The decision by Snohomish County to approve the development plan for the Point Wells project is another example of government out of touch. The hunger for construction related sales tax dollars must have blinded the county to the failings of this plan. Designating this area an Urban Center is absurd. There is only one two lane road providing access to the land.
It’s understandable why Shoreline is upset; access to this project is through their city streets and neighborhoods. It’s hard to imagine how Shoreline will not be adversely impacted by the traffic generated by this development. Even if this land was just developed into neighborhoods similar to what exists in Shoreline already there would be adverse impacts to Richmond Beach.
Increasing density and intensity of use beyond anything that already exists in our county anywhere will create significant adverse impacts Snohomish County will never have to deal with, but Shoreline will.
The land included in this project is part of Woodway’s Urban Growth Area. So doesn’t Woodway have a say in how Snohomish County implements a plan that’s inconsistent with their own? These cities are being trampled on by Snohomish County only because they have the power to do so, rather than the wisdom not to.
I know I didn’t win the County Council election in 2009 so I don’t get to inflict my will upon taxpayers in Snohomish County like Dave Somers is with this project. I suspect that I would have voted different than Councilmember Somers.
This project is another example of why county government should not be allowed to be in the urban development business. It violates the spirit and intent of the Growth Management Act if not the actual language of the act.
I still believe and I am certain that every city in the county would agree that urban development should be planned and executed by cities. The Growth Management Act was clear in its desire for Cities to be the Urban Service providers. Snohomish County continually substitutes its own poor judgment for the judgment of the communities that will be left to accommodate the development. Their disregard for the adverse impacts to neighboring communities is inexcusable.
The greed and arrogance of our Snohomish County government is palpable.
No Loss for Words 
What Does a Legislator Cost These Days?
by Steve DanaEven after a couple of weeks, the stalemate in Wisconsin persists. Government is at a stand still. Patience is wearing thin. So what is next?
I am surprised that Republicans and the independents in Wisconsin have been as patient as they have. I’m not sure I would have been so restrained.
The issues haven’t changed a bit so what is changing?
The unions are working overtime to tie the governor’s actions to private sector business owners who may have contributed to his campaign. When you don’t have anything substantial to add to the debate, you attack your opponent. Where else have we seen that tactic?
But since they brought it up, what’s the connection between public employee unions and private sector contributors? Or maybe more important yet, what are the implications of public employee unions contributing to elected officials.
When the unions contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to elect Democrats don’t they have expectations that something will be delivered? Who advocates for the taxpayers when the unions elect the guys that negotiate their contracts?
I heard Governor Walker talk about contributors to his campaign and he acknowledged receiving contributions from business owners, but he received most of his money from citizens who may or may not have been big business in any way. Take a look at the Public Disclosure documents if you really want to know. Rules for individuals and businesses are different for unions and PAC’s
Check the PDC’s for almost any Democrat in the land and you will see the majority of the money comes from either unions or political action committees because rules allow unions and PAC’s to give in greater amounts. I wonder who negotiated that advantage?
What is so surprising to the Democrats in the Mid-West is the stunning upset they suffered in the 2010 elections and they are still reeling from it. It has to be a bitter pill after all their years in the drivers’ seat to see everything they worked for come crashing down because of their failure to properly read the sentiment of the people.
In Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio, the legislatures and governors have changed because voters in those states realized that union sponsored candidates were serving the unions and not the citizens of their states. And that is really the issue here.
Taxpayers in these states and others are finding that they have been used by entrenched Democrats to serve unions and their special interests and they’re finally getting wise. The problems being exposed by the bad economy are shining a really bright light on the Democrats and they are uncomfortable.
While I have been critical of Democrats I’m not suggesting that Republicans are always straight shooters because they have been just as greedy and/or corrupt as Democrats at times.
A lesson for voters everywhere might be that we have an obligation to be vigilant, to watch our elected officials and make sure that when they make promises in their campaign they deliver or are held accountable in the next election. Elected officials are called public servants for a reason. Let’s make sure ours serve the public and not the special interests.
We can only hope that voters in our state will begin to see the parallels between these mid-West states and our own and dump the liberal progressive tax and spenders from our legislature.
So what camp are you in?
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