I believe the better candidate for the job of Clallam County commissioner to be Ron Richards.
His opponent, Randy Johnson, has a timber industry background, and so does County Commissioner Bill Peach.
Two out of three votes will hamstring this group from moving forward with new ideas.
The county will always be looking back to the “glory days” when timber was plentiful and you could cut it where and when you pleased.
Clearcut? Sure, no problem.
Today there is less than 13 percent of the old-growth forests left in Washington and Oregon, according to Seattle Audubon, but some still see only dollar signs when they look at a tree.
Why are our precious resources (logs) being sent to China instead of being turned to lumber in our own mills?
Are we nothing more than a Third World country supplying raw material to Asia for them to use in manufacturing jobs that have disappeared from our shores?
I think we need some new ideas and a county managed for our full potential, not just as a tree farm for timber companies, and I fear that is what we will be if Johnson is added to the mix.
Let’s give Ron Richards the chance to serve our wonderful community.
Suzette Williams,
Port Angeles