Area resident Shauna Walters reacts to IBR Administrator Greg Johnson’s presentation to Battle Ground City Council

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

In the Feb. 18 Battle Ground City Council study session, IBR Program Administrator Greg Johnson and IBR Assistant Program Manager Frank Green were invited by the council to give a presentation on the Interstate Bridge Replacement Project. This presentation was meant to be informational as a precursor to possible action by the council to oppose the pricey light rail component of the project.

The general attitude espoused by Mr. Johnson was that this project is a done deal and no amount of input from the public is welcomed nor will it be heeded. When describing the people who oppose the project, Mr. Johnson referred to them as “…gadflies who follow the programs saying oh my God they’re fear mongering…” speaking about the stability of the bridge in the event of a major “Cascadia” event. I hate to tell ya Mr. Johnson, neither the old bridge nor the new one will withstand a catastrophic event like Cascadia.

According to vocabulary.com, A gadfly is an irritating person, a nuisance who will often ask too many questions or lob lots of criticisms in order to get his or her way. I urge my fellow gadflies to stand up and continue to push back on this expensive and unnecessary boondoggle.

Shauna Walters
Vancouver

---

Also read:

• 
  Letter: When headlines gaslight the public
  Vancouver resident Peter Bracchi argues that emotionally charged immigration headlines blur legal distinctions and mislead the public rather than inform it.
• 
  Opinion: California’s unemployment debt crisis mirrors Washington’s Employment Security Department failures
  Mark Harmsworth compares California’s growing unemployment insurance debt with Washington’s Employment Security Department failures and argues both states must reform or risk continued economic harm.
• 
  Opinion: Hard work is being done to try to trade one bad health care system for another
  Elizabeth New (Hovde) cautions that efforts to create a universal, taxpayer-financed health care system in Washington risk replacing existing problems with new challenges tied to cost, access, and centralized control.
• 
  Opinion: The progressive attack on Washington’s sheriffs
  Nancy Churchill argues that proposed legislation would shift power over county sheriffs away from voters and concentrate control within state government.
• 
  Letter: Is Secretary of State Hobbs really JUST protecting your voter information?
  Camas resident Rick Vermeers questions the Washington secretary of state’s refusal to provide voter roll data to the U.S. Department of Justice and raises concerns about voter list transparency and compliance with federal law.