Shame on city
To the editor:
The city should welcome accountability — not intimidate those who demand it.
Dawn Janow did something rare in local politics: she put the community’s interests ahead of City Hall’s feelings. She filed a SEPA appeal. Not to stop housing, but to make sure the city follows the law, and tells the truth about impacts.
Here’s the part that should worry every islander: instead of engaging the substance of the appeal, the city used its official page to single out a private citizen by name. That isn’t “transparency.” It’s intimidation. And it creates fear, not dialogue — the opposite of healthy democracy.
SEPA is Washington law. Appeals are not only legal, they are necessary checks on power — tools designed to protect communities from rushed or poorly conceived actions. If our city leaders are confident in their decisions, they should welcome scrutiny, not punish it.
Christine Quinn
Bainbridge Island
Trail network appreciation
To the editor:
I’d like to recognize the outstanding work of the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District, the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation, and the city of Bainbridge Island for their thoughtful design, development, expansion, and maintenance of the trail network on Bainbridge Island.
I had the privilege of running the new Lost Valley Trail route today, and it is stellar. As a longtime user of our trails, I’ve enjoyed watching the network grow over the years, and I’m excited to see continued expansion in the future.
Thank you to the staff, volunteers, and supporters whose efforts make Bainbridge Island’s trails such a community treasure.
John Dorsey
Bainbridge Island
Elect Lant
To the editor:
Lara Lant gets Bainbridge. She has deep history in this community and understands our desire for sensible growth. She loves our small town sense of place and respects the infrastructure limits (i.e., water, sewer, roads) which must inform our choices.
Her years as a city employee has given her valuable insights about how process and policy impact our lives. Finally, Lara’s commitment to vital affordable housing includes more diverse and smaller-scale projects than the massive project proposed for 305/Winslow Way.
Vote sensible growth. Vote Lara.
Ellen Lockert
Bainbridge Island
Elect Nelson
To the editor:
Vote for Mike Nelson to Keep Bainbridge Bainbridge!
• Mike joins us in wanting to retain the quality of life that makes Bainbridge Bainbridge.
• Mike agrees with us that preserving the environment must come first.
• Mike accepts that limited groundwater and infrastructure will restrain growth.
• Mike rejects plans to tax us to promote growth that benefits a few.
• Mike, a lawyer and career public servant who truly understands the numbers, recognizes that building truly affordable housing will only happen with subsidies, and he has a plan that doesn’t rely on overbuilding or taxing us off the island.
• Mike’s career in government has trained him in collaboration and leadership.
• Mike will listen to us, not the developers.
Vote for Mike Nelson!
Lisa Neal
Banbridge Island
Vote for Deets
To the editor:
I enthusiastically endorse Joe Deets as he seeks re-election to the Bainbridge Island City Council.
He has acted on his convictions in numerous areas, including these:
Each Ward is a “parish” whose citizens deserve active support from their councilmember as they navigate the city’s regulations and processes.
The political health of the island benefits from frequent in-person conversations between citizens and councilmembers.
The community’s commitment to fostering low-income housing is an obligation to real people, not to an abstract demographic.
Bainbridge Island is not a self-contained, permanently unique place but a competitor within a vast, dynamic region.
National and regional concerns about energy, transportation and sustainability must be boldly addressed by any government that considers itself responsible.
Joe Deets is a live-wire, not an “old wood” incumbent, and I urge your readers to join me in electing him for another term.
James Quitslund
Bainbridge Island
Support Blossom
To the editor:
I am pleased to lend my support to Sarah Blossom’s candidacy for Bainbridge Island City Council this November. Sarah’s dedication to our community, her thoughtful leadership, and her commitment to sustainable growth make her an excellent representative for our island.
Throughout her City Council and Planning Commission experience, Sarah has demonstrated a genuine passion for preserving Bainbridge Island’s natural beauty while fostering economic and social vitality. Her ability to listen thoughtfully, hold and explain layers of complexities, and collaborate effectively ensures that all voices are heard and all angles of complex problems considered.
