Delighting in farmers markets

I’m sitting on my deck right now enjoying a selection of salmon chowder, cornbread, sugar snap peas, strawberries and a homemade chocolate chip cookie. My best friend Mickey Mo Jo is enjoying his fresh beef bone treat. Dinner from the farmers market is my newest favorite thing!

I was hooked after my first visit. My first market meal of the season was freshly cooked shrimp, spinach salad, kriti bread, and tomato basil cheese. Every week I have been greeted by new friends and additional taste treats. It is like a mini-reunion every week! I am so happy to know such wonderful individuals who are generous enough to share their food and cooking with me every week. 

I want to encourage everyone out there to support our area farmers markets. It is them, after all, who are supporting us!

Elinor Nakis

Sedro-Woolley

No friends to farmland

Hillary Burnson recently published a letter to the editor (July 19) talking about how important it is to protect Skagit County’s farmland. I couldn’t agree more.

To find out how NOT to protect Skagit County farmland, consider who is supporting Sedro-Woolley Mayor Mike Anderson in his run for county commissioner: Mount Vernon Mayor Bud Norris and Burlington Mayor Ed Brunz.

Brunz wants to reward the Burlington-Edison School District’s bad judgment by allowing it to pave over the Pulver Road property. Brunz also wants to continue 50 years of negligent flood-control practices, by building more box stores in an old riverbed. He will need a compliant commissioner to approve that. Hence, his support for Anderson.

Norris recently proposed an astonishing plan to pave over the riverbend area in Mount Vernon. This shortsighted proposal would not only result in paving over hundreds of acres of farmland, but the project would be in the center of one of the most dangerous flood zones in the country, requiring a bailout with your tax dollars. Norris also needs a patsy in the commissioner’s chair, explaining his support for Anderson.

Anderson must have thoroughly impressed these two chaps by his ability to shill and sell bad ideas of certain developers — for example, the Deluxe garbage dump across the street from Sedro-Woolley High School, or the single-lane roundabout that congests highways 9 and 20 traffic and has such a short turning radius that it can’t properly accommodate trucks with trailers.

We need a commissioner whose first consideration is the needs of the citizens of our county. Sharon Dillon is such a commissioner.

Charles Meyers

Lyman

Doobovsky a vote for future

Had enough undelivered promises? Had enough of all the bickering, misinformation, back-peddling and back-patting from career politicians?

With elections approaching, vote for Robert Doobovsky for county commissioner, someone who has never run for or held a public office. Robert understands and has worked on the inside and outside of county government. Robert Doobovsky was a carpenter for many years before being employed as a plans examiner for city and county government, gaining experience from both sides of the counter.

Robert believes the county commissioners should be the firewall between the government and the citizens they serve, represent and are employed by with their hard-earned money.

Robert will promote jobs, minimize taxes and regulations, and protect our property and water rights, while keeping Skagit County government accountable. Robert strongly believes we must protect and preserve our farmers, farmland, fish and forest industries and our local businesses for future generations.

A vote for Robert Doobovsky will be a vote for our future. Vote for Robert Doobovsky, Skagit County Commissioner from District 3.

Randy Good

Sedro-Woolley

Take time to meet Newman

In response to Brian Gentry’s letter in the July 19 Skagit Valley Herald: Mr. Gentry, your glowing endorsement of Dusty Gulleson, based on first impressions, is stunning. He is, indeed, at a relatively young age, becoming a skilled politician. Did you learn where he stands on Washington state issues? Did he reel you in with that compelling story about the Elma ancestor and omit the fact that he just moved to our fair state last year from that swamp we call Washington, D.C., area? Probably not.

Full disclosure here – I am Mike Newman’s campaign manager, and I have had it up to here with this elitist, arrogant, know-it-all who epitomizes what has turned voters away from the Republican party over the last decade. 

On the other hand, Mike Newman is not a great orator, but he truly represents the constituency. As a lifelong Washingtonian he has a good grasp of our issues and he tells the truth. As a recent Boeing retiree turned Realtor, you and Mike have much more in common than the “impressive” carpetbagger from Washington, D.C.  I hope you take the opportunity to get to meet Mike before you cast your ballot.

Connie Munsey

Mount Vernon

Read more local news in the Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American, or read it online in the E-edition