Letters to the Editor for May 29, 2012

Washougal needs a good candidate for City Council With the resignation of Jon Russell from our City Council, this leaves an opportunity for our council to right itself, and to take a new look at itself and its responsibility to the citizens of Washougal who they represent. It is my hope that this new individual, who will be selected with a vote of the six member existing council, sans Mr. Russell will be very independent in their thinking, will be more of a leader than a follower, and will have only the desire to serve this community and its people. I hope that this person can seek to confer and to find middle ground, if disputes occur and to avoid the proclivity of taking sides, that has plagued our council in the past. I hope this person will not be influenced by partisan politics, since our local government is non-partisan, and to realize that it is the productive interaction of these 7 people, that will mean the success or failure, of over 14,000 people that call Washougal home. I believe this interim replacement council member, due to the unique seat they are filling, could be one of the most important additions to this council in a very long time. I hope so much that Washougal is blessed with the right person for this position. Mike Briggs, Washougal Councils try to protect their citizens One characteristic of a Third World Country is that they allow other nations or Multinational Corporations to mine and export their resources under conditions that make money for the exterior entity, while underpaying for the resources and workers, damaging the environment and poisoning their own citizens. Currently, coal trains are bringing coal for use within the State of Washington. Workers and the environment in our country still have some protections. There are some restrictions on pollutants from burning the coal. Some of the profit stays in the country. This would not be true when foreign corporations ship coal to China for burning. Thank you to the Cities of Washougal and Camas for expressing concerns about the shipping of our coal for foreign export and being willing to try to protect their citizens. Sydney Reisbick, president, Friends of Clark County

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