The Editor:
Campaign signs are going up. The November elections are coming up. For many people the response is to think political, but this election is about us.
The county council District 5 seat is very important. This is not about a warmed chair in a conversation. District 5 includes Ferndale, Blaine and Custer as well as the county residents in the general area. We are unique and our needs are specific. We house three ports of entry, industry, businesses large and small, aquaculture, Lummi Island and Lummi Nation, farming, incredible growth and even crab pot pirates.
If you do not know about candidates, go to meet and greets and forums. The League of Women Voters is holding a forum at the Blaine Senior Center, August 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
District 5 needs are specific and unique because its citizens are specific and unique. Be prepared for your vote on November 7.
Donna Starr
Blaine
The Editor:
Blaine and Whatcom County have lost a true environmental champion with the passing of Wendy Harris on August 31.
Wendy was fiercely independent, outspoken, brilliant, funny, engaging, irascible and fearless. She embodied the traits and skills one would find in a truly effective leader. Wendy had a true compassion for animals and, by extension, all living things and the preservation of the natural environment. It was a full-time job and one she did particularly well.
The lesser among us give lip service to these lofty ambitions, but Wendy was able to effectively channel her fierce commitment and passion in a manner that made county decision makers take notice. And ignore at their peril.
Wendy could analyze, interpret and challenge the minutiae of a complex environmental impact statement or planning department land use proposal more quickly and effectively than any citizen advocate I have ever worked with. And she did so regularly throughout her 20-year career as a citizen journalist.
In retrospect, her positions, particularly those relating to water quality and land use, were correct and will be remembered as her legacy.
Her brilliant mind, Stanford law degree and an unbridled passion for environmental advocacy and animal welfare made her a force to be reckoned with when speaking before councils of government.
That voice is now sadly silent.
John Lesow
Point Roberts
The Editor:
I attended the Mount Baker Foundation’s living kidney donation forum on September 10. Storytelling was the highlight of the event.
Stories are a fundamental aspect of being human – the kidney donor and kidney recipients’ stories were inspiring, heartfelt, educational, and yes, very humorous.
Dr. Bill Lombard’s article in The Northern Light caught the attention of an organization in Ohio, Kidneys for Communities, kidneysforcommunities.org.
The fact that Atul Agnihotri, the board chair and executive director, of Kidneys for Communities, with work in 14 countries, reached out to the Mount Baker Foundation as a result of Dr. Lombard’s article is a testament to the value and reach of small, hometown newspapers. Agnihotri expressed hope that our communities could exchange ideas to further our collective mission.
Thank you, The Northern Light. You help strengthen our communities when you showcase events and news important to all of us.
Micki Jackson
Bellingham
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