LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pride and pub

Editor, the Journal,

Cathy Gallagher wrote that she didn’t like City Councilman Jim Boad’s vote on the Pride proclamations so would boycott the Wilde Irish Pub. Her letter had three errors. The first said Jim Boad voted against the proclamation. There was no vote. Two other board members confirmed this. There was a discussion; Mr. Boad simply stated his opinion. The second error was calling the proclamation “simple.” The last few years Pride parades have become very close to pornographic with children present and aggressive with an “in your face” political agenda. This is not “simple.” The third error was her boycott. Since Anhauser-Busch started promoting aggressive transgender Pride activities, they’ve lost billions of dollars. Some Pride performers in parades were partially nude and showed flamboyant aggressiveness in front of kids. These parades were televised; many of us saw them. People were turned off. Reports had beer drinkers saying “no” to Busch; even beer rebates failed. Stores were stuck with Bud beer and no drinkers.  

Ms. Gallagher’s letter reminds me of a little kid who gets angry and threatens to “take her ball and go home.” I suggest those of us who agree that Jim Boad is allowed to have an opinion, go to the Wilde Irish Pub, buy a beer, and roast Ms. Gallagher’s silly boycott.

Ardean Anvik, Shelton

The growing mess

Editor, the Journal,

Hello Mason County friends and neighbors,

I am a resident of Mason County and I work full time in the city of Shelton. I moved here looking for my piece of the American dream. The dream of owning a home, a car, maybe some money in the bank and to live a comfortable life with my family. I thought I found that, but the state of the city of Shelton has me wondering for how long. The growing mess and the lack of fight coming from our current leadership is why I believe the city needs George Blush for Shelton City Council seat No. 1.

George currently volunteers tirelessly in our community every day to help everyone from low-income families at the Housing Authority to their pets with 5XL Shelton pet food bank. We need active community members like him in office who get to see the effects of the bad policies that put us where we are today. I worked alongside George as we cleaned up the Housing Authority properties and he never gives up. I am not sure why he still believes this community like he does. If I had to guess, I would say the amount of love he receives from the community fuels his unwavering love for the Shelton community. Thanks for reading everyone and have an awesome day!

Fred Armstrong, Shelton

A cleaner Shelton

Editor, the Journal,

Hello friends and neighbors,

I am writing today to support George Blush for Shelton City Council – Seat 1. After watching the candidate forum on June 26 at the Shelton Civic Center, which can be viewed online at MasonWebTV, it was clear that out of the three candidates for the position, George Blush is the most familiar with what is happening in the City of Shelton and the most involved in our community. Shelton has become a mess and George Blush is downtown daily trying to clean it up and make it a more welcoming community for current and new local businesses and visitors to Shelton. When my kids were younger, they played in Brewer Park, as of a month ago, it is unsanitary and very unsafe place for anyone to be, it is a tent city. Sadly, I am afraid to even walk past that place and the surrounding area. I have completely given up on going downtown at night with the open drug use and transient situation taking over and making it feel incredibly unsafe. When George says “Vote Blush for a Cleaner, Safer Shelton” I believe him and I hope you do too.

Please join me in supporting him and vote Blush for a cleaner, safer Shelton and let’s get our parks and community back.

Barbara Fosdick, Shelton

Go away, please

Editor, the Journal,

To the person who sprayed racial slurs on Pioneer Way: We don’t want you. Please leave town.

Roger Lewis, Shelton

Council choice

Editor, the Journal,

I support George Blush for Shelton City Council, Position 1, as he is very passionate about the City of Shelton. He is involved in many aspects of the city, he is chairman of the Housing Authority, on the board of Crossroads and runs his own Charity 5XL, which provides pet food and supplies to people who can’t afford them for their pets. Historic Nita’s Café is his business in the heart of downtown Shelton, which is a gathering place for open discussion for the needs of the community. George is very compassionate with the needs of the people and businesses in the City of Shelton. He is very involved with providing solutions or assistance to anyone who is in need. George is also a very involved family man and would like to see what is best for all families.

Karen Barr, Shelton

Thoughts on judge

Editor, the Journal,

Dave Stevens is the best person for the Mason County Superior Court judge position.

This town is in serious need of harsher punishment for the criminals and out-of-control crime that has fallen on our community and has diminished the overall safety of our citizens in the last several years.

After hearing at the candidate forum on July 8 that Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown is up on the bench following her heart, I do not feel like she will hold criminals in her courtroom accountable for their actions without her own opinions made by “following her heart” interfering with her judgments.

I also can’t help but wonder if Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown was “following her heart” when she allowed Chantel Peterson, the woman who shot her boyfriend seven times putting him in the hospital for over a month, out of jail on a $5,000 bail sentence which allowed her to get out of jail for only $500. When Mrs. Peterson shot someone seven times, she immediately became a threat to herself and our community.

Dave Stevens was the prosecuting attorney on that case who was arguing for $500,000 and Judge Cadine Ferguson-Brown let her out for next to nothing. Due to Mrs. Peterson being allowed to be out of jail during her trial, she is no longer alive and justice was not served.

