Are local candidates qualified for positions?

To The Eagle:

Our local political season is now in full swing, being played out against the backdrop of the Obama administration crashing and burning -- or perhaps just imploding under the weight of its misadventures in draconian regulation and taxation, pseudoscientific forays into energy and transportation, naive blunders in foreign policy and immigration, and crony-capitalistic games with banks and unions. It is sometimes difficult to trace this high level chicanery down to our local problems, or to figure out what our local leaders can do about stuff like gas prices, property values, or unemployment.

Compared with surrounding communities, though, our little county has fared fairly well, in large part because of what we have chosen not to do, such as condemning property for downtown condos, building wind farms on our hilltops, a hotel in our marina, or industrial parks and "business incubators." We've also repelled invaders, such as the LNG and Heritage Area projects. Most of these schemes fall into the category of government sponsored "Economic Development," which is a code for using taxpayer money, and occasionally taking private property for ill-advised schemes to stimulate business for the misplaced motive of generating revenue for said government.

In the county commissioner races we have incumbent Dan Cothren opposed by Joan Harvey-Chester. Dan has struggled for years with the government forces that have paralyzed our timber industry and destroyed county revenues and has recently had some pretty spectacular successes. It will be interesting to see if Joan chooses to distance herself from the economic development crowd with which she has been involved, or finds some specific talent to advertise to make her competitive with Dan.

And then we have PUD commissioner Gene Healy challenged by Lisa Marsyla. The PUD job is challenging and complex, working at providing energy to a tiny county with a miniscule budget based on utility rates (no bottomless tax trough here) while dealing with federal and state governments that have drifted off into hinterlands of green energy, unrealistic conservation, and nit-picking regulation. Gene is off to a strong start, appointed last year to replace Larry Reese, who resigned. One has to wonder why Lisa, who is stepping down as county commissioner, pleading lack of time for that job, is attempting to unhorse Gene for a position that is, if anything, more demanding of both time and technical expertise.

Howard Brawn

Puget Island