To the editor:

If there is one thing I’ve learned this year, it’s the dirty tricks people use to advance their own political agendas.

John Dean’s underhanded mailing of his opponent’s private information and his escalation of a stop order on the building of patio is about as low as you can get. I have to ask: How many islanders have done minor enhancements to their property without a permit — especially in lieu of the fact that permits went up twice in the past year because Commissioner Dean was unwilling to remove non-mandated items from the budget and instead spent scarce county revenue for “feel good” programs? Commissioner Dean has “restructured” county government by approving an increase in property taxes, an increase in building permit fees (twice); an increase in land use fees; raised fees for burn permits; implemented a new Conservation District’s assessment fee on taxpayers (overriding Assessor Dave Mattens concerns regarding the county’s ability to accurately enforce such a tax), increased the road levy by 1 percent; and increased the Conservation Futures levy by 1 percent.

He endorsed Prop. 1 to raise property taxes on voters during a recession, and he is now promoting yet another tax on voters without a vote of the people or public forum — the stormwater utility tax.

Voters are tired of irresponsible fiscal policies and elected officials who ignore the will of the people for the benefit of a few.

Voters should ignore John Dean’s ridiculous personal attacks and concentrate on his voting record and his inability to do the job he was hired to do.

Charlona Sawyer

Greenbank