The recent expansion of the Guemes ferry schedule is another example of the County Government’s abuse of the public process. My opponent says that he will listen. I will not only provide the open transparent public process to actively listen, but will follow through with results based on what the majority wants. It’s not about my agenda or my close friends, but about you and your community needs. This is how I see it:

The Guemes Island Ferry schedule should be created based generally on three criteria.

1. Cost of service
2. Transportation needs of Guemes Islanders and more broadly, Skagit County citizens etc.
3. Impacts on Island life

State law provides that transportation access shall be provided to all communities, Guemes Island being one. That is why County Public Works provides a ferry to Guemes.

Over time, Skagit County Commissioners have attempted to provide basic ferry service to Guemes Island at the most efficient cost-- service that works for the Islanders and allows others to visit and do business on Guemes and with safety and health as key concerns.

Relative to the ferry issue, the Growth Management Act provides criteria and guidelines for rural and unique geographical areas such as Guemes Island. The GMA provides that:

1. Rural character should be maintained.
2. Unique geographical areas can create their own “subarea comprehensive plan” as long as they do not contradict the County’s comprehensive plan. Guemes Island citizens are close to final approval of their own subarea plan.
3. This subarea plan has been created using a public process etc. to evaluate unique geographical characteristics, (such as saltwater intrusion into the aquifer), zoning and other issues that are normally addressed in a Comprehensive plan. It will also attempt to address the needs of Guemes Island citizens, including transportation issues such as a ferry.
4. Transportation needs are driven by numbers of people on the island, which is mostly determined by zoning. We still need to maintain rural character etc.
5. Once minimum needs and services are met, any major changes to transportation provisions, availability of services, etc. should be decided in conjunction with local citizens, as long as those changes comply with the GMA and the County Comp Plan, and meet safety and health standards. This is especially true on an island, which is sensitive to change.

In 2007, the Skagit County Commissioners changed the ferry schedule to include additional ferry runs on Monday through Thursday until 10:00 PM. They first attempted to do this without any public process. When confronted, they did hold a public hearing, but then changed the schedule anyway. The planning staff declared the new schedule to have no significant impact on Guemes Island.

I believe this was wrong. The Commissioners should have done more study and allowed more public process. They already had citizens on Guemes ready to work through the process--the Guemes Ferry Committee, the Friends of Guemes, and others. They could easily have polled the Dog Island folks by mail. The Commissioners, however, did none of this.

The new ferry schedule is more expensive. There is significant opposition to it by the very residents for whom it was purportedly extended. Is it cost effective? The County is now in a budget crisis, and was when the schedule was increased. The logic of extending ferry service over the objection of a majority of the residents who are served during a time of budgetary challenge seems unsupportable, especially in light of the fragile nature of Guemes’ water supply.

Guemes Island has issues with saltwater intrusion in well water, which is worsening as more wells are drilled. Before decisions are made about increasing ferry traffic, which may create more growth, the Guemes Subarea plan should be completed and made part of the County Comp plan. I believe that a partnership between the Guemes Ferry committee and the Skagit County Public Works will produce a more effective Ferry service, one that meets everyone’s needs efficiently.

There are issues in the county that may supercede some local control, but Democratic government means a transparent, open, fair and effective public process. Local control and public process are not just buzzwords to me, but also central to County Government. Before I make a decision to change the ferry schedule, I want to know what the citizens want and need, and what the facts are, especially cost.