Plenty to talk about at town hall | IN OUR OPINION

Published 11:23 am Sunday, March 22, 2015

Ninety minutes never went so fast.

Or so it seemed last Saturday, when 23rd District lawmakers Sen. Christine Rolfes, Rep. Drew Hansen and Rep. Sherry Appleton popped by Bainbridge Island City Hall for a well-attended town hall meeting.

And there was much to talk about, from congestion on Highway 305 and a new Agate Pass Bridge — which may be so far removed in terms of state funding and Department of Transportation interest, that it will remain talk for many years to come — to topics that included education and the state supreme court’s McCleary decision, tax breaks for businesses or seniors, police body cameras and more.

Residents from across the island and North Kitsap who attended the town hall heard blunt but expansive assessments on the issues — or as much could be allowed in 90 minutes — from three elected officials who each have their own individual take and sometimes part ways on possible solutions.

That’s good. But what’s great is that Sen. Rolfes, Rep. Hansen and Rep. Appleton took time out of their busy schedules mid-way through this year’s critical legislative session to come home to talk to their constituents. Also great was the large number of people who attended the town hall; people who are taking an active part in their representative government and are eager to be informed about the issues affecting our region and state.

We have a few quibbles, of course, because where would we be without our quibbles?

First, the town hall was a bit over-moderated, and the questions submitted by attendees seemed to be a bit too screened, and it would have been good to hear the actual questions as they were worded, rather than the general gist of what people were actually asking.

Our other quibble: Where were all the young people?

Asked for a show of hands of people in the crowd (which numbered more than 120) for those who were under the age of 40, only two hands went up.

The issues discussed Saturday, the future of educational funding, access to college and high tech jobs, and so on, affect millennials and generations to follow. As a community we must do better in getting young people to engage now in our political system and the democratic society they will inherit.