Editor,

I made a mistake when I mentioned the Rod & Gun Club in my previous letter. I want to be clear that I was never implying there is anything wrong with the club or being a member of it. Some of my best friends, not to mention my sister, are members. I should never have brought it into the discussion. Nor was I implying that there was any illegal collusion going on. Nor was I saying Burt Beusch is a bad person in any way whatsoever. He seems very pleasant. At the time I wrote the original letter, I had no evidence that there was any illegal discussion of city business going on.

My point was only this:

Given his short residence here, his demonstrated lack of interest in local issues (he continued to vote elsewhere), and his complete lack of any record of public service, either here or in his prior location (see his resume in the council agenda for June 5), it seems unlikely he would have thought he was qualified for office unless he was encouraged to apply by people already in city government. It’s even more unlikely that he would have been chosen as a council person over two long-time residents with strong records of relevant local public service, if it were not for his personal relationships with the council members who voted for him. I believe this way of choosing members of city government is not only unfair, but leads to a sameness of viewpoint that makes good decision making less likely.

That is all I meant to say. Again, I apologize for dragging the Rod & Gun Club into the discussion.

SHARON EMERSON

Langley