The three-part series on the Port of Vancouver was excellent. I felt as though I was reading a murder mystery — who murdered the public’s right to know the port’s dealings and why were there not more open public hearings done in a legal and timely manner.
Let’s hope this excellent piece opens the eyes of many people in our community, statewide and elsewhere, as to the historically shady shenanigans our port seems to have a propensity for in its ventures because that has to stop. Is true transparency foreign to the port’s director and commissioners?
After being raised in the Chicago suburbs (great city of concrete) and living in two other states before moving here in 1978, I know we are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful parts of our country. We must protect this pristine beauty.
A Chicago friend visited Seattle a few years ago, having never been to the Northwest before. Her remark to me after looking across the Puget Sound on a clear and sunny day, able to see the Olympic Mountains was, “Oh, my gosh. Now I know why you all are environmentalists. You must always protect this.” Yes, our safety is paramount in this case, but protecting the beauty and livability of our area is, too. Burning oil trains, burning cities, and Bakken crude in our rivers is totally unacceptable.
