“It was a stop sign that got Houston Wade going down the road towards a city council race.Specifically, it was the stop signs that the city put on Wyatt Way at the intersection with Grow Avenue, where Wade lives.The city is slowing down traffic in the wrong spots, he said. Wyatt is a major arterial between the ferry and the south end of the island. Why stop traffic there, when there’s never anybody on Grow?Wade began to ask himself who was making decisions for the island. “
“Environmental concerns are driving out other values in city decision-making, contractor Bill Nelson says.In what he calls an effort to restore balance, Nelson is running for the central ward, position 4, city council seat being vacated by Merrill Robison.For the sake of protecting Bainbridge Island’s environment, we’ve forsaken other parts of the quality of life, such as human interaction, Nelson said. “
“Who are you? What do we know about you? What can we guess about your heart, your mind?Given your means of expression – toppling gravestones in cemeteries, defacing the island with racist slogans – it’s tempting to conclude that you are blessed with neither.But that’s too reductive. For you are one of us; surely we know you and talk to you and see you every day living in our midst, even if we have no idea that it’s you who’s responsible for these acts.So we ask: Who are you? And why do you do this? “
“Acts of vandalism have marred Port Blakely cemetery’s history, president of the cemetery’s board of trustees Barry Sacks says. Shortly after I became involved there, in 1992, there was a large amount of vandalism, Sacks said. Every stone that could be knocked down was.Since the early 1990s, there has been sporadic vandalism that Sacks speculates may have been perpetrated by island youth. “
“The toppled headstone took more than a casual shove to upend; thick rebar once anchored the 400 pound marker to granite. Now the bent iron, the shattered base and the inscribed Star of David turned skyward give mute testimony to the desecration, a record of this crime and an echo of others.The cemetery vandalism and discovery of the words white pride sprayed at the Filipino-American Hall last week continued a series of incidents of vandalism and graffiti that bear racist messages. “
“Calling for better programs for special-needs students, civil and consumer rights attorney Peter Harris is seeking a post on the Bainbridge Island School Board.Harris challenges one-term incumbent Susan Sivitz for the District 2 school board seat. The theme of my campaign is community, Harris said. I feel we have a strong community on Bainbridge Island, but many parents of special needs kids find that when it comes to those special needs, and the requirements federally imposed on school districts to provide services, the community breaks down. “
“All-mail balloting comes to the off-year primary election this fall, the first time ever for Kitsap County voters.The decision was announced Friday, after a hasty effort by Kitsap County Auditor Karen Flynn to get all local jurisdictions – the four Kitsap cities, as well as fire, school and park districts – to sign on. Flynn cited the increasing popularity of mail balloting, even with voters who won’t be far from polling places when election day rolls around. “
“The fledgling Bainbridge Youth Orchestra is attracting another outstanding musician to the island – definitely to work, perhaps to live.Diane Lange, who already has a remarkably rich and full musical life on the other side of Puget Sound, joins friend and long-time associate Gary Anderson to conduct the junior division of the orchestra.Not only is Diane a fine violinist, but a fabulous violin (and) strings teacher as well, Anderson said. We are fortunate to have her looking to relocate here. “
“Two challenges to the legal residency of Bainbridge City Council candidate Bill Nelson were filed this week, leaving county election officials to determine whether Nelson is eligible for a central ward seat.Nelson filed last week for the open central ward, position 4 seat, joining Wing Point activist Bill Knobloch and espresso vendor Houston Wade in a three-way race. “
“Karen Carpenter Baker’s impulse to document women’s lives may be an inheritance from parents who published a Kansas newspaper for years. I came from a family that was constantly asking questions of people, Baker says. Although at the time it did make bringing boyfriends home somewhat difficult, today I see wanting to know and to document as natural expressions of curiosity. Baker’s photographs of women in the context of their lives – surrounded by children, furniture, the tools of their trades – are on view through August at the Harbour House Pub. “
“The landscape for this fall’s city elections is set. Now comes the tough part – making intelligent choices from among the candidates, which is what a campaign, at least in theory, is supposed to be all about.Early on, candidates tend to deal in generalities like preserving the island’s character. Consistent with that theme, we’ve heard much about saving farmland and open space, respecting our environment and maintaining diversity on the island through affordable housing.Also, candidates will inevitably offer leadership and vision, at the same time promising to be accessible and ready to listen to the people. “
“For new Bainbridge Arts and Crafts director Marian Holt McClain, working for the arts organization is like coming home.Art has been a strong personal passion and interest all of my life, McClain said. I’m returning from a 30-year career in the convention industry. Last March, the BAC board tapped McClain to evaluate the organization and its development. “
“The ferry parking problem is much like the affordable-housing problem on Bainbridge Island – the free market isn’t producing what the community says it wants.But the two issues move in opposite directions. While the marketplace produces too little affordable housing, planners fear that, left to its own devices, the market would produce too much ferry parking. If we allowed unlimited parking, it’s so lucrative that there would be no incentive to develop the land, said Kathy Cook of the city planning department. “
