To the editor:

Fellow Bainbridge Islanders, I urge you to vote for Michael Pollock for city council.

Most of us were drawn to Bainbridge by the open spaces, the accessible road ends leading to preserved shoreline, the emerging island-wide trail systems, the cherished darkness of the nighttime.

All of this is threatened by the rapid population growth surrounding us. Our one hope is cooperative adherence to an amazing comprehensive plan that protects our semi-rural way of life, provides for density in a pedestrian accessible core, and keeps Bainbridge extraordinary.

Michael Pollock is committed to protecting Bainbridge from inappropriate development and special interests that want to see more unfocused growth than envisioned in the Plan. Michael is a scientist; he works for NOAA, and he is advocating a collective community effort toward goals that include (extracted from his own words):

• Battling climate change through a carbon neutral economy, protection of our forests, restoring our watershed;

• Developing a transportation network based on electric- and human-powered vehicles;

• Keeping congestion in check by focusing growth near transportation centers;

• Creating affordable housing opportunities at densities in line with the zoning, and allow for a wider range of housing options — liveaboards, tiny houses, cottages.

Michael recognizes the need for disciplined, collective action on the council through the plan. His opponent, who is on the council now, has voted to abandon the comprehensive plan by placing 100 units of high-density housing well outside the core, and expanding the sewers all the way across the island so we can develop high-density miles outside Winslow.

Michael is the kind of community leader who can take us into a more responsible future.

ROBIN LYNN SMITH

Bainbridge Island