Letters to the Editor

The Editor:
I worked more than 30 years as a public school teacher in Washington state. I am now retired and rely on my state pension to survive.

Some legislators in Olympia want to break a promise they made to public school employees by repealing gainsharing, which would, in effect, cut my pension by thousands of dollars.

This would, in turn, cut the dollars I contribute to the local economy. I hope you will join me in urging local legislators to oppose the repeal of gainsharing.

Jean Savidge
Blaine

The Editor:
At last Friday’s airport commission meeting, commissioner Doug Fenton talked about city council’s decision to close the airport and although he didn’t agree with the decision he vowed to go along with it and he felt that it was wrong for him to fight the vote. He said that he would resign as airport commissioner before he would square off against the city’s vote.

He mentioned airport alternatives such as purchasing land in the county and starting over with the proceeds of the sale of the Blaine airport and building a new one in a different location.

At the end of the meeting a commission member asked Mayor Myers if he would like to comment. Mr. Meyers immediately made it clear that he was speaking only as a resident and not on behalf of the council.

He then went on to tell the commission to not give up the fight and he believed in keeping the airport.

Mr. Myers said he had been in contact with airport supporters down south and this Thursday he could help set up a meeting with people that had defeated airport closures.

The commission discussed Mike’s idea and agreed to the possibility of a meeting at the senior center this Thursday and to do an advertisement in the paper.

The defeat of airport supporting council member Bob Brunkow a year ago was the first hurdle in the battle to close the airport and getting rid of mayor will be the second.

He doesn’t seem to understand his fiduciary responsibility of being impartial. It is wrong of him to undermine the tough decision that was made by his constituents.

It has been a real lesson to watch a small group of vocal minority politicians try and run the city of Blaine, and I encourage all voters to make their votes count during the upcoming elections.

We have a few very good council members, and we will soon need one more.

Dennis Hill
Blaine

The Editor:
Hello. We were interviewed by Tara Nelson a few months ago about our new business Team Honey Do. Part of our vision is to give back to the community by offering our services for free to needy families in the community. 

We currently need people (low income/single moms/elderly) who truly have a need for a handyman and/or painter to come into their home for a whole eight hour day and do whatever they need done. 

People in Blaine have been wonderful supporting our business. The ad you ran in November was a call to the community to volunteer for a day on a mini home makeover for an elderly Korean woman in Blaine where we had a sheet-rock finisher volunteer his time as well.
 
However, we have not had many requests from people in need to have us come in to their home and volunteer and we would like to let the community know that we are looking for low income/single moms/elderly to do whatever needs to be done if they can just provide the materials. Perhaps there are people reading The Northern Light who can think of someone in need they can refer to us. 

We are fully equipped to do pretty much anything except electrical. They can call or email us at teamhoneydo@comcast.net or call 360/306-5667.  Thanks so much for your support of our business and please call me if you need any more info.

Becca Crossno
Blaine

The Editor:
Again Lincoln Rutter submits a confusing and perplexing letter. He covers several topics, which, for the most part, are not related to each other.

He made no connection to the alleged mortgage crisis to the closing of the airport. He also assumes “developers” (whom he seems to dislike immensely) will lowball the city on any sale.

It would take more words than allotted to try to point out all the deficiencies in his letter. So, let’s deal with the specifics.

Mr. Rutter apparently does not know the difference between real estate appreciation and speculation.

What took place in recent years in Whatcom County was an unusual increase in prices due to heavy demand.

This is basic real estate 101 in that when demand exceeds supply, prices rise. When the other is true, then prices decline.

It has nothing to do with speculation, which usually comes into play when real estate prices are increasing rapidly. But, they are not the driving force behind prices going up. I wonder who ranked Bellingham the 16th most overheated market. He didn’t disclose the source.

Overheated markets are simply part of the economic real estate cycle experienced in most areas in the U.S., some more than others. California is typically a fast rising overheated market when national real estate prices are rising.

I wonder why he keeps signing his letters as from Blaine when he lives in Birch Point, an unincorporated section of Whatcom County.
As I wrote before, signing your name and stating you are from Blaine renders a disservice to all readers since they presume you have a sincere interest in “your” city. To illustrate my point, he states in his letter “our city council” and “shame on our council.” It is not your council, Mr. Rutter. It belongs to the residents of that city!

Mickey Masdeo
Birch Bay

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com