||| FROM RON WHALEN |||
Posted on What’s Up with Free Speech was a question “What do you think is the biggest gripe people have with the Land Bank?” What a great question… I hardly know where to begin, but the following story might be a good place to start. Jack Cory wrote “the land bank does make misleading statements, and leaves out facts that are not always supportive of their stated intentions.” Here is a good example:
Reviewing the county web site in May of 2019 I pulled up the Land Banks page which included some history about the ordinance that created the Land Bank (LB). The last sentence read,”was renewed for additional 12 years by nearly 73% majority in 1999.” In 2011 voters reduced that majority approval to 52.8%. On San Juan Island the vote was against renewal. I reminded the county auditor the County’s web page on the Land Bank needed correction to illustrate current statistics. The county auditor replied she’d forward my message to the director of the Land Bank. Soon thereafter the director emailed me thanking me for pointing things out and saying the wording would be changed.
“Was renewed for additional 12 years by nearly 73% majority in 1999″ was replaced with “the ordinance has been reauthorized twice since it’s inception.” While accurate as a statement I felt it was artful. The Land Bank was happy to note nearly 73% approval in 1999, and let that information remain posted for 20 years even though the approval vote was reduced 20% in 2011. On San Juan Island the majority vote was against re-authorization. It wasn’t like the LB director just forgot the voting results from 2011. In a declaration dated 8-2-18 he cited the voting results of 2011 as a statement for a lawsuit. When reminded the posted voting results were 20 years out of date and misleading he decides to not post voting result percentages like they had previously. Might not read well I guess. It was convenient to just let the outdated voting results ride for 20 years as long as no one was noticing.
Is this not a perfect example of what Jack Cory noted as leaving out facts that are not supportive of their stated intentions? It’s artful and disingenuous, and recognizable in what the Land Bank communicates to the public. It’s their MO (method of operation). Vote NO on Proposition 1-Extending Conservation Area Real Estate Excise Tax.
We should all be so lucky as to have the free time enjoyed by Mr. Whalen, free time which he seems intent on using to crusade against the Land Bank instead of something productive.
I do agree with Mr. Whalen that this is a perfect example. It’s a perfect example of how the anti-land bank crowd with their personal vendettas work themselves into a lather over unimportant minor details for which they assume maximum ill-intent in a conspiracy minded fashion while completely ignoring the unbelievable amount of amazing work the Land Bank and it’s staff have done to benefit our community. Work that is open to and benefits the WHOLE community.
If only Mr. Whalen et al spent half the amount of time on improving our community as they do combing through old website material to try to find “gotcha” mistakes. Imagine what could be accomplished!
Vote to Renew our Land Bank.
I’m so glad the land bank exists! It protects land that everyone can enjoy, rich and poor alike. It gives wildlife a place to flourish. The Land Bank has done an admirable job in protecting mountains, streams, open fields and forestlands for future generations to enjoy, lands that would otherwise have been developed for private gain. The threat of commercial overdevelopment might otherwise diminish the grandeur, and everlasting health of our islands. Now we finally even have an amazing public waterfront park on Orcas of unparalleled beauty that is not alongside a busy road yet close to Eastsound. I salute the creation of the Land Bank, the foresight , generosity of donors, and the efforts of those working for the Land Bank with much gratitude.