

This is what Rick had to say on fighting the finfish net pen farms: “The State of Washington wanted those corporate finfish net farms on our home waters — including on Saratoga Passage, home of our wonderful crab and clam resources, and also home to a significant Native fishery. State bureaucrats wanted to seize our waters because those multi-national corporations pay the Washington Department of Natural Resources big money to lease them.”

Rick was able to save Island Transit, literally.

In 2014, Island Transit was facing bankruptcy and complete closure. Bringing in new leadership and reorganizing the system, they now have $9 million in the bank, including $6 million in dedicated reserves for new buses, vans, and facility upgrades, plus two months of reserve operating expenses and $3 million in operating cash.

“Services have been restored and staffing is back to normal. Saturday service has been reinstated. The 412 and 411 routes were saved and the agency is now on solid financial footing.”

Rick stepped up law enforcement protections for our families without raising new taxes and levies.

Rick successfully reorganized Island County’s Conservation Futures program. Now the program sets aside funds for maintaining conservation lands, not just acquiring them.

Just to set the record straight in regard to the diking district number one, the district was trying to add to the dike under the ruse of “fixing.”

Rick did not oppose the repairs, only the illegal additional footprint they were attempting to sneak in. Apparently, following the law doesn’t set well with some.

I believe Rick Hannold deserves to be reelected so he can continue to look out for us, the citizens.

Charlotte Henderson,

Freeland