Dave Stevens is currently a senior felony deputy prosecutor for Mason County and is a firm believer in following the U.S. Constitution, he has a multitude of qualifying experience with over 16 years as a prosecuting attorney, six years as a public defender, 200 jury trials, as well as experience in training judges and other attorneys.

Vote for Dave Stevens for Mason County Superior Court judge because experience matters.

Jodi Flanagan, Shelton

Eye on Taylor

Editor, the Journal,

Shelton and Mason County residents need to remain vigilant in their opposition to the Taylor Shellfish Company proposal to create a 50-acre commercial aquaculture site in Oakland Bay. Although the public hearing has been extended three times to Aug. 9, I have not seen coverage or reporting on why this proposal should be rejected.

If a 99-year lease of a public natural resource to a private entity isn’t enough to have piqued your interest before, now consider the recent McEwan Prairie Road fire where firefighters had to scoop water out of Oakland Bay to help extinguish the rapidly spreading blaze. Due to the congestion of people and watercraft on area lakes, Oakland Bay became the only safely accessible water source available in the vicinity.

Had the miles of lines and oyster bags proposed by Taylor Fish been in place as they hope, the deep water of the bay would have been rendered useless to the firefighting aircrafts.

Don’t be confused about this project … a lease of this proportion will benefit Taylor Shellfish and no one else. Your community’s safety is now at stake along with all the benefits that should be accessible to everyone.

Please join us in opposing the Taylor Shellfish proposal; submit your letters of opposition to [email protected] by Aug. 8.

Dave & Ginny Douglas, Shelton

Support judge

Editor, the Journal,

Victoria Meadows, whose name Ms. Bechtolt used twice in the opening of her letter to the editor on July 6, is a long-time resident of Mason County.Further, Victoria Meadows is a highly respected retired District Court judge.

Victoria Meadows wrote to the Journal in support of Cadence Ferguson-Brown, one of Mason County’s Superior Court Judges.

Ms. Bechtolt’s letter suggests there are only two types of law: criminal prosecution and criminal defense.

If that were all, perhaps a former public defender-turned prosecutor would be all that is required for the job currently held by the well-qualified Judge Ferguson-Brown.

There are lots of types of law: Animal law; admiralty law; bankruptcy law; banking and finance law; civil-rights law; constitutional law; corporate law; criminal law; education law; entertainment law; employment law; environmental and natural resources law; family law; health law; immigration law; international law; intellectual property law; military law; personal injury law; real estate law; and tax law.

A candidate for judge who only knows criminal prosecution and criminal defense is not qualified to be a Mason County Superior Court judge.

I would like to hear more, however, about Ms. Bechtolt’s statement that “Mr. Stevens has trained prosecutors and judges not only in the United State but also in the Middle East and Europe.” That would be interesting to hear about.

My credentials to comment on the race for superior court judge? Twenty-three years working with the legal profession in Shelton, and 15 before that in Seattle, Bellevue and Idaho.

Katherine A. Price, Shelton

The people speak

Editor, the Journal,

I applaud your efforts to clean up your editorial page!

My suggestion is to let Mr. Graham and Mr. Anvik fight it out on their own platform but don’t shut down the other letter-writers. I find it healthy to have opinions from all parties, without the name-calling. Let the people speak, if need be, do your editing.

Gordon Keller, Shelton

A clear choice

Editor, the Journal,

Let’s elect a judge (Dave Stevens) that will be fair, follow the law, punish criminals, one who has been a senior felony deputy prosecutor, as well as a public defender. Not interested in his opposition at all: a judge who just this year let a woman out of jail on minimal bail within a day after she had shot her boyfriend multiple times. A clear choice. Vote Stevens!

Jim Shepherd, Shelton

Fire hall standoffs

Editor, the Journal,

I would like to write to shed light on the conduct of our community’s fire department, Mason County Fire District 12. On Friday, July 7, a special meeting was held at the fire hall to accept the resignation of commissioner Brian Jutson and presumably appoint a new commissioner within the same day and with no notice to the community. This did not go over too well, coupled with the open disrespect these commissioners have for the community things went off the rails again. As soon as the meeting was adjourned I witnessed “former” commissioner Jutson come out into the assembly area and get nose-to-nose with a woman almost half his size being physically threatening, positioning himself like he was going to punch her. I heard him tell her “I’m a civilian now, let’s do this.” Only as her husband approached did he retreat to behind the line of chairs.

Then someone made a comment about the “internal investigation” report’s inaccurate statements about “current” commissioner Cinda Compton portions of the report. At Cinda’s first appearance at a commissioner meeting she showed her complete lack of reserve and ability to hold public office as she then ran from the back of the fire hall to chase down a community member, screaming obscenities and threatening to fight her right there. The new fire chief had to physically restrain her for several minutes while screaming out the fire hall doors “I have nothing to lose! Im gonna F*&# you up!”

The former chief even got in on the action engaging in screaming and obscenities with multiple members of the community. This is what we are dealing with. Every single month we wait for this group to do the right thing, but instead they insist on what appears to be quite the racketeering scheme.

Derrick Nygaard, Matlock