To the editor:

Having recently seen a second letter to the editor regarding Helen Price Johnson’s alleged support of a “$40 million sewer plan,” I feel compelled to set the record straight. I was on the board of commissioners of the Freeland Water and Sewer District during the contentious period when a $40 million sewer system was being discussed, and I am still a commissioner today. Consequently, I feel I am in a position to comment on Helen Price Johnson’s support for that expensive, but dismissed, sewer plan.

Over the last two years, Helen and I had a number of conversations about Growth Management Act requirements and the current local and county comprehensive plans. But contrary to the recent letters to the editor, Helen did not endorse the plan then on the drawing board. Rather, Helen repeatedly expressed to me her interest in letting the people of Freeland select a system that works for them. Based on those conversations, I believe the letters criticizing Helen for her support for a $40 million sewer system are unfair and untrue.

Furthermore, Helen’s trip to Washington, D.C., was taken at the district’s request. The purpose of the trip was not to promote a specific plan, but to try to build political support for additional public funding of a sewer project regardless of the design eventually chosen. The objective was to reduce the burden on local taxpayers. Helen should be thanked rather than criticized for making that trip.

Eric Hansen

Freeland