To the editor:
Cognitive dissonance is defined as the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. In other words, cognitive dissonance is synonymous with the recent actions of City Councilmembers Sarah Blossom, Leslie Schneider, Matt Tirman and Joe Deets.
The greatest example is their vote to develop 100 units on the publicly owned Suzuki property. On the surface this decision seems like a win to satisfy our community’s need for more affordable housing. But dig a little deeper and you’ll start to see that these councilmembers in support of this level of density are in serious conflict with their own stated commitments, values and top priorities — and are simultaneously and dangerously out of touch with our community’s vision for the future.
The Suzuki proposal proposes to add three times base zoning in a low-density residential zone. It is in stark contrast to the Suzuki Ecological Assessment which recommends the preservation of the property’s significant ecology through a more balanced density approach. The 100-unit proposal offers our community only 60 percent affordable units, will produce more than 900 daily car trips, contribute to already intolerable levels of car traffic, likely require the conversion of delineated wetlands to stormwater infrastructure, and establish a dangerous precedent for sprawl in our rural zones.
How can current Councilwoman Blossom vote for the moratorium, Critical Areas Ordinance update, climate action plan, sustainable transportation Plan, and then turn around and violate the very values she herself professes to uphold?
Michael Pollock, a sensible, intelligent, experienced, and wise choice for city council has stepped forward to challenge Sarah Blossom, quite possibly the worst offender of climate principles and comprehensive plan values on our city council. Pollock, a longtime NOAA scientist and previous city councilmember, has a decades-long record of defending the environment and our city’s comprehensive plan.
Unseat Blossom. On Nov. 5, vote for Pollock.
POLLY LONGWORTH
Bainbridge Island
