Letters to the editor for Oct. 10

Re-Elect Carolyn Cox to Lacey City Council

I happily work with Carolyn Cox for our neighborhood HOA, but I also see her in action at the Lacey City Council meetings. As in her work for our city, Carolyn encourages neighbors to volunteer in our neighborhood and to share new ideas that will help preserve our homes and landscape due to climate change and age. Carolyn also engages with neighboring cities to solve common problems: homelessness, COVID and climate challenges, employment needs, protection of drinking water and so much more.

Carolyn demonstrates hard, steady, compassionate work to build a hopeful future with equitable resources and opportunities for all. Her inclusive approach to challenges includes finding solutions with researched facts, ans using proven best practices including collaboration with neighboring cities and Thurston County on regional common problems. This collaboration will provide a path to using tax dollars wisely by guiding funding so programs can be set up more quickly. “Together” makes a stronger impact now and creates a blueprint of success for future challenges.

Carolyn reflects the words of Margaret Chase Smith, “My creed is that public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation with full recognition that every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration.”

A vote for Carolyn Cox is a vote for now and for a compassionate future built on dedication and strong decisions with long- term solutions.

Victoria Hayes, Lacey

County has an opportunity to add affordable housing

We have a housing crisis in Thurston County. There are high rents, too many unhoused people and insufficient mental health services and job training for these unhoused persons.

The Thurston County Commissioners have the opportunity to address these problems by authorizing a local funding option similar to the City of Olympia’s Home Fund. The Olympia Home Fund has successfully helped the Family Support Center and Martin Way projects to leverage outside funds. This same funding option would be an ongoing source of revenue for the county dedicated to addressing our housing crisis by adding more than $4 million annually to unmet housing needs and would add only a small tax increase (1/10th of 1%).

With this additional funding, the county would have an ongoing, locally controlled source of revenue to enable it to purchase hotels, convert them to rapid re-housing units and help to more quickly build units already in the pipeline in Olympia, Tumwater, Yelm, and Lacey that will house veterans, seniors, and families. The county also would be able to provide housing-related services to persons whose income is 60% or less of the county median income.

We can invest in programs that help people move forward in their lives. It is my hope that the County Commissioners will adopt this solution soon to help to address the critical housing needs in our community.

Harriet Strasberg, Olympia

I’ll take a state job

Dear Governor:

Are you short of employees due to the vaccine mandate? I’d be happy to take a state job. I’m fully vaccinated, skilled, experienced, and highly educated. There are any number of positions I could fill. I have previously worked for the legislature, DSHS, and the Department of Corrections.

I haven’t heard anyone from the vocal minority of state employees articulate a single valid reason for their refusal to get vaccinated — mostly some version of, “I don’t want to inject something in my body.”

Thank you for standing up to these ignorant and selfish people. As a former firefighter, I am especially indignant and infuriated by the first responders who took an oath to protect and serve. Let them quit. We don’t need them!

Jon Epstein, Olympia