Letters

There are three ways to submit a Letter to the Editor:

  1. Move your mouse over the Letters page and click on the Contact Us tab,
    then fill out and submit the form provided,
  2. Send an email to Editor Bev Browne at bbrowne@plvoice.org, or
  3. Send a letter to P. O. Box 65077, Port Ludlow, WA 98365.

Our Letters to the Editor policy

  • Letters to the editor appear only on the website.
  • Priority is given to timely letters on subjects of local or regional interest.
  • Letters should be focused on issues, not personalities, and avoid name-calling or unsubstantiated allegations.
  • The word limit for general letters is 300 words.
  • Letters are subject to editing to meet those standards.
  • All letters must be signed – no anonymous letters will be accepted.
  • Street addresses and phone numbers must be included for confirmation purposes.
  • To avoid confusion, please indicate in your heading that the letter is intended for posting on the web.
  • Allow two weeks for the letter to appear on this page.

 

February 3, 2012

To the Editor:

I have had the chance to read your article in the Port Ludlow Voice with Commissioner Carmody (PLFR’s Fiscal Efficiency) and really appreciate your attention to detail and approach to the article, thank you. If I might, an area I would like to comment on and improve a bit is in the paragraph that discusses EF Recovery (pg. 16, end of the second paragraph, left column). I know the article is already published, but maybe it can be posted on the “Letters to the Editor” section.

I think it is important to also recognize that what EF Recovery provides is not only the replacement of damaged Fire Protective Clothing, but the re-supplying of equipment we use on accident scenes. The funds that are placed into our account from EF Recovery’s efforts to collect fees from the insurance companies, allow us to purchase items such as Absorb-All (a product we spread on the street to absorb oil, fuel, radiator coolant, etc.), a liquid spray that renders these fluids safe so we are reducing the environmental impact of the hazardous waste component, we purchase our road flares, and have the ability to purchase other equipment from their catalog. The important point to take from this is that EF Recovery contacts insurance companies to collect fees for these services that insurance policies already provide for. We then turn around and are able to purchase the aforementioned items with NO impact on the Fire Department’s budget.

Brad Martin, Interim Fire Chief

Port Ludlow Fire & Rescue

 

11 January 2012

The following letter was sent to Port Ludlow Associates, Ludlow Maintenance Board and the South Bay Community Association before coming to the Voice on January 11.

To Whom It May Concern:

My Port Ludlow Voice arrived last week and sat unopened until today. I grabbed my usual cut of tea and sat down to enjoy reading the publication from cover to cover. This has been my pattern for years.

The first page stopped me with my mouth agape. The editorial written by Beverly Brown[e]on her opinion about marijuana and I-502 would set a tone that is inappropriate for the type of newsletter published in Port Ludlow. Since when did our Voice become a political agenda magazine? One person’s political editorial has NO PLACE in a magazine that “mission is to inform readers of events and activities within the village or close by”. The beauty of this publication was that it was free from political options [sic] that we can acquire from the Leader, Peninsula Daily News, television, radio, Internet or any newspaper printed. Is there any chance of returning this publication to its original mission of information not opinion?

If this is accomplished then residents are again free to sit down with a cup of tea and enjoy reading about upcoming events in this wonderful community.

Jeanie Killmer

Woodridge Village, Port Ludlow

 

9 January 2012

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:

As a past neighbor of Dutra Quarry in San Rafael, Marin County, California in the San Francisco Bay area, we know first hand the everyday annoyances and health issues that a busy quarry causes for its surroundings.

The noise, not just from the truck traffic and blasting, but also the crushing of material . .  all day and all night long, being amplified as it crosses the large bodies of water surrounding it, reverberating off the nearby mountains and cliffs.

The truck traffic of the Dutra Quarry is now limited by county ordinances following enormous traffic jams that were problematic in the San Rafael route to highway 101. The community has never stopped complaining loud and clear through the press and litigation. Though the county addresses the problems with more restrictions on the number of the many issues, the community has shown its tenacity. The unpleasantness of this type of business is absolutely the nemesis of this area. Knowing the real problems of a working quarry an adequate fine structure laid in place is absolutely nothing new when it come to the proper management of this type of business and has been shown to be the only way to control the situation.

Lastly, to not have an environmental impact study in today’s understanding of the careful balancing management needs of our ecosystem leads one to an obvious question. Who are the real benefactors of this whole project.

Sincerely,

Teri Kreuger, Port Ludlow

 

January 8, 2012

To the Editor:

I applaud your work on the Voice and agree with much of what you wrote about marijuana laws.

However, you should know that the statement that prohibition did not work is controversial.  Scholars for about the last 50 years have pointed out that drinking dropped dramatically under prohibition, and consumption rates did not fully recover until the 1970s.

Washington by popular referendum forbad the possession of alcoholic beverages, and thus their consumption.  The federal 18th Amendment, however, was a marketing control and federal law never forbad consumption.  National prohibition outlawed the manufacture distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages.

A minor point.  Maybe our paths will cross someday; we live in Port Ludlow about half the time.

K. Austin Kerr

Professor Emeritus of History, Ohio State University

 

January 2, 2012

To the Editor:

What a surprise I had when I read the editor’s column in the Jan. Voice. Surprise, not because the author had an opinion on a controversial subject, but that she would or be allowed to voice her opinion in the Voice. It’s been my assumption this magazine is to provide information about Port Ludlow and actions that affect the community. I’m sure the editor, as are all activists on this subject passionate to their cause, but I don’t believe the Voice should be their platform. I’m sure there many in the community would take an opposing view. Until the Voice becomes a platform for all, there should not be special privileges for the opinions of the editor.

Respectfully,

Richard Jackling

 

31 December 2011

Re: January Voice editorial on the I-502 initiative.

Ms. Browne,

Re: your very well developed piece on this controversial issue–could not agree more. You managed to hit just about every salient (and logical) point for supporting this initiative. Most policy people understood many years ago that an all-out “War on Drugs” was hardly the the approach to our drug problem. Indeed, it was almost as bad as “just say no.” Demand (and mostly from the U.S.) as versus supply has always been the driver. Suppliers will always flood the marketplace when there is high demand. Maybe the timing is right now although I am still unsure if there is adequate public support. Hopefully, your very good analysis will at least bring the Port Ludlow community around to thinking so.

Regards,

Nancy O’Neill, Ph.D.

(Retired- Public Administration/Public Policy)