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Letters for Oct. 27, 2024

Marshall will do us proud

I am a U.S. Navy combat veteran, and that is why I am supporting Molly Marshall, my fellow veteran (U.S. Air Force retired) for the next District 5 Spokane County commissioner. After having served her nation at Fairchild AFB for 30 years, and lived most of her adult life in District 5, she is now ready to serve Spokane County. She and her husband are raising their two young daughters in Latah Valley where she has become a community activist involved in schools, fire safety and water pollution issues among others. Vote for safe and repaired streets, a new fire station and safe drinking water. She has positive plans for all those issues and affordable housing in Spokane County.

Her opponent, Al French is running for his fifth consecutive term and has little to show for it. Sitting on the Spokane International Airport Board of Directors for several years he slow walked a report from the Washington State Department of Ecology, on the dangers of “forever chemicals” in the drinking water supply for Spokane County and has done nothing to fix it. The U.S. Air Force at Fairchild has come clean about the polluted water they were partially responsible for and has done due diligence mitigation efforts to bring our drinking water back into safe compliance.

Much remains to be done to make Spokane County a better, healthier place to live. Vote Molly Marshall for Spokane County Commissioner District 5. She will do us proud.

George Taylor

Spokane

Keep Fennessy on the bench

Voters in Spokane continue to fill out ballots this week and we can expect that a good number are seeking information about who to pick for Superior Court judge.

In the position 11 race, Judge Tim Fennessy is the only candidate endorsed by all of the other Superior Court judges. His 40 year legal career puts him head and shoulders above his opponent.

His re-election is especially important now because the court has seen generational turnover recently and his many years of experience will be needed during this period of transition.

We know the other judges on the court respect Judge Fennessy’s work because they elected him to be their leader this year as presiding judge.

I’ve been an attorney in Spokane for 27 years and can assure voters there are many, many legal colleagues who support keeping Judge Fennessy on the bench.

John Allison

Spokane

Make sure Fennessy is re-elected

I have had my own law practice in Spokane for more than 30 years. My practice focuses both on criminal and civil litigation. The attorneys in my office are in court almost every day and have firsthand experience with every one of our Superior Court judges. Every attorney in my office supports the re-election of Judge Tim Fennessy.

Judge Fennessy takes his position extremely seriously and administers his courtroom in the way that our community should expect.

When he was elected to the bench in 2016, I had the privilege of being involved in his first jury trial as a judge. It was clear to me then that Judge Fennessy had the experience and temperament to be a first-rate Superior Court judge.

I am aware there are individuals who may not appreciate his high expectations regarding their preparation and presentation. There is no question Judge Fennessy expects every person who appears in his courtroom to be professional and be prepared. I believe Judge Fennessy works very hard to know the facts, understand the law and make very informed, fair decisions.

We are doing our community a good service by working to make sure Judge Tim Fennessy is re-elected.

Robert Cossey

Spokane

Kiepe will serve voters well in Olympia

I am writing to urge all people with common sense to vote for Tony Kiepe for representative in the 3rd Legislative District.

As a moderate centered voter, I appreciate intelligence in the candidates that I vote for. Besides smarts there is emotional intelligence.

Natasha Hill rages against her opponents and even her colleagues within her own party. Ben Stuckart would not endorse her because she called him a racist before this summer’s primary where he narrowly finished in third place. She also recently called Timm Ormsby and Marcus Riccelli privileged white men that would not speak out against racism because our constitution is focused on white men and property owners. I don’t see “color or racism” in our United States constitution. The media also has not portrayed Kiepe fairly. He was labeled an “insurance professional.” Folks, he helps senior citizens find the best Medicare plans that they are entitled to with their social security benefits. It takes a compassionate intelligent person to get into the weeds on those plans and properly match people up with those.

Please vote for Kiepe, he will serve voters well in Olympia.

Victor Frazier

Spokane

French deserves our trust, votes

Politicians are great at giving excuse after excuse for why they don’t do the will of the people. “Public servant” should mean they serve the public. Lisa Brown and the liberal City Council refuse to enforce Proposition 1 that was supported by 75% of the voters. Their refusal puts our community members at risk and now I see they are supporting another like-minded liberal, Molly Marshall.

If Molly is elected, she joins two other like-minded people on the County Commissioner. With Lisa and the City Council already showing their poor leadership, we can’t afford to swing the balance of power to them on the commissioner’s board. Countywide that just means higher taxes and nonresponsive count government will the new norm for the region, not just the city.

Al French responds to the people in Spokane County. He heads the district with the highest per capita income in Spokane County. French single-handedly brought hundreds of manufacturing jobs to the West Plains and raised wages in that area because of his proactive approach to his district. He fights for public safety on our behalf with his broad support of law enforcement. Whether it’s his Marine Corps background or his personal character, he has always put himself in front for us. He is a leader and the kind of politician I trust to fight for me and my family. French deserves our trust and our votes.

Robin Ball

Spokane

Upthegrove wants to do what Herrera won’t

Timber companies claim logging is endemic to community cultures and necessary to preserve a way of life. They demand their “right” to cut trees–big trees–and maintain their heritage. The industry has received hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies, and taxpayer monies to sustain their way of life. Timber workers, who make a living cutting trees on public land, have received retraining opportunities and economic support, paid for by taxpayers, during the pandemic and the spotted owl restrictions. Other professions, which also perform roles vital to the economy and contribute to community cultures, regularly suffer layoffs with no federal bailouts. Teachers, nurses, tech employees, public employees, Amazon and Boeing workers lose jobs regularly, and neither the government nor the public bats an eye. Faced with house payments or rent, car payments, student loans and children to feed, they’re forced to relocate and retrain on their own.

Concerned about Dave Upthegrove’s run for public lands commissioner, the DNR has accelerated the auction process and increased the number of legacy forest parcels for auction in fear that Upthegrove will take power. Legacy forests serve as carbon sinks for our planet and prevent sedimentation and phosphorous runoff into our impaired lakes and streams. Why is the DNR working so hard to expedite legacy timber sales?

The timber industry has cozied up to Jamie Herrera Beutler because they know Dave Upthegrove wants to do what Herrera won’t – protect legacy trees, address climate change, fund schools and still keep the timber industry employed.

Susan Kane-Ronning

Chelan, Washington

This level of political hostility is not sustainable

Earlier this year at the Spokane Ag Expo, I worked in the Braver Angels booth. Our goal was to introduce Braver Angels as an organization attempting to bridge the rural/urban divide through listening and understanding. Toward the end of the second day, I was approached by two individuals who, upon reviewing our literature, asked if this was a Democrat organization. I said Braver Angels was nonpartisan. I am still in shock recalling what happened next. I was demonized as a Democrat and that all Democrats are against the Constitution, Judeo/Christian values and America. The outburst ended with the declaration there could never be any compromise with Democrats. Later that day, after retelling this story, the Braver Angels folks, in attempting to console me, explained that unfortunately some people are just not yet ready to listen.

I would like to unequivocally state Democrats are not the “enemy from within” and Republicans are not a “basket of deplorables.”

I truly believe the overwhelming majority of us are tired of this hostility and I challenge all of us to be intentional in dialing back the heat.

This is a huge, diverse country. Every individual has their own story.

Remember the old adage: “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.”

Consider joining Braver Angels and similar organizations bridging our differences.

Jim Baumker

Liberty Lake



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