||| FROM MARK FICKEL ||| My name is Mark Fickel. My family roots go back since the late 1800s at Point Lawrence on Orcas and then in 1944 my grandparents and Rick’s, along with others, purchased the old Moultray farm near Doe Bay, now known as Shorewood. I have known

||| FROM REBECCA MCDOWELL ||| I've never written a letter to the editor or a lengthy endorsement of a candidate for any political office. I'd never written a short one either until I wrote one for Justin Paulsen.  In my short endorsement, I mentioned sitting in my government classroom imagining

||| FROM RON WHALEN ||| A recent posting argued the Land Bank isn’t the cause of increasing property taxes as there’s multiple nationwide factors. I agree with some of the reasoning, but an important element was missing. Many if not all of those nationwide factors don’t have a Real Estate

||| FROM  MICHELL (MITCH) MARSHALL ||| I’m writing in support of Rick Hughes for County Council, and not just because Rick Hughes is my friend! I’ve known Rick for many years, going back to when I was President of the Chamber of Commerce. During those years, we would occasionally disagree

||| FROM SADIE BAILEY ||| Justin Paulsen has stepped up for over two decades as a community advocate for adults, children and youth. He has volunteered much of his time and skills to give to our community in a positive way. His community activism page on his campaign website is

||| FROM JOE GAYDOS ||| Renewing the San Juan County Land Bank is a smart economic decision for islanders. More often than not, the one-time 1% real estate excise tax on the purchase of property is paid by people that are moving to San Juan County from somewhere else. These

||| FROM INGRID GABRIEL ||| I am writing in support of District 2 SJC Council candidate Justin Paulsen, as I believe he understands that good leadership goes beyond personal ambition. In a recent conversation, Justin told me that he has long recognized that the most important person in a restaurant

||| FROM PAUL S. HENRIKSEN ||| I have voted yes for the Land Bank renewal and encourage everyone to do so as well. Preserving public spaces and critical habitat as property in our county is continually bought and developed, is a very sensible way to mitigate growth and ensure that

||| FROM GREG & HEATHER OAKSEN ||| Why YES? Vote YES on renewal of the Land Bank because:: TAXES:: The 1% real estate excise tax that supports the Land Bank is paid by the buyer of real estate not the seller. 60% of buyers are from outside San Juan County.