Letters to the Editor

The Editor:
There is no vendetta against the board of directors of Birch Bay Village but there is plenty of anger against the voting bylaw which they enforce as law which is not the law passed by the legislature in 1995 and there is no such law that non-votes count as yes votes.
The law RCW 64.38.025 (3) which was passed by the Legislature reads, “Unless at that meeting the owners of a majority of the votes in the association are allocated or any larger percentage specified in the governing documents reject the budget, in person or by proxy, the budget is ratified, whether or not a quorum is present.”
“Units to which” was deleted and “in person or by proxy” was added amending original House version which was the same as the condo law.
The bylaw which was submitted by board of directors for a vote and represented as the law of the land to the members of Birch Bay Village stated, “Unless at such meeting the owners of lots to which a majority of the votes in the club are allocated reject the budget, pursuant to RCW 64.38.025 (3) the budget is ratified, whether or not a quorum is present.” Note words added and deleted in this version which is not pursuant to RCW 64.38.025 (3).
The explanation for changes in the state law given by Hugh Lewis in letter to everyone in the village was ambiguity and lack of grammatical precision in RCW 64.38.025 (3). There is one thing which could have been done to improve the wording of RCW 64.38.025 (3) and that would be to add the word “that” or “which” following association.
Article 1 Section 19 of Washington State Constitution states, “All elections shall be fair and equal, and no power, civil or military, shall at any time interfere to prevent the free exercise of the right of suffrage.”
Article 1 Section 2 of Washington State Constitution states, “The Constitution of the United States is the Supreme law of the land.”
Section 1 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States Constitution requires states to provide equal protection under state laws.
Do not think problems in homeowner and condo associations are going unnoticed by either the FBI or U.S. Attorney.
They have been receiving numerous complaints and at least the FBI has been soliciting complaints regarding allegations of RICO violations.
If you want to see what is going on in this field across the nation go to the website www.ahrc.com.
I will say only one thing regarding the marina. Does it belong to the boat owners and members of the yacht club or is it community property which belongs to everyone who owns property in Birch Bay Village?
Steve Wittlake
Blaine

The Editor:
I would like to thank the Whatcom County Library System for bringing the bookmobile service to the Birch Bay area.
I have not used the library for over eight years and have found this a wonderful opportunity to reconnect. The convenience has made for a very pleasant afternoon’s walk.
The bookmobile staff has been more than helpful in familiarizing me with the updated library services. I found on the bookmobile shelves an excellent selection of reading materials with many current titles and topics available.
I would like to encourage the Whatcom County Library System to consider Birch Bay a continued viable location for their services. For me, I have rediscovered the enjoyment of reading and hope that others residing in the Birch Bay area will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!
K. O’Connor
Birch Bay

The Editor:
Let me understand this – Representative Doug Ericksen is trying to provide incentives to get older, polluting cars off of the road and replace them with Federal Tier II approved cars that produce about 99.5 percent less pollution then their older counterparts and people are opposed to this?
Ericksen puts forth a creative plan to clean the air, help middle and lower income families afford newer, less-polluting, more fuel-efficient cars and somebody claims this is a bad thing?
Even the Seattle P-I opined in favor of Ericksen’s approach on April 30, 2006, “Consider, too, Representative Doug Ericksen’s idea of using tax credits to help drivers of the oldest, most polluting cars to trade up to newer, lower emission vehicles. Tweaked to encourage fuel economy as well as clean air, as Ericksen plans, the bill ought to zoom through the next legislature.”
One of the most important things we can do to clean our air is replace older cars with Federal Tier II approved cars.
The faster we replace old cars, the faster we clean the air. Representative Ericksen understands this.
And regarding good jobs to buy new cars, just about every job creator in Washington supports Representative Ericksen.
Support solutions – vote to re-elect Representative Ericksen.
Peter Graves, WWU student
Bellingham

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com