La Conner Weekly News - Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper

Dear Editor,

I found the statement by Marna Hanneman, chair of the planning commission, that she found it a “difficult thing to go against the staff report” (Weekly News, April 6) absolutely stunning. The planning commission, as well as town council members, need to reset their thinking to realize they are called “staff” for a reason – they work for you!

Just because Scott Thomas, town administrator, and Michael Davolio, town planner, feel they need to preserve their own jobs by carrying out Mayor Hayes’ pro-development agenda, doesn’t mean the planning commission has to agree. Since the mayor has minimal voting power, he will use every arm-twisting maneuver that he thinks comes with the power of the office, to help his real estate and property development friends in the hopes that they will provide him the “professional courtesy (his term, not mine), he will need in his post-mayoral goals.

We all need a reminder that we elect our town officials to represent us, not out-of-town, self-dealing profiteers. So, vote. Every election. Every time. It matters.

Marilyn A. Johnson

La Conner