Dear Senator Lovelett,

First, let us thank you for your representation of the San Juan Islands. Your help is greatly appreciated in all aspects of legislative action to ensure beneficial outcomes for our island home.

We agree that while climate stewardship is very important, the number one push in this legislative session needs to be The Ferry System. As part of the State and Federal transportation system, which many of your colleagues seem to conveniently forget, this critical transportation need should be viewed just as crucially as the need for a collapsed bridge. We view this need to be as important as a severely damaged roadway needed for the movement of thousands of constituents to and from their jobs, places of business or medical facilities – Because That’s What It Is!

We would like to recommend that you request formation of a subcommittee within the Transportation Committee that is made up of Senators from the other Districts that have constituents who so critically rely on the ferries to act as a stronger voice to advocate for our needs in this time of crisis. Additionally, we would ask that you support a similar subcommittee in the lower house to the same end.

All of the Washingtonians that rely on the ferries; whether for commerce, recreation, or survival implore you to support and take action on this issue before it becomes unfixable without many hundreds of millions of dollars in State revenue to repair.

Sincerely,

Doug and Christine Hunt, Long time SJI Residents