Farmer might be more effective on port

The Olympian’s endorsement of E.J. Zita for the Port of Olympia Commission because she is “more skeptical” than Jerry Farmer does not serve the interests of Thurston County voters.

It’s good to bring new ideas to the table. But the port commission needs to be able to work together. An effective commissioner must be willing to give full consideration to differing opinions and then work with fellow commissioners to develop strategies that balance the needs of our economy and our environment. More often than not, that process requires some compromise.

Zita has not shown the ability to do that, according to what her students say on ratemyprofessors.com. Instead, they say that she is “absorbed in her own opinions,” “has a special way of ignoring what you say,” “doesn’t take criticism well at all,” and “wrote a very negative evaluation of everyone in class who disagreed at all with her opinions.”

We can’t afford to have a commissioner who thinks she has all the answers, is unwilling to consider opinions of people she’s supposed to represent, and gets angry or retaliates when anyone disagrees with her. We need one who has shown an ability to work with others in bettering our community. That’s Jerry Farmer.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Farmer might be more effective on port."