Letters to the editor

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 15, 2026

Appreciate Lombardi’s courage

To the editor:

I would like to voice my full support for every word of truth Caitlin Lombardi wrote in her recent BI Review op-ed, “Through the ‘Gateway’ to Bainbridge came a Trojan Horse,” published May 1, 2026.

I, along with many others, deeply appreciate her courage to speak truth when history continues to be erased, altered, or ignored.

I see many people weaponizing the words “special island character” as a scare tactic that only appeals to BI’s white, upper-class homeowners. I often wonder what “special character” they are referring to? Is it that they are settlers on Suquamish Land? Land that was violently taken from the Suquamish Tribe, so that white settlers can have their “special character.” Or is it the beachfront communities that added covenants restricting non-white communities from renting or owning?

For me, some of the specialness of this island is the long history and current day deeply woven stories of Indigenous, Black, Japanese American, Filipino American, and Indipino Farmers that enriched the culture and very soil covering most of the island.

I also share the identities of white, economically privileged, home-owning settler, and I can still support affordable housing, feel deep gratitude for the work REAC and all of its members have done since inception, and work to dismantle bigotry and entitlement that lives inside of me, my family, and our community.

Rachael Reese

Bainbridge Island

Lombardi’s op-ed approval

To the editor:

Finally. Someone speaks the truth. Spot On.

Robert Clough

Bainbridge Island