Letters to the editor

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 24, 2026

Council ignored public

To the editor:

City Council has gone rogue.

The city manager hiring is the latest example. After the other finalists dropped out, the council hired the only candidate left instead of starting over. They did it even though a lot of citizens spoke against the hiring and new information had come out about serious character issues during his time as Port Townsend’s city manager.

Hiring a city manager is one of the biggest decisions the council makes. The people of Bainbridge Island had a right to expect that every question would be answered before a contract was approved. That didn’t happen.

This isn’t the first time the council has ignored the public. More and more, people take the time to testify at meetings and send letters, but it seems the council has already made up its mind before anyone walks up to the microphone or emails.

The council works for the people, not for itself.

City Council needs to start listening.

Patricia Johnson

Bainbridge Island

Tarps at Superfund site

To the editor:

On 7/14/, I contacted Debra Sherbina, public affairs specialist for the U.S. EPA, about the Wyckoff Superfund site regarding the white tarps covering the piles of dirt that are unsightly for an entrance to Bainbridge Island and offensive to the residents, and asked to consider replacing them with dark green tarps which would blend into the environment and would greatly improve the harbor view for both residents and visitors.

Sherbina forwarded my concerns to Wyckoff project managers Leigh Heinbokel and Zoe Lipowski, who responded that “We understand the visual effect on nearby residents and visitors and appreciate your suggestion to use darker, green-toned covers” but stated that, “at this time, replacing functional covers solely to change color is not feasible or an appropriate use of cleanup resources” and that “a wholesale replacement would add cost and schedule impacts without improving environmental performance and could affect ongoing construction and compliance activities.” It was suggested that “when existing covers reach the end of their service life, considering darker or less reflective covers provided they meet performance specifications and do not delay work” might be an option.

Harry Doyle

Bainbridge Island