San Juan Islander Editorial
Termination of Arnold wrong move
posted 08/13/03
San Juan County's Planning Department had one of the most difficult jobs in the county - telling the hard truth about what is allowed under the state's Growth Management Act. Under the leadership of Laura Arnold, the small department dealt with the issues of density, urban growth areas, capital facility needs, airport overlay districts, concurrency, barge landing sites and more. Arnold, senior planners Pat Mann and Rick Rutz, department assistant Lynda Guernsey should have been applauded for the high-quality of their work and the professionalism they have shown. Instead two county commissioners decided to "kill the messenger."
Commissioners Darcie Nielsen and John Evans voted to terminate Arnold's employment as county Planning Director. Commissioner Rhea Miller strongly opposed the move. The department is being dismantled and the remnants merged with the Permit Center.
Nielsen and Evans have repeatedly expressed frustration with the limitations of GMA. The GMA process has dragged on. An argument could be made the length of the process is the result of the commissioners' reluctance to deal with the reality. The county has wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars by ignoring the advice of its staff and insisting on submitting non-compliant plans to the Growth Management Hearings Board.
One example of not dealing with reality: In May 2001, the hearings board stated:
In addition to the sizing noncompliance, the County has acknowledged that it did not address urban facilities and services through an analysis of capital facilities planning...The County's brief makes a rather startling, and totally incorrect, statement that since water and sewer facilities are provided by individual serving agencies (non-profits, public utilities) there is no need for the County to include those budgets and/or plans in determining whether or where a proper UGA should be located.
In August of 2003, Commissioners Nielsen and Evans were still arguing whether the county should create a comprehensive water plan for Lopez Village. The plan would delineate how the various systems fit together. It would not mean the county pays for the infrastructure. It means the county creates the document which the various water systems would refer to when they build their infrastructure.
On the morning of the day she was fired, Arnold led a discussion with the Lummi Indian Tribal Chief and other tribal members concerning barge landing sites in the county. This was the first time representatives of the tribe had met with the BOCC. The outcome of the meeting will be a working relationship between the two governments which can result in a smoother, faster process. They were interested in working with the county during the preplanning in order to avoid problems later. Arnold had initiated the contact with the Lummis.
It's a shame what is being done to the planning department. The unprofessional manner in which the staff has been treated is disgraceful. Dismantling the planning department will prove to be an expensive mistake for all the citizens. When you hire advisors who tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear, you end up paying for it in court.
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