Letters to The Editor: October 5-11, 2023

The Editor:

Wow! What a beautiful wedding we had for my daughter and fiancé on September 23. Thank you so much Tom and Shelley Johnson for the generous use of your home, the incredible garden, the colorful dahlia settings and the dahlia petals used in the ceremony. Your work to make this occasion a lasting memory was magnificent. 

I would like to thank the local businesses that helped us to make this wedding possible. 

Great friends Kristen and Gary Slavin of the Gateway 1890 Taphouse and Grill for the rehearsal dinner and the use of the beer truck for the wedding reception. People were raving over the mac and cheese and the sliders. The poutine and Brussels sprouts disappeared first of course.

Miguel Ramos and Paso del Norte for catering the reception. The food was top notch. Paso has the best salsa! No wonder Paso del Norte has been serving Blaine for over 30 years. We appreciate how much Miguel has donated back to the community over the years. 

Natalie and Jen of New Edge Hair design did an outstanding job on the bride and bridesmaids’ hair. Natalie and Jen have been good friends for years. 

Pacific Building Center supplied chairs, tables and two large canopies that saved the day when the rain hit.

Blaine Bouquet for supplying baby’s breath to complement Shelley’s amazing dahlias. They also made the bridesmaids’ bouquets and the groomsmen’s boutonnieres. Blaine Bouquet made sure they located flowers that coordinated with the wedding theme. 

The big, four-tier wedding cake was designed and made by Wendy Filipiak. She does stunning work. 

Very clean portable toilets were supplied by Lil’ John by a courteous, friendly professional delivery person. 

Lastly, we would like to thank all our amazing friends for all their support and assistance. We couldn’t have done it without you. 

Congratulations Ryan and Taylor Cadwell!

Mike and Kris Trueblood

Blaine

The Editor:

I have met with Donnell “Tank” Tanksley a couple of times and have been impressed with his broad experience and humanistic approach to policing. 

He recognizes the history of the jail and suggests that every member of the sheriff’s staff should have behavioral health skills; the ensuing “justice center” would include financial literacy training, education and apprenticeships among other methods of reintegrating people into the community. Thus the size of a new jail could be diminished.

Tank’s experiences include the military from high school to policing in Missouri, Oregon and Washington at Western Washington University and Blaine. 

Among his concerns are increased homelessness, limited housing and increasing crime. He looks forward to stepping in the county sheriff’s position and getting to work on day one. I believe he is worthy of your vote.

Ruth Higgins

Blaine

The Editor:

Blaine’s place as a fair and equitable place to live is up for grabs. Residents have spoken out against developing a mobile home park. Now a critical public hearing will be held at city hall (435 Martin Street) on Monday, October 9 at 6 p.m.

Mobile home parks have been justified as “affordable housing,” but that is clearly erroneous. First comes the rent – at least $10,000 annually to rent a lot. Second comes interest payments on the mobile home … if it is not on owned land, it is ineligible for a regular mortgage so loans are several points higher. None of these payments go toward building home equity. Finally, when it comes time to sell, homes in a park go for about a third of the price of the same home on owned land. 

This could all be remedied if the developer would agree to sell lots rather than renting them. All over the country residents are trying to escape the mobile home trap by purchasing the lots underneath their homes. We say, let’s keep local real estate fair!

Let’s not open the door to a long-discredited business model. Please show up at the hearing on October 9 to say so. 

Jack Kintner

Blaine

The Editor:

Three positions for Ferndale School Board are coming up for vote in November. I would like to share my opinion on why three candidates should be chosen.

District 1: Dr. Frank Erickson is the current president and has been on the board ten years. I’ve watched videos of past meetings and I’m impressed with his ability to handle what I consider difficult personalities and issues, and his knowledge of components running a school board. 

District 2: Brent Bode is an administrator at WWU, and has an impressive background in supporting people of all backgrounds and teaching other those skills. 

District 3: Toni Jefferson is currently in this position and is running to stay. She is a member of the Lummi Nation, has served on its school board and has had other experience in directing, management and board roles in Whatcom County. 

All three candidates support public schools. Their opponents are looking for alternatives to public schools and specifically do not want to including providing students support in their sexual orientation. 

Ferndale school district has a “Respect for All” policy that states students have the right to learn in an environment free of harassment, bullying and violence. This right is threatened if we don’t protect students by electing officials who show with their actions and words they have compassion for all backgrounds, they can work with others and have the necessary skills to manage the complexities involved in running a school board.

Susie Keithly

Lummi Island

The Editor:

Chief Donnell “Tank” Tanksley has dedicated his life as a servant leader, in law enforcement and in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army.

I have had the good fortune to meet Chief Tank on various occasions and have been impressed with his realistic can-do attitude. When he is elected Whatcom County Sheriff he will forge stronger partnerships with the community and other law enforcement agencies, which will enhance public safety and respect for all constituents.

He is knowledgeable, experienced, empathetic, approachable and eminently reasonable.

I encourage Whatcom County voters to find out where Chief Tank will next speak and go listen to him. I have no doubt you’ll be convinced he’s the person to tackle the tough job as our new Whatcom County Sheriff.

I support Donnell Tanksley for sheriff without reservation.

Micki Jackson

Bellingham