An inconsequential Central Whidbey trail grant turned would-be pawn in the highly contentious jet-noise debate was approved by the Island County commissioners this week.
Though the decision was made with no small degree of kerfuffle, we found this round of sensible decision making refreshing, especially considering the ongoing state of national politics where anything seems to go. Central Whidbey cannot simply be mothballed to support a political argument, and it’s with relief that a majority of the board sees the trail project for what it truly is — a recreational improvement utterly unrelated to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.
Jet noise isn’t a big issue on South Whidbey, but up north it’s a debate that’s raged for decades. It’s heated up significantly in recent years with the introduction of the Growler, the replacement of EA6B Prowler, and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s plans to increase touch-and-go training at Outlying Field Coupeville.
Summed up, some residents believe the jets are too loud and pose a health risk while others do not. Battles have been fought in court, are regularly waged in the opinion pages of newspapers, and of course before the county commissioners.
The latest issue concerns the latter. The Whidbey Camano Land Trust applied for $50,000 in Conservation Futures Funding for a trail project in Ebey’s National Historical Reserve. Commissioner Jill Johnson wanted to deny the request, arguing that proponents are some of the very same people and agencies claiming jet noise poses a health risk. If it’s so dangerous, then the county shouldn’t put the public in harms way by funding new infrastructure in the problem areas.
It was a rather clever way of turning the arguments of jet critics around, using their own claims against them. But, ultimately it’s a hollow position meant only to make a political point. Of course, we could be wrong. Perhaps Johnson is taking the safety concerns seriously and will apply the same standard wherever jets practice, including Oak Harbor, by denying future grant requests in her home town and placing building moratoriums throughout Central and North Whidbey, but we doubt it.
State law gives our elected representatives much authority when it comes to approving grants, even those that have been weighed and approved by impartial citizen committees, such as the land trust’s. So the onus is on the commissioners to avoid the temptation to weaponize the process, no matter how silly or disagreeable they find their constituents’ positions.
We’re a democracy, and people have a right to voice their opinions without fear of economic repercussions, especially from their elected representatives.
