I read John Gunter’s letter to the editor in last week’s Journal (8/30) and feel perplexed by it.
 
I was the one who pointed out that one of the members of the recently established Belfair Advisory Committee, BAC, didn’t live in the Urban Growth Area, not Randy. Per the County Commissioners resolution the minimum number of the BAC members is seven and all members must reside within the UGA. I wonder if the BAC is a legal group and can they meet as a committee with only 4 members?
 
I want the BAC to succeed. Barbara Adkins (Community Development Director) is paid to attend the meetings. I'm not nor are any of the committee members but I am committed to attend these meetings because I feel I can offer much needed background.  I care about the community I live in even though I'm not a resident of the UGA.I can assure you that Randy Neatherlin has been attending the meetings, for the same reasons!
 
Randy, and I have been asking the Mason County Commissioners to create a BAC for quite some time, but we wanted one made up of all "stakeholders,” not just residents. When I was rejected from serving on the committee because I was not a “resident”, the commissioners assured me that any actions from the BAC would come before the Planning Advisory Commission of which I was a member.
 
Randy Neatherlin and I, while serving on the Planning Advisory Commission, stood up to former director Dobey and stopped a planned $15,000 to $30,000 per parcel assessment that was scheduled to begin this year!  This was before anyone was focusing on any of these issues. We advocated that the affected citizens be informed of this huge assessment and told that the sewer was about to be forced onto them before most people even knew they lived in the UGA. If we hadn't spoken up, the sewer would already be headed into phase 2 and the residents would already be paying $15K to $30K per parcel as was scheduled to be imposed this year.
 
I feel Mr. Gunter has misinterpreted Randy Neatherlin’s comments, which he garnered from the Port of Allyn article published in the Belfair Herald on August 9. Name-calling does no one any good. I hope we will all try to seek common ground because if we don’t work together, we will end up with the ill planned, over built and financially devastating sewer in our backyards and quite possibly never see a Belfair Bypass in our lifetimes.
 
Ken VanBuskirk
Belfair

     Mason County is losing lawsuit after lawsuit after lawsuit. The costs are staggering. Yet County Commissioner Linda Ring Erickson believes they are “part of doing business and most of them are frivolous.” In reality, there's nothing frivolous about expensive lawsuits draining our county treasury of nearly $3,000,000 dollars and a county commissioner so arrogant she won't admit at least some responsibility. 
     Dr. Phil says past behavior is a strong indicator of future behavior. Linda Ring Erickson has reigned as your county commissioner for the last 8 years and now she wants a new job as a state legislator. It's no surprise her own political party refused to endorse her for the primary election. Can you afford even 4 more years of her highly questionable and obviously costly behavior?
     The age discrimination lawsuit cost you and me $114,000 dollars plus legal fees of about $25,000. We paid nearly $500,000 to settle the Belfair Sewer land condemnation lawsuit. The labor settlement lawsuit could cost us about $2,000,000 dollars. Legal fees from the garbage hauling lawsuit may cost all of us about $50,000 dollars.
     That's nearly $3,000,000 dollars that would have been better spent on more Mason County deputies to protect our families and our businesses. We definitely can't afford  to lose another expensive lawsuit.  Stop bleeding tax dollars with new Commissioners who'll restore the trust in government.
      Randy Netherlin has the proven leadership, experience and knowledge to turn county government around. He has wide spread support from Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike. He was the 2011 North Mason Chamber's man of the year and currently a Port of Allyn Commissioner. He's chairman of  the Mason County Planning Commission and previously served as chairman of the Theler Community Center. Other public service includes founding member and chair of the North Mason Voice,  vice chair for Habitat For Humanity, Mason County Economic Council, WPPA Legislative Committee, North Mason Chamber of Commerce, Mason County TIP-CAP Committee,  PNW Salmon Center Board, Cancer Crusaders, North Mason Kiwanis, NM Pee Wee”s, ACA Business Committee, North Mason School District Committee's including Budget, Curriculum, Facilities, Bond & Levy, Athletics and Council of Key Communicators.
     Randy Netherlin is a family man, a business man and a life long resident with a plan for the future. He'll restore  trust with open and transparent government. He'll work to grow our local economy with more jobs thus eliminating the need for new taxes. He wants to open up the Shelton and the Belfair UGAs fueling that development with a better educated work force using educational resources now in place. Encourage more on the job training and where ever possible partner with the private sector to encourage more family wage jobs.
     Randy Netherlin's proven leadership will make a difference . He listens and responds to public concerns. He believes we desperately need more Mason County deputies and will work with the Sheriff  to better protect our families and our businesses.
     Don't be fooled by the other candidate who's spent most of his life abroad and is a Denny come lately to our community. Randy Netherlin is the local problem solver with the experience to RESTORE THE TRUST in Mason County government.
Bob Harris
Belfair, Washington

On Kitsap Sun’s Editorial Review video of the candidates, Rep. Kathy Haigh of the 35^th LD (Mason, Kitsap, Thurston) lied on camera about the Fund Education First Bill which was brought to her committee where it never saw the light of day again, she claimed it wasn’t brought to her committee and that if it was she would have voted for it. A little fact checking proves that it was killed in her committee, she lied to the people.
Education cost more and more every year with less and less results to show for it. During Haigh’s time as a Chair and member of Education and Education Appropriation & Oversight, Education has suffered through unfunded mandates, lack of funding, and lack of success.
 Dan Griffey fully supported ending unfunded mandates that hurt our schools. Dan supported Fund Education First stating that it’s the legislature’s job to fully fund education and that education gets the first dollar, not the last dollar. Dan says that funding education first and adequately is the constitutional role of Washington State government. Haigh said she wouldn’t cut from education, and then did exactly that.
Dan Griffey often quotes Henry Ford, “Don’t find a fault, find a remedy.” It’s not about Republican vs. Democrat with Dan. It’s about solutions. It’s time we fund education first! It’s time to put schools before party interest. It’s time to elect honest people.  It's time to elect Dan Griffey and Restore Washington Now!    

Travis Couture
Belfair, WA