Sarah’s experience, integrity, and vision will serve our community well as we navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead. I trust she will work tirelessly to promote responsible development, enhance public safety, and support programs that strengthen our community bonds.
Please join me in supporting Sarah Blossom for Bainbridge Island City Council this November. Together, we can build a sustainable and vibrant future for Bainbridge Island.
Kristine Ewing
Bainbridge Island
Deets’ leadership
To the editor:
There’s been a lot of chatter about affordable housing on Bainbridge Island lately, and if you only listened to the loudest voices on social media, you might believe the challenges are insurmountable—that nothing can be done. Councilmember Joe Deet offers a decisive contrast. While others debate the crisis, Joe has been doing the consistent, necessary work to help solve it.
I serve as a volunteer on a city commission working on housing affordability and environmental sustainability, and I’ve witnessed Joe’s leadership first-hand. His balanced approach is informed by his professional life; spending much of his career in the renewable energy field. And he knows the need to house our workforce and seniors is not at odds with our ecological responsibilities—he sees them as two sides of the same coin.
His record is one of action, not rhetoric. Joe has spearheaded efforts to create an affordable housing ecosystem—including responsible development on city owned land. He championed the allocation of nearly $4 million in federal funds to island housing groups and secured a $480,000 state grant by passing an ordinance that counters utility costs for new affordable developments. He also led the push to provide free, pre-approved ADU plans, making housing easier and cheaper to build.
Joe Deet’s leadership proves that solutions are possible. He is the steady hand our community needs, demonstrating that we can, and must, address this crisis while upholding the values that make Bainbridge Island special.
Sean Sullivan
Bainbridge Island
Vote for Blossom
To the editor:
I am writing to endorse Sarah Blossom in the South Ward. Although I live in Central Ward, I am endorsing her because councilmembers represent the whole Island community as well as their wards.
I have known Sarah for at least 20 years, since she served on the City Council twice before. Soon after, she volunteered for the Planning Commission out of her passion for community service, and her experience as a lawyer and city councilmember. In my observation of her through the years, Sarah has always been interested in “the facts.” Recently, she wanted to understand the Groundwater Management Plan, so she spoke with a variety of local experts about their understanding and perspectives on it. I trust and respect her knowledge, her integrity, her critical thinking, and her ability to talk with and listen to people with whom she may not agree. She maintains civility under stress.
A Bainbridge Review article about her last farewell from council says a lot about Sarah’s passion for the Island community. It also speaks to her commitment to working through hard issues.
In my conversations with Sarah, I always learn a lot more about the city/council issues (the budget, the Groundwater Management and the Comp Plans, as examples) and how the city works. Her broad and deep understanding of the island is unique and incredibly valuable in these challenging times.
Gloria Sayler
Bainbridge Island
Re-elect Deets
To the editor:
We live in perilous times. Climate change threatens our families and our future. Political climate change threatens our democracy and rule of law. At times like this, we need experienced leaders to help us navigate the stormy seas ahead. As Albert Camus wrote, “You cannot create experience, you must undergo it”. Joe Deets has very capably served on our City Council for eight years.
Joe’s Bainbridge leadership experience is both long and broad. His eight years on our council has given him immense experience adopting our Climate Action Plan (he is now council liaison for our Climate Change Advisory Committee), our Groundwater Management Plan, our salmon and other ecosystem recovery (also serving as Vice chair of West Sound Partners for Ecosystem Recovery); and clean air (serving also on advisory council for Puget Sound Clean Air Agency).
In 2010, Joe worked with our Senator Phil Rockefeller to help draft SB 6658, which expanded access to community solar and helped make our City Hall installation possible. Joe knows city, county and state governance.
Since 2018, I’ve watched Joe hold weekly “office hours” at CUPS, listening deeply to all concerns and making constructive suggestions. Joe’s governing experience is exceeded only by his devotion to our needs.
In times like these, experience matters most. Experience Joe yourself at his next CUPS office hours from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 11 or 25. Vote for experience: vote for Joe Deets.
John Kydd
Bainbridge Island
