To the Editor:
My gratitude to the San Juan County Council for appointing Tim Blanchard to the Planning Commission and my admiration for Tim in placing himself in the line of fire so often directed at Council committees from disgruntled citizens on all sides, has given way to dismay that Mr. Blanchard’s appointment has been challenged.
Withdrawing this appointment would amount to caving in to the divisive forces in our County who predictably appear whenever someone who thinks independently and outside the ideological boundaries of partisan advocacy has the effrontery to enter the local dialogue.
Some of the objections to Mr. Blanchard’s appointment are hysterical and puffed up with unwarranted and self-righteous indignation. The appointment has been characterized as “negligent, irresponsible, unethical, and an insult to the citizens of our County.” May I note as a citizen that I am not insulted?
As to the process through which Tim was appointed, the record seems to show that Planning Commission members including Bob Gamble, Karin Agosta, and Barbara Thomas were all appointed under the same process. (Special Meeting of the Council, minutes of 11/8/2011). So shall we throw them all out?
If the clarity of thought, civility, and rationality Tim expresses in his response to David Dehlendorf could be duplicated by his detractors, we would all be better off.
In my opinion, if Chair Jamie Stephens and members of the County Council (who voted 6-0 to approve this appointment) succumb to the bullying we are seeing in opposition to Tim Blanchard, we will all be worse off for the loss of an excellent addition to the Planning Commission.
Sincerely,
Janice Peterson
(Please note for the purpose of full disclosure that my husband is Second District Council member, Rich Peterson.)
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Tim Blanchard is intelligent and hard working, but as vice president of the Common Sense Alliance, he will represent the extreme views of this organization. When a board member of the Friends of the San Juans applied to serve on the Planning Commssion some years ago, they were told that it was inappropriate to appoint a strong advocate of our environment. Our current County Council should have delayed making the PC appointment until an earnest search for a more centrist volunteer was carried out. Advertising the vacancy during the December holidays and during January when many people are away is certainly not the best of times. Appointing a person with extreme views will only further polarize our community.
It may be time to write a short description of the charge of the planning commission. It ain’t the Board of Adjustment.