Simple analogy:
Imagine all the individual aquarium tanks in a pet store. Assume for a moment all the fish have
intelligence and they have awareness of their lives. Each tank is a community and separated from other
communities because they live in different tanks.
Suppose a problem developed in one tank and the fish living in
that tank worried, fretted and bubbled about their problem amongst themselves …
fish in adjacent but separate tanks would remain unaware of another tank’s problem.
For whatever reason, a fish is taken from the tank with a
problem and placed in another tank … and the new fish discovered the second
tank also had problems similar to the tank just left.
Over time, different fish are exchanged within all the pet
shop aquarium tanks. It’s now a
real puzzle … All the fish know there’s a systemic problem within all the pet
shop tanks but they are in individual tanks, seemingly with no direct way to
connect and solve their compartmentalized problems.
What can be done?
When Snohomish County first told us it was a “done deal”
that Wellington Hills Park was to become a regional sports complex – the
neighborhood didn’t know that parallel controversies were happening in other communities.
We've learned, bit by bit, of various communities in conflict
with the County, mostly about development, roads and sweeping changes to
neighborhoods.
Locally, we had the sports complex issue and now there’s proposed schools looming over us …
Other areas are facing or have recently dealt with gun ranges, moto-cross tracks, new housing developments, stable
neighborhoods re-zoned for commercial purposes, condemnations for a court house
and disasters, such as the Oso tragedy.
I think we've reached the point there’s need for some sort of new oversight and effective policing of
the systems & people that manage land use and other public issues.
People and neighborhoods should be treated fairly - It seems fundamental, shouldn’t neighborhoods be involved – and have say - in the decisions affecting their own communities?
People and neighborhoods should be treated fairly - It seems fundamental, shouldn’t neighborhoods be involved – and have say - in the decisions affecting their own communities?
Because what we have isn't working.
