Sandra Romero Credentials

Peggy Bruton, a Sandra Romero supporter echos the beliefs of Romero in her editorial titled "Romero Has Solid Credentials" appearing in The Olympian on July 1st, 2008.

Bruton has it wrong and it is indicative of Romero's ideology of putting the interestes of her special-interest group Futurewise (and Liveable Thurston) ahead of the interests of the people of Thurston County.

First Bruton writes, "In the long term, the county has failed to adopt measures, such as impact fees, to slow development in rural Thurston County and redirect it to urban growth areas." This would be an incorrect use of impact fees, but one that is popular with Romero and her group Futurewise. Impact fees are intended to "To ensure that adequate facilities are available to serve new growth and development." (RCW 8202.050) And that is it. Impact fees are not a mechanism to improve or restrict growth, that is the job of the marketplace and the law of supply and demand.

Secondly, Bruton writes, "Short-term, the county has made serious mistakes, such as wasting taxpayer dollars to challenge the Growth Management Hearings Board decision that the county's growth management plan needs more rural zoning options." This is again the position of Romero and Futurewise, but not the truth. The truth is, that under the Growth Management Act, jusidictions have the ability to plan with defrence. In other words, each local jurisdiction can create a plan that makes sense for them. 1 unit per 5 acres is a rural zoning, and when Thurston County adopted their comprehensive plan, the pople of Thurston County adopted their rural zoning plan to be 1 unit per 5 acres.

It was an out-of-town, Seattle-based group called Futurewise that challenged the Thurston County comprehensive plan, and caused Thurston County to defend, and revise the existing plan where needed. Sandra Romero is a board member of this group and now wants to be a County Commissioner. Isn't this like sending the fox to the henhouse?

There are much better options available for this postition:

Robin Edmondson

Jon Halvorson

Pick one!