Commissioners spend irresponsibly

Re: "County vows to fight proposed water allocations," March 1: The Skagit County commissioner's comment doesn't surprise me at all: "I want my day in court." After all, it's taxpayers' money they're spending. They would rather spend money on lawyers than benefit members of the county. They're going to court over the endangered chinook salmon with the Swinomish Tribe, saying they're wanting to protect salmon. If they wanted to protect salmon, why are they willing to draw down water in the river? Salmon can't survive without water.

The commissioners hired a lawyer to tromp through the muddy forest to see if land that the Swinomish Tribe is trying to get put into trust was near the proposed marina site. Looking at a map wasn't good enough for them. Taxpayers paid probably $300 per hour for that and bought the lawyers' clothes as well.

Someone take a look at the records and see how much is spent on litigation annually. I play softball in the Parks and Recreation League. Our team fees keep going up maybe 10 percent each year. Yet, the service stays the same.

Where are our commissioners' priorities?

Leon John, La Conner

Letters to the Editor - Skagit Valley Herald