SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL

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Hearing held on East Orcas Water Supply Report

EDITORIAL: Citizens deserve equal access

posted 2/15/2006
Public hearings are designed for government officials to listen to comments from citizens. Unfortunately, if one compares two recent public hearings held by the San Juan County Council, members of the public have not been treated equitably. We hope this is an anomaly which will be quickly corrected.

Last week during the public hearing regarding permit fees, at least one individual was given several opportunities throughout the hearing to express his opinion. Yesterday, people who traveled from Orcas Island to testify about the East Orcas Water Plan were strictly limited to three minutes each. The speakers were cut off and not allowed another opportunity to speak.

The strict rules were not due to a lack of time. The hearing was scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. with the next item on the agenda set for 2:30 p.m. After listening to the Orcas Island citizens' comments, Council Chair Alan Lichter closed the hearing at 2:06 p.m.

It is important to run public hearings fairly. Some flexibility is beneficial but varying widely from hearing to hearing is not good policy and sends the wrong message to the public.

For several reasons, including a decision by the planning department to extend the comment period by two weeks, the council decided to resume the hearing at 10 a.m. March 15 on Orcas Island. (The exact location is still to be determined.) We encourage the council Chair to allow the citizens adequate time for comments.