Letters for June 12, 2024
Baumgartner’s publicity stunts
Michael Baumgartner’s whole political career has been publicity stunts.
When he first ran for the Washington state Senate in 2011, his mailers had a picture of him in military garb. My husband, a vet, assumed Baumgartner was in the military. Nope, just a high-paid diplomat.
When I lobbied Baumgartner in Olympia, I stood outside his office waiting for his assistant to say “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Honorable Sen. Michael Baumgartner will now see you!”
In 2012, I was attending a political luncheon with a friend/teacher when Baumgartner showed up at the last-minute sitting at our table. He looked at us and said, “You two remind me of that movie, ‘Bad Teachers.’ ” He laughed.
When Baumgartner was elected Spokane County treasurer in 2018, he insisted his name be added on the return address when for decades – the return address just stated, “Spokane County Treasurer.”
Not sure how Baumgartner can say that his latest trip to Yuma, Arizona, was not a publicity stunt when he used his own campaign funds.
Recently, my jaw dropped as Baumgartner used the slaying of a family man on Garland Avenue to film a political ad.
The best publicity stunt of all, Baumgartner traveled with the late Mike Leach to several Middle and Far Eastern countries, including an African safari, in 2018 and for what?
Michael should have stayed home and focused on the issues pertaining to Washington state.
Jenny Rose
Spokane
Need a new category
The inclusion of the trans runner in the recent Girls State 2A track and field championships was a total disgrace. Every girl in America should refuse to participate in any sport until this ridiculous nonsense is put to an end. No matter what age someone transitions they will always have an unfair advantage over women. Women’s athletic accomplishments and records need to be preserved and protected. If there are so many of these trans athletes, we need to change all the rules of fair competition for them, put them in their own category and let them race each other.
Ed Guise
Spokane
French’s oath of office
Al French has betrayed his oath of office as county commissioner. The oath reads in part: “I will support the laws of the State of Washington … and I will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of this office to the best of my ability.”
Commissioner French was not impartial when he put Spokane Airport business interests before the health and wellbeing of surrounding community members whose wells have been poisoned by PFAS “forever” chemicals. By failing to disclose airport PFAS contamination, French demonstrated a lack of integrity and a blatant disregard for the oath he took when elected.
In 2021, our state Department of Ecology added PFAS to the list of hazardous substances, thus making it mandatory to report any known release of these chemicals, past or present. French and the airport board did not report their testing results until a citizen filed a public records request, and the Deptartment of Ecology then took action.
Al French has failed to protect our West Plains aquifer and the health of county citizens. Recent EPA sampling of 307 private wells northwest of the airport revealed PFAS in 172 wells – 56% have PFAS levels above safe drinking water standards. More sampling is needed to provide data for the extensive, long mitigation process Al French obstructed.
Please hold Al French accountable for failing to uphold his oath of office. Vote him out of office in the upcoming election.
Gail Furman
Spokane
Blastings in Colbert
We live off Hatch Road in Colbert, by U.S. Highway 395, and recently we (and our dog) have been really startled by totally unexpected nearby blasting. One day I was actually lifted off my feet by the shock wave. My husband has dementia and this really upset him. What on earth is this doing to the stability and cohesion of our buildings? Can a firm start blasting right by a major housing estate without notifying the residents beforehand? At the very least they should sound a siren to warn us ahead of the blast. Our poor dog goes and hides in the bedroom when it occurs, and I feel sorry for those pets whose owners are out at work all day.
Road construction blasting requires audible warning before blasting. Should builders (I presume it is builders) not have to abide by the same rules? We and our neighbors are not particularly pleased.
Valerie Desks
Colbert
Congratulations to all graduates
I am sure that I was not the only person greatly impressed by The Spokesman-Review’s recent news of graduates earning scholarships and honors as they move on from Spokane’s many high schools. Many of our students will be making major transitions soon as they move on to trade schools, colleges, universities, immediate employment opportunities and other exciting beginnings, taking them toward new adventures.
If we could walk through the halls of any of our schools, and if we could visit classrooms and see the many other students who were not featured in the news for receiving scholarships and honors, we would see hundreds, even thousands of students who may not have a plan – yet. As a former student, teacher and administrator, I can assure you that there will be fantastic plans carried out by so very many of the students yet to be featured – or never to be featured. Roses do not all blossom at the same time, yet blossom they will with an amazing beauty that will impact the world.
Let’s wish every student the best possible adventure as they move through school and into their adult careers, wherever their journeys take them. May their dreams and hopes be realized, and may they enrich others with acts of kindness along the way.
Marie Phillips
Spokane