Editor,

I’m sure Dr. Robert Perkins, the dentist in Clinton, was most interested to read in your Jan. 9 edition that dental services are not available on South Whidbey. That incredibly erroneous statement by the head of the consulting firm hired by the Port of South Whidbey to conduct a “market survey” of Clinton speaks volumes about the worthlessness of the survey and the equally worthless conclusion that “getting people to slow down and look around” is the key to Clinton’s future economic viability.

The notion that a couple of traffic roundabouts will slow traffic so motorists can “see” Clinton is laughable. What will they see? Empty storefronts? A used car lot? A U-Haul franchise? Probably none of the above, because they’ll be too busy trying to negotiate the roundabouts without being impaled by other motorists. And what will they do when they get beyond the roundabouts? Why, speed up, of course, to try to make up for the time lost going through the roundabouts. That will make traffic problems worse than they are now, not just for ferry patrons but also for those of us who live here. And just think what will happen when the ferry line backs up to Campbell Road. How does a ferry line get through a roundabout?

It’s high time the so-called Clinton Community Council and the port awoke to reality. They should be thinking about why people come to South Whidbey in the first place. It sure isn’t because they want to see an extension of the traffic-clogged urban nightmare of the Mukilteo Speedway. People who live here definitely don’t want to see that either, despite port Commissioner Curt Gordon’s apparent grandiose ambitions to the contrary. People live or visit here precisely because they want to get away from the urban mess. The best thing we can do is make them feel like they’ve succeeded.

What does that mean for Clinton? Maybe it means we should think about demolishing the empty storefronts and replacing them with cedar, fir, hemlock and other native plants. That would make Clinton a much more inviting environment for visitors and residents alike. It might even make some stop and patronize the few Clinton businesses that seem to have found a toehold.

STEVE RAYMOND

Clinton