By FRED MCCARTHY
I have received some very thoughtful messages from Langley citizens about these monthly ‘Mayor’s Beat’ columns. Thank you to those of you who have written in or spoken to me and appreciate this approach to these columns.
For 90 years, the South Whidbey Record has provided loyal readers with coverage they can count on.
The industry has been transformed countless times during that century, changing from hot-lead presses to giant floppy disks to all-desktop. Now, approaching our second century, newspapers are finding a place on the Internet.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law last week legislation that further targets the ongoing problem of derelict vessels scattered throughout Washington’s waterways.
While the new rules do not provide instant gratification to those seeking justice and accountability for past disasters, such as with Rory Westmoreland, the owner of the crab boat that sank in Penn Cove in 2012 at a cost of $5.4 million to taxpayers, it is another step toward the prevention of future incidents.
I am a City Council member in Langley and I own a business in downtown. As such I feel the need to respond to Fran Johnson who wrote a recent letter to the editor about Paul and Pam Schell’s new building near the Langley Marina.
If Fran Johnson had the time to write this letter it would have been great if she had taken a few moments to speak with City Planner Jeff Arango or Mayor Fred McCarthy to get some facts. Either of them would have gladly helped her understand the following:
The South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District will ask voters to dig a bit deeper into their pocketbooks this month.
The only measure on the April special election ballot, parks commissioners have proposed a levy-lid lift to cover the rising cost of maintenance and operations needs. A modest hike of 3 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, and the district’s first increase ever — if passed — this is a reasonable request the public should honor.
When I was 14, I spent the night stranded aboard a 20-foot sailboat hard aground in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
An evening of tropical breezes spent with my first high school sweetheart, it was hardly a traumatic experience. We were returning from a long day sailing to Coconut Island — made famous as the profile of “Gilligan’s Island” — when the boat came to an abrupt halt.
Should Langley have a dedicated ethics commission? That’s the issue before the city council and it’s a worthy discussion to be sure.
In our view, the answer is made clear with one simple question: Who would better address complex ethical concerns that arise within City Hall’s ranks — a dedicated group of trusted advisors from the public or the very same city leaders who may be the subject of a future complaint?