I read with both interest and disappointment Councilman Dave Shoemaker's editorial of Aug. 30. Interest that some of our council are working to communicate with the public, but disappointment that Councilman Shoemaker's information was incorrect and misleading.
Lately Washougal City Council members have been urged to trust various local leaders on issues ranging from granting a half million dollar economic development contract to the management of financial reserves. Among those proffering the advice have been other elected officials, our local newspaper publisher, and individual citizens.
I believe it would be in the community's best interest to hear another perspective on the issues used by the Port of Camas/Washougal to not accept Federal grant funds to improve Grove Field.
The Port of Camas-Washougal is committed to transparency in its dealings and, to that end, the commissioners wish to share the thought process that helped them reach the decision made on July 19 not to accept FAA funding for Grove Field which would have obligated the Port for an infinite period of time.
Later this month, state legislators will begin discussions about designing and implementing a health-care exchange. If experience is a guide -- and it is -- Washington lawmakers should tread very carefully because recent events have shown how perilous such efforts can be.
The City of Washougal has had a structural budget deficit off and on since 2006. That means that we committed to spending more than we earn. The deficit is projected to worsen each year until the economy improves.
One of the more rewarding aspects of holding a statewide office is to visit schools across the state, especially to high schools where students are nearing the end of their 13-year incubation period as young scholars, ready to fly out of the classroom and land in college, the military or directly in the workplace.
It's often been said that in the course of a heated debate, the fewer words spoken the better. Especially when everyone wants to weigh in for as long as they can, fewer words, written or spoken, can have more impact. So, from my chair in the peanut gallery, I offer just five words of advice to those anguishing through the final process of hiring a director for the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association.
In his state of the union address, President Obama stated he wants 80 percent of our electricity to come from "clean sources" by 2035. That is a tall order. Credit Suisse estimates it will take $750 billion in capital expenditures to supply just 20 percent of our nation's power demand from renewable sources. Needless to say, coming anywhere near the president's goal will require us to rethink our energy policy.
During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama promised organized labor that he would support their agenda. Having failed to get labor's priorities through Congress, the Obama administration is seeking to achieve the same goal through regulation.
