Support Moore
Dear Editor:
Many in north-central Washington already know of Adrianne Moore’s work with children, families and communities to build a better economic and social future for all. That is reason enough to vote for Adrianne this November. Quite simply, she will represent us all in Olympia. Her opponent, on the other hand, is supported by corporate, and lobby interests out of district. According to the Public Disclosure Commission, on Aug. 11, 31 out of 45 of his top donors come from out of district. We need Adrianne’s voice representing rural families and rural communities.
I have a small wildfire contracting business. Adrianne believes in investing in forest health and forest treatment to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. She has committed to working with the Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Forest Service to streamline coordination between state, federal, county and private contract crews to ensure the response to fires are timely, effective and efficient. She will work to increase grant funding for rural districts who face chronic staffing issues that threaten safety, and reduce our prevention efforts. She is an advocate of using local fire crews first. Local crews know the land well, and their money goes back into the local economies that were affected by the fire. Finally, she wants to continue to build regional partnership models that reduce costs and increase coordinated prevention and response efforts across rural communities.
Adrianne’s comprehensive and beneficial model for addressing wildland fire issues applies to all communities of the 12th District. Please let your neighbors in Chelan and Douglas counties know about this outstanding candidate.
Gordy Reynaud, Twisp
Be sure to vote
Dear Editor:
With the threat of mail system delays, it is imperative that everyone who wants to vote ensures that their vote is counted. The best way to guarantee this is to vote early and drop your ballot in ballot drop boxes in our communities or at the Okanogan County Auditor’s office in Okanogan.
The post office has said mail could be delayed because of COVID-related postal revenue reductions and stalled congressional funding legislation.
Ballots are mailed out on Oct. 16. If your ballot does not arrive until five days later, Oct. 21, this is 14 days before the mail-in deadline of Nov. 3.
Use the ballot drop boxes. They are secure. Drop boxes are in Oroville, Tonasket, Twisp, Coulee Dam and Nespelem, there are two boxes in Omak. The location of these drop boxes are listed on the auditor’s website: select Elections, then select Ballot dropbox. Or you can call the auditor’s office for these locations. The auditor’s office is located at 149 Third Ave. N., Okanogan. The phone number is (509) 422-7230. If you do not have a ballot by Oct. 21, call the auditor’s office.
This is a particularly important election. Do not abstain. Not voting is giving your vote and voice to someone else.
Stephanie Brands, Winthrop
Vote for Haven
Dear Editor:
Okanogan County is in multiple crises caused by a lack of leadership. Most of our county commissioners have been avoiding a plan that addresses and protects the future for our people and land. Commissioner Hover vacillates, avoids, and declines to take leadership or ownership of land use and water availability solutions and even necessary health measures that keep more people alive and well.
District 2 candidate Katie Haven knows it is time to stop dodging and kicking the can down the road. Katie has led and can lead our county into the future. Unlike the incumbent, she has worked with dissimilar groups to forge a consensus and solutions. She is not hesitant to solve a problem and uses everyone’s input to pass the best outcome.
The incumbent has been in office for over three years with a promise to enact a plan for the county’s future by 2018. It is now 2020. He has stated he believes that masks offer protection, but he declines to say everyone should be wearing one. He said that there is not an affordable housing crisis in the county even though many people are not working and cannot pay their rent or home payments. He does not believe the county should prevent property owners from selling their water rights to investors out of the area. Do you need any more reasons to vote for Katie? I do not.
Katie Haven has been an active citizen, attending most of the commissioner meetings these last four years. She knows what the issues are, she knows the people, and she knows the county. She is a farmer and values the importance of agriculture and the opportunity for new jobs for our children. She knows the rural heart, the sharing communities, hard work, and the promise of another good day.
Haven is our best choice for District 2 county commissioner. We cannot afford to dodge these issues another four years. Vote for the future you want.
Sharon Sumpter, Winthrop
Investigation needed
Dear Editor:
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest “Mission Restoration Project” in the Methow Valley was created by a consortium to benefit a cattle-grazing allotment and a few logging interests; the decision to proceed with this project failed to analyze the cumulative impacts of the project on fish and wildlife.
If this Methow project proceeds in the Libby Creek Watershed with cattle grazing and logging it should be expected to result in “long-term adverse cumulative effects” from disturbed soil and ground cover on fish and wildlife habitat. It would eliminate mule deer winter thermal cover determined by the Forest Service to be of importance to the herd, in addition to adding sediment to “at-risk critical habitat” of ESA-listed steelhead, bull trout and spring Chinook salmon. The USFS should be required to address this threat to our public land resources with a comprehensive Environmental Impact Study (EIS).
An EIS should investigate the impact of the grazing of cattle for beef production in the same stream bottoms where the planned commercial logging (the only “restorative” action with assured public funding) is occurring; the habitat important to many other populations including the Lookout Wolf Pack, Methow mule deer, the Orca dependent on salmon; as well as the human population residing in the logging areas and those downstream that depend on water from these areas for domestic use, crop production and hydropower.
Don Johnson, Libby Creek Watershed Association
