Letters to the editor for July 22

We can all do better

Why are we afraid of diversity that makes us better? Why are we afraid of anyone on the margins or different (people of color, unhoused, women, LBGTQ, people of faith or people of other faith)? Why do we let our fear drive us to destroy rather than heal and grow? We all need to be better than we are.

Seems we need to re-image who we are as a community. Maybe all city uniforms need a patch that reads on top in Spanish “Somos son Familia” with depictions of Native American and Asian cultures and along the bottom “Black Lives Matter” and a rainbow border. So people can see who we are and call us on it when that is not our focus.

Our statues need to be replaced with real heroes: Dr. Jonas Salk, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, MLK, Black Elk, a farmworker, Chief Joseph, Rosa Parks, Delores Huerta, Billie Frank, Malcolm X, Eleanor Roosevelt. Statues of those who supported hatred and division and exploitation are removed..

Pictures of exploiters go on our money — the current crop of slave holders plus Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Christopher Columbus — so we know our riches are stolen from others, people of color, and we have a debt to pay.

We also need to remove any reference on our money to “In God We Trust.” Because it is clear we don’t and our money has to do with exploitation and there is nothing divine in that.

Bob Zeigler, Olympia

Send Jackson to Congress

I urge you to consider Jackson Maynard for Congress for the 10th Congressional District.

Jackson is a community leader, strategic thinker, safety-conscious family man, and will be a gracious and effective congressman. Jackson has legislative savvy and business acumen after years working in both the public and private sectors. He will make us laugh and bring out the best in the people around him. Jackson knows how to build productive relationships and has a servant’s heart.

In a packed primary, it may be difficult to determine who has the skills and personality for the job. Having worked with Jackson on many legislative endeavors during multiple years, I know he knows how to get legislation through the process successfully. He listens to people from all different backgrounds and likes to help find solutions. He has done a lot of difficult work in a bipartisan manner.

Jackson Maynard will do a good job for all of us if given the opportunity. Vote for a better future. Vote for Jackson.

Dana Quam, Lacey

Elect Bud Blake county commissioner

Before Bud Blake became a Thurston County Commissioner, I was having problems with the Thurston County permit department because of a bulkhead that was on my Lake St. Clair property when I purchased it. The county wanted it removed, at a cost to me of $47,000, even though when they researched the property, they noted it had been there for many years.

The second part of the issue was I had to go to their office to contest the issue. The office was only open from 8 a.m. to noon. I work and had to take time off to get there during those hours. Bud, having common sense as an Independent, looked into it and discovered there was no reason why I needed to remove the bulkhead. He also saw to it the hours were changed so they were open in the afternoon also.

Bud showed this continued common sense throughout his four-year tenure on the County Commission, working on behavioral health issues, and issues around homelessness and the pocket gopher. He found ways to purchase additional property for the Courthouse, which could be used now to build more parking, as well as more offices, so we don’t need to build a new courthouse in Olympia, which would cost tax payers a lot of money unnecessarily. He knows how to save money and be budget conscious.

Help re-elect Bud Blake.

Madelin White, Lacey

How to start turning things around: vote Maynard

Are you satisfied with the way things are going in this country? If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of recent nights trying to reconcile sometimes competing emotions. It’s a terribly stressful time in American history … and it’s important to recognize how we got here.

In addition to the tinderbox of social issues we’re grappling with, we have a homeless problem caused in part by a lack of affordable housing. We do battle with maddening congestion on our roads and highways. And there is no clear path out of the COVID-induced economic crisis. What have Washington’s Congressional representatives done to be part of the solution?

It’s time for new leadership in Congress, starting right here in the 10th District. Jackson Maynard has a plan to hit back against the effects of the coronavirus, and it starts with generating much-needed state and local revenue through new home construction. He is the only candidate who’s made this critical issue one of his top priorities.

Further, Jackson Maynard’s experience working in Olympia has given him the skills needed to start uniting our fractured democracy through bipartisan cooperation. If more people like Jackson are elected, we just might turn the corner on the current crisis we’re all experiencing. In addition, Jackson Maynard is a former prosecutor who has what it takes to help keep our communities safe.

Please remember how we got to this point, then do something positive to turn it around by voting Jackson Maynard for Congress.

Erich Ebel, Lacey

Let’s bring leadership and collaboration to the Legislature

Now, more than ever, we need our leaders to embrace a new and more collaborative worldview to tackle the challenges before us. We need the leadership of Anthony Novack as Legislative District 22 representative so we can transform how we govern and work together as a more civil society.

Anthony and I both studied Conflict Transformation through the Center for Conservation Peacebuilding, where we learned that our work needs to address deep-rooted societal conflicts around public service and natural resource management. His service in the Peace Corps and time living abroad has shown him diverse approaches and cultural perspectives which he draws upon to create conservation solutions to benefit the wildlife and people of Washington state.

We need today’s lawmakers to be able to address complex, societal dilemmas in a culture that debates the very existence of facts. As a scientist who works at the nexus of management and policy, I can attest that Anthony Novack has the training to distinguish between evidence and opinions, but he also listens to diverse perspectives. Anthony will bring people together to develop and implement proactive solutions to Washington’s toughest socio-economic and natural resource issues.

As our society and state swirl amongst issues of a global pandemic and the reality of hundreds of years of systemic racism, now is the time for Washingtonians to stand up for our core values. Anthony Novack has what it takes to restore the core values of public service, environmental stewardship and respectful, collaborative problem-solving.

Penny Becker, Lacey