To the editor:

I take Mr. Tripp at his word when he says that his selection of a King County Republican as treasurer of his PAC “had nothing to do with ideology.”

Mr. Tripp’s convictions, however, have a great deal to do with ideology.  I expect that his support for the three candidates will be, for each of them, a mixed blessing. “Fairness” in government is something everyone supports, but it became clear during the long SMP process, and again in a stream of “Trippwire” messages after the SMP update was sent to the Department of Ecology for review, that Mr. Tripp and his allies are fervently ideological in their engagement with the SMP issues, and often unfair to those who disagree with them.

The party line, as touted by Mr. Tripp, aligns closely with the ideological agenda of the Pacific Legal Foundation, a well-funded California-based political organization with offices nationwide, committed to extreme positions on property rights, environmental issues and federal programs such as the Affordable Care Act.

I hope that all council candidates will address a wide range of concerns, and steer away from the festering resentments that property rights advocates stirred up during SMP deliberations.

JON QUITSLUND

Crystal Springs