Legislators grip and grin with locals

By Meg Olson

“I’ve got to come to Point Roberts more often. I love this place,” said state representative Doug Ericksen after a two-hour chat with a handful of local residents at Brewster’s Restaurant.

On December 13 Ericksen, representative Kelli Linville and Senator Dale Brandland added the Point to a day of town meetings around the county. Five local residents and planning commissioner John Lesow were there to talk with the legislators about everything from the water supply to health insurance.

“I know you can’t solve the problem I just want to raise your awareness,” said Shannon Thomsen, voicing concerns over the recent moratorium on water connections. Linville said that while Point Roberts water issues were complicated by their dependence on water supply, “management of water resources is a state obligation,” and her office would work with the community. “I am the water queen,” she added. Linville added the county land use division needed to be closely involved. “Land use and water availability are supposed to go together,” she said.

Several participants segued into the larger issue of managing growth in a community with often polarized ideas about how quickly, if at all, development should move. “It’s easy to plan for stagnation,” Ericksen observed. “It’s hard to plan for growth.”

The discussion ranged from Point Roberts concerns to wider issues of environmental protection, growth management, farming, and health insurance. “In our discussions with the small business association, their number one issue is healthcare,” Ericksen said. “The issue we’re looking at for health care is how to make it more affordable,” Linville said.

Border issues also came up, including the NEXUS program and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative which would require passports for everyone crossing the border by 2008 if implemented as written.

Ericksen said lawmakers have been meeting with representatives from the department of homeland security to see if a less burdensome compromise can be reached, such as taking steps to make a drivers license a secure form of identification. “to get people signed up for a passport by then is a problem,” Ericksen said. “Something is going to happen but we want to make it less onerous.” Brandland agreed, but Lesow condemned any deviation from the passport requirement, “a September 10 attitude.”

All three legislators said they were unaware of the proposed expansion of the Deltaport container facility but would look into its potential impacts on Whatcom County. “It is important the agencies work across the border because the air and water don’t know where the U.S. starts and Canada stops,” Linville said.

Heading back to Bellingham the trio thanked participants and promised a return visit. “You have had the most colorful conversation,” Brandland said.