As Rick Hughes does not want the endorsement of Trust Islanders, I write this open letter:
Dear Trust Islanders:
I am hoping – now that Rick has asked you not to endorse him – that you might give me a shot. Sure, I’m a little hurt that you didn’t consider me in the first place. At least the Democrats sent me a questionnaire seeking my opinions. But you guys? Nada. Nothing. No meeting. Not even a phone call. But I am open-minded. I’m hoping you are too. Like your name says, it’s about trust.
To that end, here are some things I’d like you to consider before you send out your next postcard:
The quality of leadership is the ability to make informed, tough decisions. Decisions that may not be popular but are fair and transparent. Decisions based on hearing different points of view. Here’s an example: I made a decision to accept the endorsement of San Juan County’s Democratic party. I did this early. And in the face of criticism, I stuck to my decision. Do I always agree with the Dems? No. Will they control my decisions in county government? Absolutely not. But in the last week of the campaign, I will not cast that endorsement aside.
I am a strong manager. County employees are frustrated. Many feel undervalued. Citizens are frustrated. They feel their needs are undervalued too. We need to solve this dichotomy on both ends. Probably nowhere will this be more needed than in the planning and permitting department.
I have a long track record of finishing what I start. If I say I will do something, I will see it through to the end.
Earlier in this campaign, I was accused of being a socialist or communist. For the record, I am neither. And BTW, neither of those parties endorsed me either.
I could add a bunch of other things here – about my ability to manage a multi-million dollar budget, about my love of this place and its people, about my commitment to ensure that all voices at the table are heard– but in the end it really is about trust. People want to trust our county government.
A lot of folks have been wondering what I would do if I win. The one thing I guarantee is that each day I will work as hard as I can to create a county government deserving of your trust.
If you’d like to talk about any of this further – please email me: info@lisabyers.org
Your friend –
Lisa Byers
P.S. – if Trust Islanders could “Like” me on Facebook, that would be awesome!
I like you Lisa! MJ
Lisa– Thank you for your letter. Contrary to what you imply, we studied you and what you have supported– very closely. You will probably remember that I video taped the debates at the League of Womens Voters as well as at the Grange. Both took place in Friday Harbor and are on the Trustislanders! website. http://WWW.Trustislanders.org.
Before the debates, I wrote you a list of questions that were published in most of the online newspapers. You finally responded after a couple of weeks when it became apparent (my letter Control vs. Inspiration) that I was not satisfied with your silence. We found that your answers concerning private property were as reassuring as a weak handshake. Your association and apparent sympathy with the New Economic Institute was not explained to our satisfaction. We are still waiting for an explanation as to what is entailed in your statement “… this is part of a larger Land Reform Movement …”. From our perspective the New Economics Institute and the links that it lists on its site appear to be very sympathetic to what is commonly defined as Socialism. Maybe we are incorrect, but it was you, not us speaking to them in the video. We are still awaiting your explanation.
In your third paragraph, you appear to be contrasting yourself to Rick Hughes for casting aside the TrustIslanders! endorsement. During the campaign Rick Hughes never asked for our endorsement as he wanted to stay absolutely independent. TrustIslanders! is also independent and it is our decision and ours alone to decide whom to endorse. We think that Rick will effectively balance the needs of the islanders with the responsibilities of protecting the island environment that we all love. That is why we endorsed him.
Lisa, we at Trustislanders! do not question your ability and commitment to finishing jobs that you start. You seem to be a very competent manager. We just are not satisfied that you will advocate for islanders first and foremost. Maybe, in time, you can convince us that you are not filtering all of your decisions through a larger off island agenda. If you are elected we certainly hope that you prove us wrong.
When we spoke briefly at the Grange debate, I told you that I have the upmost respect for your willingness to run for what looks to be a thankless job. I also explained that I could not vote for you as I believe that we do not share a vision of how best to inspire our families, neighbors and our community to express their full potential. We believe that Trust promotes a healthy, united community in which we are all proud to be members. We welcome you to join us in our vision.
When the election is over lets share a beer and further our understanding of each other.
Royce Meyerott
TrustIslanders!
I look forward to talking with you and others to broaden our understanding and find common ground. It is, after all, through civil discourse that we solve problems.
It is nice to see that Lisa has a sense of humor.
Lisa, Mr. Meyerott wrote, “From our perspective the New Economics Institute and the links that it lists on its site appear to be very sympathetic to what is commonly defined as Socialism. Maybe we are incorrect, but it was you, not us speaking to them in the video. We are still awaiting your explanation.”
Civil discourse requires direct answers to direct questions. As you have yet to respond to the public and private queries of Mr. Meyerott, Mr. Carlson and many others it is impossible to consider your offer of future discourse seriously. One way or the other, after the election, I am certain this will be corrected.