Editor,

We have crossed “party lines” to support Janet St. Clair for Island County commissioner. It’s time that Camano had a resident islander at the commissioner’s table, a dedicated voice with a strong work ethic to support the fair and reasonable spending of county tax dollars between Camano and Whidbey. This election is an opportunity. Let’s make the most of it.

We need to ensure that the planned Island County administration building for Camano is built, staffed and provides services. Camano is known to be Whidbey’s little brother, but wouldn’t it be nice to have some facts regarding the per capita collection of real estate taxes and the per capita expenditure of those taxes for line item services between the islands.

There are many examples, but we cite one as it was raised in an earlier letter. The author noted the recent upgrade to the Maple Grove boat launch, made possible by the incumbent commissioner. Here are the facts: We waited over a decade for boat launch repairs. The cement had decayed to the point that boat trailer tires met rusted re-bar and the ramp was so short that trailers fell off the end of the ramp when launching or retrieving boats at lower tides. When money was available, only the existing ramp was replaced, no extension was provided and trailers still fall off the end of the ramp. We cannot even get a load of gravel to fill in the pot holes, and forget the blacktop. Still, Maple Grove is a wonderful boat launch compared to the Utsalady boat launch which does not even have a cement ramp. Compare those pathetic ones to county boat launches on Whidbey.

We need Janet’s Camano voice on the commission, some digging into Island County tax revenues and policies of fairness when spending those tax dollars.

Steve and Leslie Hughes, Camano Island