Kudos to tribe

A huge round of applause to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe for sharing their allotment of Moderna COVID vaccine with the Sequim community.

Special thanks to everyone at Carrie Blake Community Park and Trinity United Methodist Church on a chilly Thursday morning: Dr. Allison Berry Unthank and Dr. Paul Cunningham, the Sequim Police Department, our wonderful Community Emergency Response Team volunteers, Clallam County Fire District 3, the nurses from the Jamestown Family Health Clinic and everyone else involved.

We are very grateful to all of you for organizing this massive and orderly endeavor. You were all impressive and it seemed to run flawlessly.

After having lost a family member to COVID in December, we are very appreciative.

Mark McCormick and Bob Fletcher

Sequim

Apology necessary

At the next Sequim City Council meeting, I call on the City of Sequim councilors to pass a resolution apologizing to Charlie Bush and the citizens of Sequim for the Council’s outrageous vote at the Jan. 11 council meeting trying to force Mr. Bush to resign.

After that, offer Mr. Bush a 10-percent raise and a one month bonus to remain city manager for two more years.

My thanks to council members Brandon Janisse and Tom Ferrell for their defense of Mr. Bush.

William Armacost should resign. Now.

David Van Cleve

Sequim

Boost for hospice efforts appreciated

Since 1991, Sequim Bay Yacht Club has raised funds for the respite care program for Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County (VHOCC). A sincere thank you to all the local businesses and individuals who made the 2020 Reach and Row for Hospice event an overwhelming success.

COVID restricted the option to have an actual sailing and rowing event in September 2020, which makes the overall 2020 total even more impressive! With the $18,128 from the 2020 event, the grand total contribution for the respite fund is $401,202.

Thank you for opening your hearts and wallets to help make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors.

Susan Sorensen

Sequim

Here we go again … council seeking to fill vacancy

The last application process for a vacant council seat was a joke. The person most qualified was not chosen, nor was the second, or even third most qualified person. The person who was “pre-chosen” by sitting council members was, and after what occurred this past week — asking for city manager Charlie Bush’s resignation — we now see why. Keith Larkin jumped right on board with Armacost, Kincaid and Pence.

Mayor William Armacost said his intentions were “totally transparent,” then proceeded to go into a closed executive session, away from the public eye. As Brandon Janisse noted, going into a closed “executive session” (to ask for a resignation from someone who has been praised for his work with/for the city) is far from transparent.

Armacost must not understand the definition of transparent, so here it is as a refresher, from the dictionary:

“trans·par·ent”

adjective

• easy to perceive or detect: the residents will see through any transparent attempt to buy their votes; the meaning of the poem is by no means transparent.

• having thoughts, feelings, or motives that are easily perceived: you’d be no good at poker; you’re too transparent.

• (of an organization or its activities) open to public scrutiny: if you had transparent government procurement, corruption would go away.

Armacost, Kincaid, Pence and Larkin. Remember those names when we next have elections, and if it is as important to you as it is to me, ask them what transparent means to them.

Kelly Mitchell

Sequim

Vote for school levies

Sequim educators are working hard to deliver education and stay connected with school families throughout restrictions and complications resulting from the pandemic. We greatly appreciate their heroic efforts.

Please support your Sequim school district on February 9 by voting for the Educational Programs & Operations (EP & O) Levy and the Capital Projects Levy.

Voting for renewal of the EP & O Levy assures the continuation of important programs that benefit students, as well as keeping class sizes lower. It also funds vital support personnel above what state funding provides, including nursing staff, counselors, and more.

Voting for the Capital Projects Levy allows the school district to continue to tackle crucial large maintenance projects at each school campus. Washington state does not provide funding for building improvements—-this is left up to the community to fund.

Many of us living in Sequim no longer have children in school and so may feel these measures do not concern us. However, we must remember that the well-being of our schools is directly tied to the well-being of our community. Thank you for supporting Sequim schools!

Patsene Dashiell

Sequim

Dashiell has served as communications director in the Sequim and Port Angeles School Districts. She is the wife of Sequim Gazette editor Michael Dashiell.

Dangerous political views here in Sequim

Did anyone see the QAnon lapel pin Mayor William Armacost wore to the Sequim City Council meeting on Jan. 12? Do we remember his comments in September expressing support for the Qanon conspiracy?

On Jan. 6, QAnon extremists stormed and overtook the U.S. Capitol building in a violent effort to overturn a democratically-won election. Five Americans died in a horrifying attempt to silence democracy. You saw the images: QAnon flags, shirts and regalia filled the U.S. Capitol as poles bearing American flags were used a clubs to beat police officers.

What does this have to do with our Sequim? On Jan. 12, the mayor and three other city councilors voted in favor to force resignation of city manager Charlie Bush. In a time of raw physical, economic and emotional suffering, this council voted to remove our city manager and gave no reasons as to their call for removal.

The mayor’s QAnon beliefs and ideology are not only dangerous and antithetical to American democracy and institutions nationally, but we are experiencing that vindictive and divisive rhetoric brought to our very own Sequim.

In a time of crisis is it the best action for our city council to remove its city manager without cause? Mr. Bush selflessly re-accepted his position at the beginning of the pandemic because the city needed a capable leader, and he has proven one.

We must remove mayor Armacost. Save Charlie Bush.

Warren Brown

Sequim

Right On

We just finished reading Olaf Protze’s letter “Clinic an ill-conceived project” (Letters to the editor, Sequim Gazette, Jan. 13, page A-14). Mr. Protze is right on concerning the significant public opposition to the tribe’s drug distribution facility (MAT) and the major risks this facility poses to our way of life and our community safety.

The tribe, our city council and several city officials continue to downplay and dismiss the impact of more than 200 hundred drug addicts descending on Sequim and the associated issues that they will bring with them.

Mr. Protze is also right on when he cites the negative impacts these facilities have had on other communities. Like many other citizens of Sequim, we have seen, first-hand, the disasters that result from these drug distribution centers.

The city appointed examiner believes that a “half baked” mitigation plan will solve all of the major problems associated with the establishment of the MAT. He, along with the city council and many of our city officials seem determined to live in an alternate world.

The reality of these facilities is high crime, significant homelessness, overwhelmed community resources and a significant decrease in public safety. Our city council and city officials have forgotten their two most important missions: the safety of citizens and their property.

All of this just to satisfy a special interest group’s lust for more money.

Bob and Carole Travis

Sequim