I am writing to express my concern about the letters that have been written criticizing the council for its appointment of Tim Blanchard for the Planning Commission.

I have known Tim for many years both personally and professionally and I am very confident that he is an extraordinarily competent person for this position and we are all fortunate to have him in that role.

While Tim’s “politics” may lean toward a more conservative direction, he is what I would consider a moderate, certainly not an extremist. He is also very willing to listen to and consider all perspectives on issues and choose the direction that seems to make the most sense.  That is a most important quality for planning commission members.

I believe that a balance of perspectives is essential to such a body as the planning commission. That balance exists among that group with Tim as a commissioner.

My greatest suspicion is that those who are expressing disapproval of Tim’s appointment by the council and making accusations publicly might actually be of a different political persuasion and therefore wishing to “stack the deck” with commissioners of like mind.  If there is any accuracy to that suspicion, such conduct is not in the best interests of our community and its governance. Such a circumstance has occurred on the planning commission before.

I would strongly encourage our council members to be willing to stand by their appointments until there is actual evidence that an appointment has not delivered the quality of service they expect. Please do not let the vociferous few cause you to overreact.  Please give Tim an opportunity to make valuable contributions to the planning commission and then judge his performance as you would any other member of the commission.

Art Lange

Orcas