Not many citizens but a number of public officials attended this Hoodsport fire station begathon for about $4.3 Million new funding/taxes to remedy/monitor the damage done to Washington State’s water resources (State owned, btw) through permits issued by Mason County and the State over the years. No coherent response was offered when the presenter was asked why citizens should give more money to a County (Mason) that couldn’t maintain the infrastructure (bridges, roads, etc.) it has now? When asked how it accounts for the money citizens previously have given it for such purposes and whether they got much ‘bang’ for their buck, little explanation was offered. Finally, when asked how citizens would be assured/guaranteed the money would go for no other purpose than efficaciously cleaning our water resources (for $4.3 Million just for openers in a thinly populated, poor, extremely rural county, no less) the presenter opined this was a good suggestion but gave no specifics. At one point, a citizen suggested since the State of Washington owned all the riparian rights in law, it should enact its own protection scheme and fund the same.
